UEG launches new Patient Representatives Advisory Board to strengthen patient voice in digestive health

United European Gastroenterology (UEG) has today launched its new Patient Representatives Advisory Board (PRAB), creating a dedicated platform to embed patient perspectives within its public affairs activities and wider efforts to improve digestive health across Europe.

BARCELONA, Spain, Oct. 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Launched at UEG Week 2026 in Barcelona, the PRAB marks the next step in UEG's commitment to strengthening the role of people living with digestive diseases in its work.

The launch builds on UEG's collaboration with patient organisations, including the Digestive Health Roundtable 2025 and its Manifesto, which called for patients to be recognised as co-creators of digestive health policy, research and care.

As a structured and independent advisory body, the PRAB will provide patient-centred input into UEG's public affairs activities and, where relevant, its wider work. By creating a formal interface between UEG and the European patient community, it aims to identify shared challenges across digestive diseases and strengthen collaboration with patient organisations.

Professor Joost PH Drenth, UEG President, said, "If we want to improve digestive health in ways that genuinely respond to patients' needs, their perspectives must be part of the conversation from the outset. The Patient Representatives Advisory Board gives us a dedicated way to listen, learn and work together, helping ensure that the patient voice informs our priorities and the work we take forward."

The PRAB was formally launched during the Digestive Health Roundtable 2026, where patient representatives joined clinicians, researchers and stakeholders to explore how patient perspectives can be incorporated into digestive health research. Discussions focused on patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), involvement across the research lifecycle and the development of a practical toolkit.

"We are very pleased about the establishment of the UEG Patient Representatives Advisory Board, which provides us with a dedicated platform to ensure that patients' perspectives are meaningfully incorporated into our public affairs activities," said Professor Alexander Hann, Chair of the UEG Public Affairs Group.

In a joint statement, patient representatives from AOECS, DiCE, ECPO, ELPA, EOS Network, IFCCA, ILCM and PCE said, "The PRAB creates a formal space for patients and patient organisations to bring their perspectives directly into UEG's work. By working together across digestive diseases, we can identify shared challenges, strengthen collaboration and help ensure that advocacy and activities reflect the priorities and experiences of the people they are intended to serve."