UH Gastroenterologist Advocates for IBD Patients

UH Clinical Update | December 2024

Vu Nguyen, MD

Gastroenterologist Vu Nguyen, MD, got his start as a patient advocate as a Stanford University undergrad, working as a public health volunteer to promote hepatitis B awareness among the large immigrant community in Northern California. It lit a spark, he says.

“I think that's what got me interested in the healthcare field,” Dr. Nguyen says. “I was always interested in the science, but I think combination of public health and the science is what got me interested in applying to medical school.”

Today, after completing his medical degree, internal medicine residency, gastroenterology fellowship and four years on staff at Virginia Tech University, Dr. Nguyen is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) specialist with UH Digestive Health Institute. And he’s continuing to make choices that allow him to be an effective advocate for patients. In fact, he says, his decision to leave Virginia Tech for UH was motivated by the chance to join one of the premier IBD programs in the country – and to learn more from others how to better manage IBD patients.

“My division chief is Dr. Fabio Cominelli, who is a renowned scientist in the field,” he says. “I was excited to have the opportunity to work with him. I’m involved in research through the Cleveland Digestive Diseases Research Core Center. That’s really what made me excited to want to come here -- opportunities to participate in research and advance to better serve our patients.”

In just three years at UH, mostly at main campus but also at UH Westlake Health Center, Dr. Nguyen has already made a positive impression, his colleagues say. Colorectal surgeon Emily Steinhagen, MD, calls out his willingness to be flexible and to collaborate to create the best possible care for IBD patients.

“Dr. Nguyen has gone above and beyond to facilitate the interdisciplinary care of IBD patients,” she says. “For example, he has reconfigured his schedule so that clinics align with colorectal colleagues, which facilitates same-day appointments with both specialties for patients.”

“Particularly for IBD, I believe in multidisciplinary care,” Dr.  Nguyen says. I think you really improve the patient care that way because some of these patients can have very complex medical issues. About one out of two people with Crohn’s disease will need an operation their lifetime. When I have my colleague there, they can come by and evaluate a patient, get them plugged in. We’ve also started a monthly multidisciplinary IBD conference to discuss complex cases. That's something we started since I came, and it helps expedite care.”

Dr. Steinhagen also describes how Dr. Nguyen recently came in at her request on a day when he was not in clinic to do a same-day visit with a patient with Crohn’s disease. The patient was incarcerated and not on any treatment.

“Dr. Nguyen promptly saw the patient, performed a detailed evaluation and got him set up to receive very necessary treatment to promptly address his symptoms,” Dr. Steinhagen says. “This particular patient had a lot of difficulty accessing healthcare. Dr. Nguyen made it possible for him to get prompt treatment, recognizing the patient’s social determinants of health and overall situation. He recognized the need to see him quickly and made a realistic plan for him to get care that was individualized and personalized. Dr. Nguyen truly went above and beyond as a team player and patient advocate.”

UH CEO Cliff A. Megerian, MD, FACS, Jane and Henry Meyer Chief Executive Officer Distinguished Chair, recently recognized Dr. Nguyen for this outstanding patient advocacy with a “Dinner with the Doc” honor.

Dr. Nguyen says he will continue to develop innovative ways to advocate for his IBD patients. Many of his patients are in their 20s and 30s and see him as more of a primary care provider, he says, a role he’s happy to fill. With this age group in particular, Dr. Nguyen says, it’s important to engage in shared decision-making.

“We discuss the options and the pluses and minuses and we come to a decision together,” he says.

To nominate a physician for this honor, click here for the Dinner with the Doc Nomination Form.