There’s no theme music or flashy graphics. There are no announcers or sideline reporters. And there’s no stadium full of fans. But it’s Monday night and Johns Hopkins gastroenterologist Aline Charabaty is ready for some … inflammatory bowel disease.

“Monday Night IBD,” a Twitter discussion Charabaty launched in 2019, is dedicated to improving care for people who live with inflammatory bowel disease.

The Twitter handle Charabaty established for the discussions, @MondayNightIBD, has more than 7,300 followers and regularly draws comments from many of the world’s leading IBD physicians and researchers. They cover difficult cases and topics that affect their patients, from coordination of care to new treatment options — all as they relate to the family of conditions known as IBD.

“No matter how experienced we are, there are always unanswered clinical questions and gray areas in the management of patients with IBD,” says Charabaty, an IBD specialist.

Early sessions were aimed mainly at gastroenterologists. But as the series gained popularity, Charabaty wanted to expand the discussion to include other clinicians who treat patients with IBD, such as rheumatologists, psychologists, pelvic floor therapists and nurses, as well as to GI trainees and patients. She established three more weekly Twitter conversations related to the Monday discussions: Saturdays focus on reviewing the basics of a topic in IBD ahead of the more complex discussion on Monday. Wednesdays are co-led by a patient advocate and focus on patients’ experiences with the disease.

“And on Fridays,” says Charabaty, “we put together a PowerPoint slide that summarizes key teaching and management points of what we discussed during the week.”