Pediatric Digestive Diseases

The UT Southwestern Pediatric Group at Plano offers comprehensive care for infants, children, and adolescents with gastrointestinal (GI), pancreatic, and liver disorders.

UT Southwestern’s Pediatric Gastroenterology Program is ranked No. 9 in the nation for pediatric gastroenterology and gastrointestinal surgery, according to U.S. News & World Report’s Best Children’s Hospital 2022-2023 rankings. We are also at the forefront of GI research – our researchers have identified novel genes that play a role in early-onset inflammatory bowel disease.

Whether it’s a common problem that most children experience, such as vomiting or diarrhea, or a more complex issue such as a birth defect or inflammatory bowel disease, our GI experts are ready to provide compassionate, expert care for your child. If needed, our minimally invasive tests, such as endoscopy or colonoscopy, can help zero in on problems in the safest possible way.

Our Specialized Pediatric GI Programs

We’ve designed and implemented specialized programs, including:

• Celiac disease: Our multidisciplinary celiac disease program is the only one of its kind in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
• Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD): UT Southwestern is home to one of the largest IBD centers in the country, and specialists in our pediatric IBD program provide care for more than 500 children and consultations for patients around the world.
• Neurogastroenterology: With a multidisciplinary abdominal pain program, a bowel management program, and an aerodigestive disorders management program, we have the expertise to treat children with both simple and complex neurogastrointestinal problems. All of these programs are unique to North Texas.
• Intestinal rehabilitation: We have one of the largest programs in the country for intestinal rehabilitation, and it is the only program of its type in North Texas and surrounding states.
• Pediatric intestinal immunology: Our pediatric intestinal immunology clinic is the only one of its kind in North Texas.
• Therapeutic endoscopy: As one of only a few programs in the country, we’re leading the nation in endoscopy innovation, research, and training.
• Fecal microbial transplant: UT Southwestern has the first fecal microbial transplant program in North Texas.

We also have extensive experience treating children with:

• Chronic diarrhea 
• Chronic abdominal pain
• Constipation and encopresis
• Gastroesophageal reflux disease
• Gastrointestinal vascular anomalies and chronic bleeding
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Liver disease
• Pancreatic and biliary tract disease
• Short bowel syndrome and intestinal failure

Preparing for Your Appointment

To make the most of your time with the doctor, prepare a list of questions ahead of time and bring it to your appointment.

On the day of the appointment, please arrive 20 minutes early to allow time for parking and registration. We do our best to see patients at their scheduled appointment time. 

Please bring the following items:

• Current insurance card
• Method of payment
• Current medications
• Completed paperwork, if you received forms before the visit

To facilitate ongoing communication, we recommend patients sign up with MyChart, which allows patients to communicate directly with doctors, request prescription refills, update contact information, view test results, and request clinic appointments. Sign in to or sign up for MyChart.

Canceling an Appointment

If you need to cancel an appointment, please notify us at least 48 hours in advance so we can accommodate other patients.

Prescriptions and Refills

It is very important that your child does not run out of their medication. Be sure that you have sufficient refills to last until your next appointment. We are happy to provide you with a written prescription upon request.

If you run out of refills, please call your pharmacy, and your pharmacist will fax a refill request to us. Please allow us 24 to 48 hours to process refill requests.