Event: 17th Annual Frontier In Digestive Diseases Symposium
Theme: “Nutrition, Metabolism & the Microbiome”
Date: Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026, 8 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Location: Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center, 7200 Cambridge, 1st Floor
Organizers: Geoffrey Preidis, M.D., Ph.D. & James Versalovic, M.D., Ph.D.
Speakers:
- J. Thomas Brenna, Ph.D., The University of Texas at Austin
- Karen Edelblum, Ph.D., Mount Sinai School of Medicine
- David Allison, Ph.D., Children’s Nutrition Research Center
- Jen Wargo, Ph.D., MD Anderson Cancer Center
- Lawrence David, Ph.D., Duke University
- Sashi Ramani, Ph.D., Baylor College of Medicine
- Firas Midani, Ph.D., Baylor College of Medicine
Registration is now closed for in-person attendance. To attend virtually, please email Sara Tristan for the Teams link.
Call for Abstracts & Posters
The DDC is currently accepting digestive diseases related abstracts and posters for our 17th Annual Frontiers in Digestive Diseases Symposium. The deadline to submit an abstract is 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 16, 2026.
Please note to participate in the poster competition, you must submit a PDF of your poster by 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 26. If you do not plan on competing, you can bring your printed poster with you to the symposium on Feb. 28, 2026.
All submissions must adhere to the following format guidelines:
For Abstracts:
- Upload a Microsoft Word document (Do not submit a PDF of abstract).
- Save the File as Last Name, First Name.
- One page, single-spaced in Arial 11.
- 1” margins on all sides.
- Center and bold title. Capitalize only the first word.
- List all authors and institutions, underline presenting author and institution.
For Posters:
- Upload a PDF document.
- Save file as Last Name, First Name.
- List all authors and institutions.
- Underline presenter and institution
- Printed posters should not exceed 4’ x 4’.
Judging / Awards
The DDC is pleased to offer the top three posters with an invitation to an early-career mixer with DDC leadership on Friday evening and a private symposium dinner on Saturday evening, as well as an opportunity to win $500-$1,500 in vouchers to be used for research-related travel, supplies, or DDC core services. Restrictions apply. Poster competition winners will be announced during our 17th Annual Frontiers in Digestive Diseases Symposium on Feb. 28, 2026.
Previous Symposia
Since 2009, our annual scientific symposium, which is organized in conjunction with the DDC Annual Poster Competition and Early Career Mixer, has featured cutting-edge thematic topics. This annual event has steadily grown in popularity with both in-person and virtual attendance.
Recent themes of symposia have included:
- (2025) Immune Dysregulation and Digestive Diseases
- (2024) Frontiers in GI Cell Biology: Crosstalk and Communication
- (2023) Metabolic Communication in Digestive Diseases
- (2022) Single Cell Biology
- (2021) Phages, Viruses & Digestive Diseases
- (2020) The Gut as an Endocrine Organ: Implications for GI and Liver Disease
- (2019) Infection and Injury as a Precursor to GI and Liver Cancer
- (2018) Frontiers of the Microbiome Gut-Brain Axis
- (2017) Emerging Significance of Bile Acids in Digestive and Liver Diseases
- (2016) Frontiers in Regenerative Medicine in Digestive and Liver Disease
- (2015) Frontiers in IBD 2015
- (2014) The Gut Microbiome in GI Health & Disease
- (2013) Stem Cells in GI Health & Disease
- (2011) Epigenetics in GI Health and Disease
- (2010) Infection in GI Health and Disease