For more than 35 years, Jeffry Nestler, MD, has worked at the intersection of private practice, advanced endoscopy and health system leadership. As president of Connecticut GI and co-physician-in-chief of the Hartford HealthCare Digestive Health Institute, he has helped build coordinated models of care while continuing to care for patients with complex pancreatobiliary disease. This year, Dr. Nestler received AGA’s Distinguished Clinician Award in Private Practice, an honor recognizing physicians who demonstrate exemplary leadership and dedication to patient care outside an academic setting.
In a conversation with GI & Hepatology News, Dr. Nestler reflected on what the award means to him, why he remains committed to hands-on clinical practice and what he hopes the next generation of gastroenterologists will carry forward.
Congratulations on AGA’s Distinguished Clinician Award in Private Practice. When the news reached you, what did you most hope the award was recognizing about your work?
Dr. Nestler: When I learned that I had been selected for the AGA Distinguished Clinician Award in Private Practice, I hoped it recognized the breadth of my career’s work in advancing the quality of care for my patients while fostering a culture of collaboration among my colleagues. Throughout my career, I have believed that the best patient outcomes are achieved through teamwork, shared purpose, adoption of innovation and a commitment to continuous improvement. This recognition reflects not only my individual efforts but also the collective accomplishments of the outstanding physicians and health care professionals with whom I have had the privilege to work.
For readers who know you by your titles but not your path, what first drew you to gastroenterology, and what’s kept you in it across 35 years?
Dr. Nestler: Gastroenterology drew me because it provided the opportunity to care for patients of all ages with a wide range of illnesses, allowing me to build long-term relationships while making a meaningful difference in their lives. It is also a specialty that has continually been at the forefront of innovation, combining advances in technology with creativity in diagnosis and treatment. More than 35 years later, what has kept me engaged is the constant evolution of the field and the opportunity to continually improve the care we provide to our patients. As excited as I was about the specialty in the beginning, I am more excited about the future of our profession.
You’ve spent decades as a practice president, a hospital GI chief and an institute co-leader, and you’re still doing advanced endoscopy and complex pancreatobiliary work yourself. What keeps you at the table for the hardest cases, and what does staying hands-on give you that the leadership roles can’t?
Dr. Nestler: I have always loved taking care of patients — that is why I went to medical school. Even after decades in leadership roles, caring for patients remains the most fulfilling part of what I do. Continuing to perform advanced endoscopy and manage complex pancreatobiliary cases keeps me connected to the challenges and rewards of clinical practice. Being a practicing physician gives me a perspective that complements my leadership roles. It allows me to make decisions based on firsthand experience, understand the realities facing physicians and patients, and ensure that my leadership remains grounded in what matters most — delivering the highest-quality patient care. It provides a unique perspective that I believe physician leaders should have.
Without identifying details, is there a case or patient interaction that changed how you practice or what you believe good GI care should feel like from the patient’s side?
Dr. Nestler: There have been several patients throughout my career whose lives were saved because they received timely, advanced endoscopic intervention when other options were limited. Those experiences reinforced for me the importance of continually advancing our field and ensuring that patients have access to the latest technologies and expertise. Seeing those patients recover, leave the hospital with their families, and return to their lives has been among the most rewarding moments of my career. Seeing a patient be able to walk with their grandchild on the beach again makes it all worth it. It has also shaped my belief that exceptional GI care is not just about technical excellence — it is about delivering the right care at the right time with compassion, urgency and hope.
The Digestive Health Institute and the Bloomfield hub were built around coordinated, multidisciplinary care. What problem with the old way were you trying to fix, and what does that model change for a patient walking in the door?
Dr. Nestler: The goal was to create a truly coordinated model of care that makes it easier for patients to receive the right care at the right time. As medicine has become increasingly complex, no single physician can provide every aspect of a patient’s care. Years ago, a phone call between colleagues was often enough to coordinate treatment. Today, with increasing specialization and the demands on physicians’ time, that approach is no longer sufficient.
A multidisciplinary model brings gastroenterologists, surgeons, oncologists, radiologists, pathologists and other specialists together to develop a unified care plan. Equally important are patient navigators, who help coordinate appointments, testing and communication so patients and their families don’t have to navigate a complicated health care system on their own. The result is a smoother experience, more timely care, better communication among providers and, ultimately, better outcomes for our patients.
You’ve been a public voice on colorectal cancer screening, from the move to age 45 to the noise around colonoscopy evidence. How do you cut through the confusion for patients when guidelines, test options and headlines seem to conflict?
Dr. Nestler: Colorectal cancer remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related death, but it is also one of the most preventable cancers. My message to patients is straightforward: The best screening test is the one that gets done, because any screening is better than no screening at all. However, it’s important to understand the only preventive test is colonoscopy.
Colonoscopy is unique because it is both a screening and preventive test. It not only detects cancer but also allows us to identify and remove precancerous polyps before they ever become cancer. While stool-based tests play an important role and can detect existing cancer or advanced precancerous lesions, they cannot prevent cancer in the same way. My philosophy has always been simple: I would much rather prevent colorectal cancer than diagnose it after it has already developed.
You’ve spent much of your career building and defending independent GI practice. What does private practice still do better than anyone, and where does it genuinely need partners — hospitals, academics, management platforms, advocacy — to serve patients well?
Dr. Nestler: I have always believed that the greatest strength of private practice is that it keeps clinical decision-making in the hands of physicians, allowing us to do what is best for our patients without unnecessary barriers. That said, I don’t really think of it as “independent” practice — I think of it as interdependent practice. No physician or practice can provide comprehensive care in a vacuum.
Providing the highest-quality care requires strong partnerships with hospitals, health systems, academic centers and other health care organizations. Complex patients benefit when diverse specialists and subspecialists work together in a coordinated, collaborative way. Private practice brings agility, innovation and close patient relationships, while our partners provide complementary expertise and resources. When those relationships are built on mutual respect and a shared commitment to excellence, everyone benefits — but most importantly, our patients receive the best possible care. In the end, it should always be about putting patients first.
As you look at today’s fellows and the next decade of GI, what do you most hope they carry forward, and what’s the next thing you still want to help build?
Dr. Nestler: My hope is that today’s fellows never lose sight of why they went to medical school. Medicine is a profession and a calling — not just a job. While technology, innovation and the business of health care will continue to evolve, our primary responsibility must always be to our patients.
I hope the next generation carries forward a commitment to compassion, excellence and putting patients first. The greatest satisfaction in medicine doesn’t come from titles or recognition — it comes from knowing that a patient leaves your office or the hospital healthier, with hope, and better than when they came to you. If we can instill that mindset in the next generation of gastroenterologists, the future of our specialty will be in very good hands.
As for me, I still want to help build systems of care that make it easier for physicians to provide exceptional, coordinated, patient-centered care while mentoring the next generation of leaders who will continue to advance our specialty. I want to remove the barriers that exist to care so physicians can decide what is right for their patients.
Lightning Round
Best piece of advice you’ve given or received?
Never give up on your dreams.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
Life is a marathon not a sprint. Keep moving ahead and pushing the envelope.
Favorite quote or words to live by?
Success is not measured by what you accomplish but by the lives you touch.
Favorite way to spend a day off?
On my boat with family and friends.