NYU Langone inflammatory bowel disease center celebrates second year of operation

The Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center at NYU Langone Ambulatory Care Lake Success recently celebrated two years of providing compassionate, patient-centered care to thousands of individuals living with the condition.

Since opening in November 2022, the New Hyde Park based-practice has seen more than 10,000 gastrointestinal and surgical visits and performed 1,500 endoscopies, 1,200 surgeries, and nearly 1,400 infusions.

Inflammatory bowel disease is a complex, chronic and debilitating condition, affecting roughly three million Americans, including those with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

There is no known cure for the disease currently, but it can be treated through a variety of avenues to lessen it from medications, surgery, emotional support as well as diet and lifestyle changes.

“From the onset, our mission has been to create a comprehensive IBD center for both outpatient and inpatient care to seamlessly navigate patients through a healing journey,” said Dr. Toyooki Sonoda, chief of NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine’s Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery and the center’s surgical director.

The center prides itself on its innovative, one-stop approach to offer patients a better quality of life, including nutritional and psychological support in conjunction with standard medical and surgical care.

“Our patients have a multitude of symptoms, and our mission is to treat the entire gamut of their condition by establishing long-term relationships, collaborating with various specialists so that they can better function daily without discomfort,” said Dr. Bradley M. Morganstern, a gastroenterologist and the center’s medical director.

In a press release celebrating its second anniversary the center highlighted Frankie Calca, a former professional bowler.  The 41-year-old Elmont man was suffering from anemia and was severely malnourished from being unable to eat due to constant nausea.

At the center, Calca received intravenous nutritional packets and multiple infusions. Afterward, Sonoda performed surgery on him, a procedure that Calca credited as being responsible for removing 18 separate blockages in his intestine during 10 hours on the operating table at NYU Langone Hospital.

“Inflammatory Bowel Disease was the biggest strike against my health, but Dr. Sonoda helped me get back to doing what I love, knocking down pins,” Calca said. “He was the best thing that ever happened in my medical life and did such an amazing job, I forgot I was sick.”

NYU Langone offers a comprehensive range of medical services across six inpatient locations, its Perlmutter Cancer Center, and more than 300 outpatient locations across New York and Florida.