Mission Statement
The Gi Health Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) educational organization dedicated to increasing awareness of the effect of gastrointestinal disorders in the United States. The foundation's goal is to provide health professionals with the most current education and information on gastrointestinal health.
OverviewOpinion leaders are an integral part of developing the Gi Health Foundation educational programs so that physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, physicians assistants, and pharmacists have information about the latest medical developments and their implications for patient management. Information is drawn from academia, medical societies, government health agencies, and industry and is integrated into balanced, up-to-date educational programs for healthcare professionals.
Board of Trustees
Stephen B. Hanauer, MD
President
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Clifford Joseph Barborka Professor of Medicine
Medical Director, Digestive Diseases Center
Chicago, IL
Dr. Hanauer is one of the leading international clinical researchers in the field of inflammatory bowel disease. Beginning with the organization of an inflammatory bowel disease patient registry he initiated studies regarding the epidemiology of ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease including the familial risks that eventuated into the geneticcontributions to Crohn's disease. He has been instrumental in identifying the converse impact of cigarette smoking as a protective factor in ulcerative colitis and the detrimental impact on Crohn's disease.
He has led investigations defining the risk of dysplasia in ulcerative colitis and colonoscopic surveillance methodologies. He has evaluated the nature of post-operative recurrences in Crohn's disease and designed and led a therapeutic trial comparing mesalamine to mercaptopurine and placebo in the prophylaxis against recurrence t-operative recurrences in Crohn's disease. He has been a lead investigator in the design and implementation of clinical trials to develop novel therapies for ulcerative colitis including the role of mesalamine and cyclosporine. He has led trials evaluating the role of budesonide, anti-tumor necrosis factor antagonists and other conventional and biologic agents as inductive and maintenance therapies for Crohn's disease and how the metabolism of Azathioprine can be modified to avoid hepatotoxicity.
He has been instrumental in the development of guidelines for the development of drug approval for the FDA and the development of national and international clinical guidelines for treatment of inflammatory bowel disease.
Maria T. Abreu, MD
Chief, Division of Gastroenterology
Martin Kalser Chair in Gastroenterology
Professor of Medicine
Professor of Microbiology and Immunology
Miami, FL
Maria T. Abreu obtained her medical degree through the Honors Program in Medical Education at the University of Miami School of Medicine. While in medical school, she served as Student Council President and was inducted into the Iron Arrow Honor Society the highest honor at the University of Miami. After completing her medical degree, she did her internship and residency in medicine at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts followed by a clinical and research fellowship in gastroenterology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Following her fellowship, she obtained further postdoctoral training in molecular and cancer biology at UCLA. Her first independent research laboratory was at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center where she served as Director of Basic and Translational Research. Dr. Abreu was then recruited to the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York where she served as Director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Center. While at Mount Sinai Dr. Abreu started the largest effort there to date to create an Inflammatory Bowel Disease database and tissue repository that collected over 2000 samples in a two-year period. In 2008, Dr. Abreu began her current position as Chief of Gastroenterology and Professor of Medicine at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. She is the Martin Kalser Chair in Gastroenterology.
A Diplomate of the National Board of Medical Examiners, The American Board of Internal Medicine, and the American Board of Gastroenterology, Dr. Abreu holds key positions with several professional societies. She is the Chair of the Underrepresented Minorities Committee of the AGA; Vice-Chair of the Immunology, Microbiology & Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IMIBD) Section of the AGA Institute Council; and is a member of the AGA Public Affairs and Advisory Committee. Dr. Abreu is on the Women's Committee of the ACG. She is an active member of the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) and is on the Board of the Florida Chapter of the CCFA. In 2009, Dr. Abreu was recognized by the CCFA Florida Chapter for her education, support, and advocacy and in 2010 was the recipient of the chapter's Hope Award for her dedication to the treatment of patients with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. She was recently selected Co-Director of the 2011 Spring Post Graduate course for the AGA, and was also named President-Elect of the Florida Gastroenterology Society. Dr. Abreu was elected to the American Society for Clinical Investigation in 2010, an honor society for physician-scientists. She is listed in Castle and Connelly as one of America's Top Doctors, and is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and the American Gastroenterological Association.
Dr. Abreu has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed articles, books, chapter's and reviews. She serves on the editorial board of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases and Gastroenterology & Hepatology News, an AGA-sponsored publication. Dr. Abreu is an editor for the Journal of Immunology and is a reviewer for Gastroenterology and Nature Medicine, in addition to many other journals. She is a standing member of the NIH Gastrointestinal Mucosal Pathobiology Study Section (GMPB) and is a member of the CCFA Research Initiatives Committee. Her research interest is host-bacterial interactions and, in particular, the role of toll-like receptor signaling in intestinal inflammation and colon cancer. Her translational work has focused on genotype-phenotype relationships in inflammatory bowel disease and prediction of response to medical therapies. Dr. Abreu is a frequent speaker at national and international symposia on basic science and clinical topics.
Lin Chang, MD
Professor of Medicine
Department of Medicine
Division of Digestive Diseases
David Geffen School of Medicine
University of California, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Lin Chang, MD, is a Professor of Medicine in the Department of Medicine, Division of Digestive Diseases, at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. She serves as the Co-Director of the Center for Neurobiology of Stress at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. This center is an interdisciplinary research and education organization, dedicated to the study of brain-body interactions in health and disease. Dr. Chang earned her medical degree from the UCLA School of Medicine and completed her internship and residency in internal medicine at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. She completed her gastroenterology fellowship training at the UCLA Affiliated Training Program in Gastroenterology. Dr. Chang’s clinical expertise is in functional gastrointestinal disorders which include irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), chronic constipation, and functional dyspepsia. Dr. Chang’s research is focused on the pathophysiology of IBS related to stress, sex differences, and neuroendocrine alterations and the treatment of IBS. She is a funded NIH-investigator studying the central and peripheral mechanisms underlying IBS. She is the recipient of the Janssen Award in Gastroenterology for Basic or Clinical Research and the AGA Distinguished Clinician Award, Dr. Chang has authored more than 70 original research articles, 48 review articles, and 19 book chapters on her specialty interests and is a frequent speaker at national and international meetings. She is a fellow of the American Gastroenterological Association and an active member of several professional societies, including the American College of Gastroenterology and the Society for Neuroscience. She is also a member of the Rome Foundation Board of Directors and served as the Co-Chair of the Rome III Gender, Age, Cultural and Patient Perspective committee. She is the President Elect in the newly merged American Neurogastroenterology and Motility Society (ANMS). She served on the FDA GI Advisory Committee from 2005-2010 which she also chaired.
William D. Chey, MD, AGAF, FACG, FACP
Co-Editor-in-Chief, American Journal of Gastroenterology
Professor of Medicine
H. Marvin Pollard Institute Scholar
Director - GI Physiology Laboratory
Co-Director - Michigan Bowel Control Program
University of Michigan Health System
Ann Arbor, MI
Dr Chey received his BA degree from the University of Pennsylvania and medical degree & training in internal medicine at the Emory University School of Medicine. He went on to complete a fellowship in gastroenterology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Since completing this fellowship, Dr Chey has remained at the University of Michigan, where he is currently a Professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology, Director of the GI Physiology Laboratory, and Co-Director of the Michigan Bowel Control Program. In 2011, Dr. Chey was named as the inaugural H. Marvin Pollard Institute Scholar at the University of Michigan Health System.
His research interests focus on the diagnosis and treatment of the functional bowel disorders, acid-related disorders, and Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection. Dr Chey has received funding for his research from federal and private sources.
Dr Chey has authored more than 250 manuscripts, reviews and book chapters. He is Co-editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of Gastroenterology (2010-2013), Clinical & Translational Gastroenterology (2011-2013) and serves on the editorial boards of several other medical journals.
He serves as a member of the Board of Trustees, Practice Parameters Committee and Publications Committee of the American College of Gastroenterology. He plays an active role in the Rome Foundation and recently joined the Board of Directors in 2010. Dr. Chey is a member of the planning committee for the development of the Rome IV criteria and is Co-chair of the Rome Foundation Working Group addressing the role of food in the pathogenesis and treatment of functional GI disorders. He is a member of the Advisory Board of the International Foundation of Functional GI Disorders. He is past Chair of the Clinical Practice Section (2006-2008) of the American Gastroenterological Association.
He has participated in and directed numerous national and international continuing medical education programs in gastroenterology, and has been elected to the roster of "Best Doctors" since 2001 and "America's Top Doctors" since 2009. Dr. Chey was named as one of the "125 Best Gastroenterologists in America" by Becker's ASC in 2012.
Gary Lichtenstein, MD
Professor of Medicine
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Director, Center for Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Department of Medicine
Division of Gastroenterology
Dr. Lichtenstein is director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center and an associate professor of medicine in the Gastrointestinal Division at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
He earned his medical degree from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. He completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, followed by a fellowship in gastroenterology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
His current research interests encompass therapies for the treatment of ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. Dr. Lichtenstein serves on numerous editorial boards, including Inflammatory Bowel Diseases and Digestive Diseases and Sciences. He has also recently served as medical secretary for the American Board of Internal Medicine.
Dr. Lichtenstein reports he has received funding from Abbott Corporation, AstraZeneca, Axcan Pharma, Berlex, Celgene, Celltech, Centocor, Elan, Falk Pharma, Faro Pharmaceuticals, Genetics Institute, Human Genome Sciences, InKine Inc., Intesco, ISIS Corporation, Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Otsuka, Procter & Gamble, Prometheus Laboratories, Protein Design Labs, Protomed Scientific, Salix Pharmaceuticals, Schering-Plough, Serono, Shire Pharmaceuticals, SmithKline Beecham, Solvay Pharmaceuticals, Synta Pharmaceuticals, UCB and Wyeth.
Bincy Abraham, MD
Houston, TX
Maria Abreu, MD
Miami, FL
Anita Afzali, MD, MPH, FACG
Cincinnati, OH
David Binion, MD
Pittsburgh, PA
Matthew Bohm, DO
Indianapolis, IN
Brian Bosworth, MD
New York, NY
Aline Charabaty, MD, AGAF
Washington, DC
Adam Cheifetz, MD
Boston, MA
Russell Cohen, MD
Chicago, IL
Raymond Cross, MD
Baltimore, MD
Amar Deshpande, MD
Miami, FL
Francis Farraye, MD
Jacksonville, FL
Monika Fischer, MD, MS, FACG, AGAF
Indianapolis, IN
Stephen Hanauer, MD
Chicago, IL
Peter Higgins, MD
Ann Arbor, MI
Jason Hou, MD
Houston, TX
David Hudesman, MD
New York, NY
Kim Isaacs, MD, PhD
Chapel Hill, NC
Sunanda Kane, MD
Rochester, MN
Kian Keyashian, MD
Palo Alto, CA
Nabeel Khan, MD
Philadelphia, PA
Jami Kinnucan, MD
Jacksonville, FL
Asher Kornbluth, MD
New York, NY
Gary Lichtenstein, MD
Philadelphia, PA
Edward Loftus, MD
Rochester, MN
Millie Long, MD
Chapel Hill, NC
Uma Mahadevan-Velayos, MD
San Francisco, CA
Gil Melmed, MD
Los Angeles, CA
Miguel Regueiro, MD
Cleveland, OH
Timothy Ritter, MD
Southlake, TX
Joel Rosh, MD
Morristown, NJ
William Sandborn, MD
La Jolla, CA
Bruce Sands, MD, MS
New York, NY
Balfour Sartor, MD
Chapel Hill, NC
Ellen Scherl, MD
New York, NY
David Schwartz, MD
Nashville, TN
Bo Shen, MD
New York, NY
Corey Siegel, MD
Lebanon, NH
Fernando Velayos, MD
San Francisco, CA
Douglas Wolf, MD
Atlanta, GA
Christopher Almario, MD
Los Angeles, CA
Darren Brenner, MD
Chicago, IL
Brooks Cash, MD
Houston, TX
Christopher Chang, MD
Albuquerque , NM
Lin Chang, MD
Los Angeles, CA
William Chey, MD
Ann Arbor, MI
Jennifer Christie, MD
Atlanta, GA
Filippo Cremonini, MD
Las Vegas, NV
Kenneth DeVault, MD
Jacksonville, FL
Douglas Drossman, MD
Chapel Hill, NC
Ronnie Fass, MD
Cleveland, OH
Amy Foxx-Orenstein, MD
Scottsdale, AZ
Christine Frissora, MD
New York, NY
Lucinda Harris, MD
Scottsdale, AZ
Nishita Kara, MD
Southlake, TX
Kavita Kongara, MD
Atlanta, GA
David Kunkel, MD
San Diego, CA
Brian Lacy, MD
Jacksonville, FL
Monika Lammi, MD
New Orleans, LA
Anthony Lembo, MD
Boston, MA
Susan Lucak, MD
New York, NY
Philip Miner, MD
Oklahoma City, OK
Baharak Moshiree, MD, MSc
Charlotte, NC
Linda Nguyen, MD
Palo Alto, CA
Daksesh Patel, DO
Chicago, IL
Mark Pimentel, MD
Los Angeles, CA
Satish Rao, MD
Augusta, GA
Yuri Saito, MD
Rochester, MN
William Salt, II, MD
Columbus, OH
Gregory Sayuk, MD
St. Louis, MO
Lawrence Schiller, MD
Dallas, TX
Philip Schoenfeld, MD
Detroit, MI
Allison Siebecker, ND
Portland, OR
Brennan Spiegel, MD
Los Angeles, CA
John Wo, MD
Indianapolis, IN
Bincy Abraham, MD
Houston, TX
Maria Abreu, MD
Miami, FL
David Binion, MD
Pittsburgh, PA
Brian Bosworth, MD
New York, NY
Aline Charabaty, MD, AGAF
Washington, DC
Russell Cohen, MD
Chicago, IL
Raymond Cross, MD
Baltimore, MD
Amar Deshpande, MD
Miami, FL
Francis Farraye, MD
Jacksonville, FL
Stephen Hanauer, MD
Chicago, IL
Peter Higgins, MD
Ann Arbor, MI
Jason Hou, MD
Houston, TX
Kim Isaacs, MD, PhD
Chapel Hill, NC
Sunanda Kane, MD
Rochester, MN
Nabeel Khan, MD
Philadelphia, PA
Jami Kinnucan, MD
Jacksonville, FL
Asher Kornbluth, MD
New York, NY
Gary Lichtenstein, MD
Philadelphia, PA
Edward Loftus, MD
Rochester, MN
Uma Mahadevan-Velayos, MD
San Francisco, CA
Gil Melmed, MD
Los Angeles, CA
Miguel Regueiro, MD
Cleveland, OH
Joel Rosh, MD
Morristown, NJ
William Sandborn, MD
La Jolla, CA
Bruce Sands, MD, MS
New York, NY
Balfour Sartor, MD
Chapel Hill, NC
Ellen Scherl, MD
New York, NY
David Schwartz, MD
Nashville, TN
Bo Shen, MD
New York, NY
Corey Siegel, MD
Lebanon, NH
Fernando Velayos, MD
San Francisco, CA
Douglas Wolf, MD
Atlanta, GA
Michael Abel, MD
San Francisco, CA
Mitchell Bernstein, MD
New York, NY
Anne-Marie Boller, MD
Chicago, IL
Darren Brenner, MD
Chicago, IL
William Chey, MD
Ann Arbor, MI
Dee Fenner, MD
Ann Arbor, MI
Brooke Gurland, MD
Cleveland, OH
Lucinda Harris, MD
Scottsdale, AZ
Andreas Kaiser, MD
Los Angeles, CA
David Kunkel, MD
San Diego, CA
Beth Moore, MD
Los Angeles, CA
Deborah Nagle, MD
Boston, MA
Brent Parnell, MD
Augusta, GA
Mark Pimentel, MD
Los Angeles, CA
Reza Rahbar, MD
Chapel Hill, NC
Satish Rao, MD
Augusta, GA
Laurence Sands, MD
Miami, FL
Yolanda Scarlett, MD
Chapel Hills, NC
Scott Smilen, MD
New York, NY
William Snape Jr., MD
San Francisco, CA
Edy Soffer, MD
Los Angeles, CA
Tonia Young-Fadok, MD
Scottsdale, AZ
Massarat Zutshi, MD
Cleveland, OH
Lin Chang, MD
Los Angeles, CA
William Chey, MD
Ann Arbor, MI
Ronnie Fass, MD
Cleveland, OH
David Kunkel, MD
San Diego, CA
Braden Kuo, MD
Boston, MA
Anthony Lembo, MD
Boston, MA
Baharak Moshiree, MD, MSc
Charlotte, NC
Linda Nguyen, MD
Palo Alto, CA
Satish Rao, MD
Iowa City, IA
Supporters
The Gi Health Foundation is a non-profit organization, supported by educational grants from Abbott, Forest Laboratories, Inc., Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Janssen Biotech, Inc., Prometheus Therapeutics & Diagnostics, Salix Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Santarus, Inc., Takeda Pharmaceuticals, U.S.A, Inc., and UCB, Inc.
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