Venue & Travel

Dr. Tonya Kaltenbach

United States

Tonya Kaltenbach, MD, MAS, MEd, is Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. She is an internationally recognized expert in colorectal neoplasia, advanced endoscopic imaging and resection, colonoscopy quality, and endoscopy education. Her work has helped advance the detection and endoscopic management of nonpolypoid and complex colorectal lesions. She served on the U.S. Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer and led its recommendations on the endoscopic removal of colorectal lesions and has contributed to international consensus and national guidelines in colorectal cancer prevention, surveillance, and endoscopic resection.

Dr. Kaltenbach also leads national programs translating evidence into improvements in clinical practice. She co-directs the VA Endoscopy Quality Improvement Program (VA-EQuIP), which integrates large-scale colonoscopy quality measurement with individualized feedback and shared learning, and directs the National Patient Safety Center of Inquiry to Improve the Safety of Polypectomy, focused on improving the safety, quality, and consistency of colorectal polyp resection and reducing unnecessary surgery.

A major focus of her work is transforming endoscopy education through the science of expertise and simulation-based mastery learning (SBML). Through her leadership in Academy of Endoscopy, she has collaborated extensively with educators and endoscopists across the Asia-Pacific region to develop and implement structured curricula incorporating cognitive task analysis, performance assessment, deliberate practice, feedback, and coaching for basic and advanced endoscopic techniques. Her international education work includes the Bali Endoscopy Simulation Training (BEST) Consensus, which seeks to establish a rigorous framework for simulation-based endoscopy training. Her work brings together clinical innovation, quality improvement, implementation science, and the science of learning to improve endoscopic performance and patient outcomes worldwide.