SAIA's Inception & Evolution

Since our inception in 2021, SAIA quickly became a leading entity in GI advocacy by building on robust patient-clinician partnerships to deliver high-quality culturally sensitive education, research, and resources for patients and HCPs alike.

While we began with a focus on the global South Asian IBD community, through our journey, we have learned that SAIA’s focus on cultural sensitivity and inclusion resonated across multiple chronic GI conditions and across many cultural groups. Our private IBDesis Community on Facebook and our patient education programs supported individuals from multiple nationalities, religions, and ethnic backgrounds and catered to several GI conditions, including but not limited to IBD, such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Colorectal Cancer (CRC), Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE) and more.

Through this journey, we have come to understand that cultural identity significantly influences medical care and healthcare outcomes for many individuals. Myriad folks experience the intersection of cultural identities, relationships, norms, and expectations alongside the axis of chronic GI conditions. This intersection often takes the form of cultural stigma around chronic GI ailments and increases the invisible burden on patients and their loved ones. Our research has shown that there are cultural barriers to GI care, and that it is vital for HCPs to meet patients & their families where they are at and adopt cultural humility as a part of clinical practice (Pandit et al., 2024)

SAIA’s key aims and goals highlights the intersection of cultural considerations and chronic GI conditions and seeks to develop patient education, professional development and research to address this intersection and elevate care and outcomes for everyone.

Within the GI space, the intersections between culture and management of chronic GI conditions, including acceptance of the condition, barriers to treatment and surgery remain underexplored. SAIA’s primary goal is to come together as patient advocates (via Team IBDesis) and multidisciplinary clinicians to work together as a collaborative effort to achieve the following goals:

• Create patient education around chronic GI conditions including IBD, IBS, CRC and other chronic GI conditions
• Promote professional development of multidisciplinary providers, with a focus on inculcating cultural sensitivity and cultural awareness in clinical practice
• Develop key research ideas on multidisciplinary topics and execute to showcase the need for better care and treatment options
• Pursue more affordable medication access via pharmaceuticals and payors
• Develop a robust clinical trial program

Learn more about SAIA’s Leadership team here.

The four committees, or pillars of SAIA, the Patient Outreach & Advocacy Committee, the Research Committee, the Membership Committee, and the Professional Development Committee represent our commitment to holistically improving healthcare for all patients living with chronic GI conditions. Learn more about SAIA’s four pillars here.