Bo Shen

I'm very surprised that nobody has responded to you. I haven't been in this forum in a while. Dr. Shen is absolutely incredible and in my opinion, does not have a peer in the world of j-pouches. I have been seeing him annually at the Cleveland Clinic for many years and followed him to New York. I don't like having to travel to NYC to see him but it's worth it because he is the best. I don't know what I would do if he suddenly became unavailable for some reason, but he's assured me that he plans on continuing his practice for many years to come. I hope this helps. Good luck!

Thanks for the reply! I have an appointment with him in a few weeks and really keeping my fingers crossed. He definitely seems like THE pouch doc with tons of publications on the topic so I feel like if he can't figure it out, no one will.  Also, so far I have nothing but good things to say about his office staff. They are very responsive and organized. Seems like a well oiled machine.

Dr. Shen has been a leading world authority on J Pouches for a very long time.  I treated with one of his Cleveland Clinic protegees, Dr. Ioannis Oikonomou, for around 6 years when he was at Yale.  Dr. O discussed my case with Dr. Shen often, so I feel like I actually know Shen because he vicariously treated me through Dr. O.  I am curious about whether Shen and his "IBD Center of Excellence" are doing anything with the emerging pattern of long term pouches developing strictures at the J Pouch inlet, as in my case and as in other long term pouch cases reported on this board.  Dr. O was the one who first identified my issue and the reason for it, the lack of the backsplash valve in the J Pouch.  Please note that not every long term J Pouch develops this issue, but I and enough other people have that it is a pattern that has been observed and is known by the J Pouch experts.  In the future, depending on how my dilation procedures go, I may need to consult Shen about it.  Fortunately, I am a short train ride away from New York City.

@Don D. posted:

I'm very surprised that nobody has responded to you. I haven't been in this forum in a while. Dr. Shen is absolutely incredible and in my opinion, does not have a peer in the world of j-pouches. I have been seeing him annually at the Cleveland Clinic for many years and followed him to New York. I don't like having to travel to NYC to see him but it's worth it because he is the best. I don't know what I would do if he suddenly became unavailable for some reason, but he's assured me that he plans on continuing his practice for many years to come. I hope this helps. Good luck!

He assured me he would never leave Cleveland and he did...

My GI doctor who is north of 70 has assured me he is not retiring any time soon. We will see how that assurance goes.

Unfortunately much like Dr. Shen left the Cleveland Clinic for the greener pastures at NY-Presb, so did his protégée, my former GI Doctor Oikonmou, leave Yale for the greener pastures of Mount Sinai in NYC in 2015. Since 2015, Dr. O left Mount Sinai for Rush in Chicago:

https://doctors.rush.edu/details/17491

I heard a rumor that Mount Sinai, in luring Dr. O away from Yale, promised to make him the head of a "Pouchitis Clinic", which apparently never came to fruition. Whether that is true, or the reason why Dr. O left Mount Sinai, is anyone's guess. It was never really clear to me why he left Yale. I had hoped he would be my GI doctor forever, although I am very happy with my current Doc as long as he doesn't retire (as I have been assured he will not).

We all have to understand, however, that our doctors are human and their job situations or family situations and needs can change. In such cases, "assurances" can fall by the wayside.