Beyond the Old Paradigms: Novel Approaches to the Treatment of Chronic Idiopathic Constipation

Anthony J. Lembo, MD, is a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He also serves as the Director of the GI Motility Laboratory at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) Division of Gastroenterology in Boston, MA. Dr. Lembo earned his undergraduate degree in mathematics at Amherst College in Amherst, MA and then received his MD from Tufts Medical School in Boston, MA. He subsequently completed his internal medicine internship/residency as well as gastroenterology fellowship at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA. Dr. Lembo subsequently became a Clinical Instructor of Medicine at UCLA in 1996 and served as the co-Director of the Functional Bowel Disorder (FBD) and Gastrointestinal (GI) Motility Center at UCLA Medical Center. While at UCLA he conducted research in FBDs. In 1997 he joined the faculty at BIDMC in Boston MA. Dr. Lembo is currently the Director of the GI Motility and Functional Bowel Disorder Center at the BIDMC and Co-Director of the GI Motility Laboratory. He is an Associate Editor of Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology and Digestive Diseases and Science. His research has focused on the developed of novel treatments for FBDs including chronic idiopathic constipation. Dr. Lembo’s research interest has also explored the role of placebo and methods of enhancing the placebo response.

Dr. Chey received a medical degree and training in internal medicine at Emory University School of Medicine. He completed a fellowship in gastroenterology and has remained as faculty at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor where he is currently the Timothy T. Nostrant Collegiate Professor of Gastroenterology. He holds a joint appointment in the Department of Nutrition Sciences.

Dr. Chey’s research interests focus on the diagnosis and treatment of functional bowel disorders and H. pylori infection. He has mentored more than 50 students, residents, fellows, and junior faculty, many of which are leaders in gastroenterology. He is a medical innovator and holds several patents. Dr. Chey is former Co-Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of Gastroenterology and has authored more than 350 manuscripts, reviews, chapters, and books. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the American College of Gastroenterology, Board of Directors of the Rome Foundation, Council of the American Neurogastroenterology and Motility Society, and Board of Directors of the International Foundation of Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders.

Dr. Chey has been elected to “Best Doctors” since 2001 and received the Dean’s Outstanding Clinician Award and Dean’s Award for Innovation and Commercialization at the University of Michigan. He has also received the Distinguished Clinician Award from the American Gastroenterological Association. In 2020 he was awarded honorary membership to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the prestigious Berk/Fise Award from the American College of Gastroenterology.

Dr. Drossman received his MD degree at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and subspecialized in biopsychosocial (psychosomatic) medicine and gastroenterology. He is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians, a Master of the American College of Gastroenterology, Past-President of the American Psychosomatic Society (1997), and Founder and President of the Rome Foundation (for 29 years).

Dr. Drossman has founded multiple organizations to advance patient-centered education and treatment of disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBIs). He founded the Rome Foundation, a non-profit whose mission is to improve the lives of individuals with DGBIs. He served as its President from its inception until May 2019 (www.theromefoundation.org), and is currently its President Emeritus and Chief of Operations. Dr. Drossman has served as Senior Editor of the textbooks Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders Rome I, II, III, and IV as well as other Rome IV products released since 2016: Multi-Dimensional Clinical Profile for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders (completing 2nd edition), Rome IV Clinical Algorithms (2nd edition), Rome IV Slide Sets, and Rome IV GI Genius (an intelligent software application). In his gastroenterology practice, he receives referrals nationally to consult or manage the care of difficult-to-diagnose and -treat patients with functional gastrointestinal and motility disorders.

As Founder and President of DrossmanCare (Center for Education and Practice of Biopsychosocial Care) Dr. Drossman produces educational materials to teach patient-centered care for patients with DGBIs. He has produced peer-reviewed articles and videotapes on medical interviewing and the patient-doctor relationship. Dr. Drossman also facilitates workshops and communication skills training programs and has received numerous awards, both as an educator and practitioner. Most recently, he has been collaborating with the Rome Foundation to produce a curriculum for training clinicians that includes the Communication 101 and 202 video series, Train the Trainer programs, and workshops and symposia globally.

Dr. Drossman has written over 500 articles and book chapters, serves on six editorial and advisory boards, was Associate Editor of the journal Gastroenterology, and was the Gastroenterology Section Editor of the Merck Manual (for 17 years).

His research relates to the clinical, epidemiological, psychosocial, and treatment aspects of gastrointestinal disorders, and he has been principal investigator in several federally funded epidemiological, outcomes, and abuse grants, including brain imaging in irritable bowel syndrome.