A gastroenterologist is a specialist in gastrointestinal diseases. Gastroenterologists treat all the organs in your digestive system, including your GI tract (esophagus, stomach and intestines) and biliary organs (your liver, bile ducts, pancreas and gallbladder.)

You should see a gastroenterologist if you have any symptoms of a digestive health disorder or if you need colon cancer screening. Often, seeing a gastroenterologist leads to more accurate detection of polyps and cancer, fewer complications from procedures and less time spent in the hospital.

Gastroenterology (from the Greek gastḗr- "belly", -énteron "intestine", and -logía "study of") is the branch of medicine focused on the digestive system and its disorders.

Gastroenterologists, sometimes called "gastros" for short, are trained to diagnose and treat problems in your gastrointestinal (GI) tract and liver. These doctors also do routine procedures such as colonoscopies, which look at the inside of your colon. They get 5-6 years of specialized education after medical school.