Limerick to host key gastroenterology gathering

The Irish Society of Gastroenterology Summer Meeting will highlight advances across a range of areas related to the specialty

The Irish Society of Gastroenterology (ISG) will bring together leading national and international experts later this month for its 2026 Summer Meeting at the Radisson Hotel, Limerick. Taking place on 11–12 June, the meeting will feature keynote talks on endoscopy, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), hepatology, colorectal surgery, microbiome science, and cancer screening, alongside oral presentations, poster sessions, and networking events.

The programme opens on Thursday 11 June with themed oral presentations focused on endoscopy and gastrointestinal medicine.

This will be followed by a presentation by Dr Nick Burr, Consultant Gastroenterologist and Endoscopist, Mid-Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust, UK, titled ‘Turning endoscopy data into better colonoscopy’.

The next presentation will be delivered by Dr Jan Leyden, Consultant Gastroenterologist, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, who will outline developments regarding the roll-out of the national endoscopy reporting system.

Themed oral presentations on hepatology and IBD will then take place, after which Prof Aonghus Lavelle, Group Leader, APC Microbiome Ireland and the Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, University College Cork, will speak. In his talk – ‘Translating microbiome science to IBD: Where are we in 2026?’ – Prof Lavelle will examine how microbiome research is beginning to shape clinical treatment strategies for patients with the condition.

After lunch, a poster round will be held, which will be followed by the ISG’s annual general meeting.

The first speaker in the afternoon session, Dr Jan Bornschein, Consultant Gastroenterologist, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, UK, will give a talk titled ‘Combined colorectal and gastric cancer screening in the TOGAS study – Benefits beyond cancer detection’.

Dr Bornschein will be followed by Prof Christina Fleming, Consultant General and Colorectal Surgeon, University Hospital Limerick, who will discuss ‘Surgical strategies for rectal cancer in 2026’.

Surgery will remain a major theme throughout the afternoon. Prof Calvin Coffey, Foundation Chair and Professor of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Limerick, will speak on ‘Targeting the mesentery in surgery for Crohn’s disease’.

International guest speaker Prof Phillip Fleshner, Professor of Surgery and Director of Colorectal Surgery Research, Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre, Los Angeles, US, will then deliver a presentation titled ‘Advances in IBD surgery’.

The first day will conclude with a discussion on patient-centred IBD care in ‘Comprehensive disease management in IBD – How can we bridge clinical goals and patient priorities?’.

The session will feature Dr Sailish Honap, Consultant Gastroenterologist and Endoscopist, St George’s University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK, alongside Prof Glen Doherty, Consultant Gastroenterologist, the Centre for Colorectal Disease, St Vincent’s University Hospital (SVUH), Dublin, and University College Dublin.

Second day

The programme on Friday 12 June begins with a talk by Dr Fiona Eldridge, Clinical Psychologist, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, UK, who will present on ‘Applying clinical psychology in IBD’.

A session devoted to the top oral presentations selected by the President will then be held, before the focus shifts to liver disease.

Dr Neil McDougall, Consultant Hepatologist, Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast, will discuss improving transplant access in ‘Optimising access to liver transplantation through satellite centres’.

Later in the morning, Dr Stephanie Rutledge, Consultant Hepatologist, SVUH, will deliver a presentation titled ‘On the rocks: Alcohol-related liver disease in 2026’, examining emerging trends and challenges in hepatology.

Attendees will then hear a series of clinical case presentations, which will be followed by the final presentation of the meeting. This will be given by Prof Fleshner and is titled ‘Comprehensive disease management in IBD – How can we bridge clinical goals and patient priorities?’.

The gathering will conclude with awards for the best presentations.