Dr. Cassandra Fritz joined the Department of Medicine in the Divisions of Gastroenterology and General Medicine as an Assistant Professor in July 2022. She attended the University of Chicago for medical school, and she completed a year of additional training in health disparities, curriculum development, and pipeline programs for students from racial & ethnic minority groups who have been historically excluded from medicine. She attended Washington University in St. Louis for her residency, chief residency, and gastroenterology fellowship. Her research focuses on colorectal cancer risk factors, disparities, outcomes, and access to screening services. During her T32 research fellowship, she helped investigate risk factors, molecular differences, and signs & symptoms for early-onset colorectal cancer. Dr. Fritz will continue to explore the epidemiology of colorectal cancer and other luminal GI cancers. She plans to leverage epidemiologic trends in GI cancers and disparities to improve care delivery to the communities and populations most in need.
Dr. Fritz will use implementation and dissemination strategies to build effective clinical programs with the hopes of eliminating disparities in GI diseases for the St. Louis community. In addition to her GI research interests, she studies the development of academic ally skills for all physicians to build more inclusive and diverse academic environments. Dr. Fritz’s clinical interests are in general inpatient gastroenterology, which primarily includes the management of gastrointestinal bleeding and her research interests are early-pnset colorectal cancer and health disparities in GI outcomes research. She believes the inpatient setting provides dynamic and unique opportunities to interact with and teach medical students, residents, and fellows. Dr. Fritz is passionate about coaching, mentorship, and sponsorship for all trainees interested in gastroenterology. Her time outside of the hospital is spent enjoying activities with her family and running around with her two sons. Her hobbies include spinning, yoga, gardening, and spending time with her church family.