2 Pitt gastroenterology professors earned a research mentor award

Robert “Rocky” Schoen and Dhiraj Yadav, professors in the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, received 2024 Research Mentor Awards from the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA).

The instructors in Pitt Med’s Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition were among only 11 selected nationwide as outstanding mentors in their research sections: clinical practice for Schoen and pancreatic disorders for Yadav.

Schoen is a principal investigator on studies related to early detection and prevention of colorectal cancer for the Early Detection Research Network and the Genetics and Epidemiology of Colorectal Cancer Consortium. He is also a co-investigator on a study developing a natural language processing tool to more efficiently evaluate and report on colonoscopy quality. In conjunction with that project, Schoen is developing a database of colonoscopy reports from the last 20 years at UPMC hospitals for research studies.

Along with his research interest in pancreatic disease, Yadav developed and co-directs the Enhancing Mentoring to Improve Research in Gastroenterology (EMERGE) program for Pitt’s Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition. He has served as a faculty mentor at the National Pancreas Foundation Annual Fellows Symposium and is a regular speaker, panelist and moderator for AGA, the American Pancreatic Association and PancreasFest.