Todd Baron

Todd Huntley Baron is an American gastroenterologist who is Professor of Medicine at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. Additionally, he currently serves as the Director of Advanced Therapeutic Endoscopy within UNC's Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. He is known for his work in endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), and other advanced endoscopic procedures. He has developed interventional endoscopic techniques for the care of patients with gastrointestinal, liver and other medical conditions. He was the first to describe endoscopic drainage of the gallbladder, placement of a colonic stent, and endoscopic pancreatic necrosectomy.

Early life and education Baron was born in Danbury, Connecticut in 1960 and grew up in South Florida. In a 2025 autobiographical interview in iGIE, he described his older brother as an important childhood mentor. The brothers competed nationally in kart racing during the 1970s; Baron reported winning two International Kart Federation Grand National Championships. He later returned to karting and won the 2021 Cup Karts North America Grand National Championship in the Legends class. The iGIE profile describes this as the first published account of endoscopic therapy for organized pancreatic necrosis.

Baron was an inaugural co-editor-in-chief of the open-access journal VideoGIE. He is also a co-editor of the textbook ERCP, whose fourth edition was published in 2024.

Training, mentorship, and professional development Baron has identified several physicians as important teachers or mentors at different stages of his career. A 1987 lecture by British gastroenterologist Peter Cotton influenced his decision to specialize in ERCP, and Baron subsequently completed his formal ERCP training within Cotton's program at Duke. At UAB, esophagologist Joel E. Richter taught him clinical research and medical writing. Baron has described interventional endoscopist Richard A. Kozarek as an early clinical mentor whose experience with pancreatic-fluid collections helped inform Baron's later work on pancreatic necrosis.

Early ERCP practice at UAB In the iGIE interview, Baron recalled completing approximately 135 ERCP procedures during his year at Duke and remaining concerned about beginning independent practice. He and his wife constructed a home training model from polyvinyl-chloride pipe, a plastic infant-feeding bottle, and tubing arranged to simulate the biliary and pancreatic orifices. Using a borrowed fiber-optic duodenoscope, he practiced cannulation on the model for approximately two hours per day before returning to UAB.

Transrectal drainage of a diverticular abscess Baron and Morgan reported endoscopic transrectal drainage in a patient with a diverticular abscess who was considered unable to tolerate surgery. The collection abutted the rectum but did not have a safe conventional percutaneous route. Using a flexible upper endoscope, Baron punctured the collection with a transbronchial aspiration needle, confirmed entry by aspirating pus and injecting contrast, passed a guidewire, dilated the tract, and placed a drainage catheter. The 1997 report was presented as the first endoscopic transrectal drainage of a diverticular abscess and anticipated later EUS-guided pelvic-collection drainage. In the iGIE interview, Baron credited a colorectal-surgeon collaborator with suggesting the name "enteral Wallstent" for a device intended for use throughout the gastrointestinal lumen. That design became an early dedicated gastrointestinal stent platform. Description of a Wirsungocele, a cystic dilation of the intraduodenal portion of the main pancreatic duct. Endoscopic removal of necrotic splenic tissue through a transgastric tract. Endoscopic repair of a complete bile-duct transection using transpapillary cholangioperitoneoscopy to identify and bridge the disconnected duct. Intraperitoneal echoendoscopy to regain access and rescue a disrupted EUS-created gastrojejunal anastomosis. EUS-guided natural-orifice transluminal surgery to remove a toothpick embedded in the liver. EUS-guided creation of an ileocolonic anastomosis to bypass complete small-bowel obstruction. EUS-guided gastric-varix embolization using coils and a self-assembling peptide matrix.

The iGIE interview characterizes these reports as examples of Baron's emphasis on publishing initial technical experiences. Many were case reports or small series intended to demonstrate feasibility rather than comparative trials, a distinction noted in the profile itself. A 2012 SGI program listed Baron, then at Mayo Clinic, as the society's president-elect and described the organization as a multidisciplinary forum for endoscopists, interventional radiologists, and surgeons.

Baron and interventional radiologist Ziv Haskal were the founding co-editors-in-chief of the journal Gastrointestinal Intervention, which developed from the Society of Gastrointestinal Intervention. He later served as an inaugural co-editor-in-chief of ASGE's open-access video journal VideoGIE.

In 2010, ASGE presented Baron with its Master Endoscopist Award, which recognizes expertise and sustained contributions to clinical gastrointestinal endoscopy. In 2023 he received the society's Rudolf Schindler Award. ASGE describes the Schindler Award as its highest honor, recognizing accomplishments in endoscopic research, teaching, or service.

At the 2016 Digestive Disease Week World Cup of Endoscopy, Baron presented the EUS-guided drainage of an infected aortic aneurysm while dressed as Captain America. The case won the international video competition. The 2025 iGIE historical profile cited the presentation as a conspicuous example of Baron's willingness to use endoscopic techniques outside their conventional applications.