More than 50,000 cases of acute pancreatitis occur each year in the United States, and three to nine people out of every 100,000 suffer from chronic pancreatitis.
Pancreatic diseases are painful and debilitating. They cause symptoms such as severe abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting, which are often detected after the pancreas has already been severely damaged.
UPMC is making great strides to:
- Explore new therapies
- Conduct clinical trials of new treatments
- Enhance diagnostic approaches
- Improve patient outcomes
As international leaders in the diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic conditions and diseases, the UPMC Pancreas Center of Excellence is setting new standards for pancreatic care.
Why Choose the UPMC Pancreas Center of Excellence?
Here’s what differentiates our gastroenterologists:
- A cross-disciplinary approach to care — Our well-rounded team provides expertise in all aspects of pancreatic and biliary diseases. Time is critical in treatment of pancreatic diseases, which can progress rapidly. When patients need expertise in another specialty area, we can quickly and accurately turn to the resources of other world-renowned experts within the UPMC Digestive Disorders Center. We also collaborate with pediatric specialists to treat children with childhood-onset pancreatic diseases.
- We are also scientists — Allowing our team to go beyond simply treating symptoms, we are able to uncover the root causes and provide holistic treatments. This means we often can return patients to long-term wellness from conditions once considered untreatable.
- We're considered world leaders in research and treatment of pancreatic diseases — We were the first to discover the genetic causes of hereditary pancreatitis, for example. And, we're researching genetic connections to other types of pancreatitis.
- We connect with other pancreatic specialists — UPMC also hosts an international symposium of physicians and scientists from 20 leading centers to share knowledge and expertise in pancreatic diseases, further demonstrating our connection with other pancreatic experts from around the world. Our world-renowned expertise means that you’ll have some of the best minds in this field on the front lines of your treatment.
