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GI Update

Introducing Kofi Clarke, MD, Division Chief, Gastroenterology and Hepatology

I am excited to join Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, and be part of a team of highly skilled colleagues who are greatly regarded for excellent clinical care and research.

As I transition to Hershey Medical Center, I’ve had the opportunity to reflect on today’s unique health care climate. It is marked by increased recognition of limited resources and an appropriate shift toward cost efficiency and quality of care outcomes. In this environment, we must be at the forefront of the discussion among stakeholders—patients, clinicians and payers. In line with national and global initiatives to provide more efficient and effective care, we will focus on creating technology-driven and evidence-based clinical care programs across our service region. We plan to develop new collaborative programs with community partners, broadening access to specialty GI care in areas not previously served. The key to the success of this plan is a better understanding of population characteristics influencing disease states and health care choices. Likewise, an integral part of this focus is to define clinical parameters and quality of care measures that accurately and meaningfully describe patient outcomes and the effectiveness of the care we provide in our specialty.

It is equally important in the coming years for those in the gastroenterology community to share our findings about what programs and new treatment strategies work best, versus what is ineffective. This will enable best practices to be replicated on a larger scale. We will work to objectively measure and track our process and patient care outcomes, and disseminate these findings at professional meetings at regional, national and global levels. Optimizing care also means moving the science forward, to find better ways of treating the most challenging cases. In line with this, I plan to help strengthen the collaboration between talented bench researchers and clinicians to more rapidly bring new findings to the bedside.

Prior to joining Hershey Medical Center, I had the privilege of serving as division chief of gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition at Allegheny Health Network in Pittsburgh, Pa. Together with the team of clinicians, researchers, nursing and support staff in a large system, we created an improved focus on quality and efficiency of care, physician education, and fostered research programs in a wide number of gastroenterology specialties.

With a similar concerted focus of the entire division at Hershey Medical Center, we will aim to provide clinical service excellence, and foster and support research.

As I continue to pursue my clinical and research interests in luminal bowel diseases, primarily Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and Celiac disease, as well as medical education, I also welcome the opportunity to support our division in providing cutting-edge care and establishing high-quality research programs aimed at solving some of our most difficult challenges.

A head-and-shoulders photo of Kofi Clarke, MD, FACP, FRCP, AGAF

Kofi Clarke, MD, FACP, FRCP, AGAF

Division Chief, Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
Phone: 717-531-4950
Email: kclarke@pennstatehealth.psu.edu
Fellowship: Gastroenterology and hepatology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pa.; Research Fellowship: Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich.
Residency: Internal medicine, Temple University School of Medicine, Western Pennsylvania Hospital, Pittsburgh, Pa.; Gastroenterology and hepatology, Royal College of Physicians, London
Medical School: University of Ghana Medical School, Ghana
Postgraduate: Medicine, Gastroenterology and hepatology, Imperial College, London
Connect with Kofi Clarke, MD, FACP, FRCP, AGAF, on Doximity

Penn State Health Gastroenterology and Hepatology provides comprehensive services in the diagnosis, medical management and endoscopic treatment of diseases affecting the digestive system and liver.

Penn State Health Colon and Rectal Surgery consists of highly skilled, board-certified surgeons specializing in the treatment of patients with complicated colorectal disease. Each surgeon uses advanced diagnostic capabilities, the latest drug therapies, and leading-edge surgical techniques to provide the most effective medical care possible.

The mission of Penn State Health Gastroenterology and Hepatology and Penn State Health Colorectal Surgery is to provide world-class care and to advance the knowledge of disorders of the digestive system and liver through research, as well as to train the physicians of the future. The physicians participate in studies to determine the usefulness of novel treatments through clinical research studies and also in research which advances the basic knowledge of the disorders in this field.

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