Treating giant pandas: an unusual advanced role for the gastroenterologist
Giant pandas are captivating animals with worldwide interest. Their distinctive colour, furriness and slow, swaggering, lifestyle may be some of the reasons why people love them (Figure 1 A-C). Fewer than 1900 pandas remain in their natural habitats according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. However, in 2016, as a major success of conservation efforts, the IUCN announced a downgrading of the protection status of the giant panda from ‘Endangered’ to ‘Vulnerable’.
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Figure 1 Giant pandas (A–C) and Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding (D,E).
Applications open for BSG Mentoring Lead
Applications are now open for the role of BSG Mentoring Lead from December 2025.
BSG Member Professor Alan Lobo Shortlisted for National Leadership Award
Professor Alan Lobo, Consultant Gastroenterologist at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Professor of Gastroenterology at the University of Sheffield, and a longstanding member of the British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG), has been named a finalist for Clinical Leader of the Year at the 2025 Health Service Journal (HSJ) Awards.
We are inviting expressions of interest to join a Clinical Endoscopists Working Group
We are keen to give our clinical endoscopist members a louder voice within the BSG. Could you represent regional colleagues on issues important to you, including workforce, training, education and research?