Webinar

Gary R. Lichtenstein, MD, is the Vice Chief, Division of Gastroenterology, Development and Philanthropy; Emeritus Director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Program; and Professor of Medicine in the Gastrointestinal Division of the Department of Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Dr. Lichtenstein earned his medical degree from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, New York. He then completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina. He also served a fellowship in gastroenterology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. His current research interests encompass investigational therapies for the treatment of ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease and his research has had a significant focus on the safety of current and future medical therapy. He has also focused his research on the natural history of disease. Dr. Lichtenstein has received numerous research grants focusing on these areas and has served as the national/international principal investigator evaluating novel agents for therapeutic trials in the treatment of ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.

A Fellow of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), the American College of Physicians, and the American College of Gastroenterology, Dr. Lichtenstein is listed in Best Doctors in America (inflammatory bowel disease [IBD]) and has served as Medical Secretary for the American Board of Internal Medicine, Gastroenterology Section. He holds membership and committee positions in many professional societies at a national level, including the AGA where he has served as Vice Chair of the Clinical Practice Committee and Practice Economics Committee and where he has served as Chair of the Clinical Practice Committee; the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy where he has served on the committee on training; and the American College of Gastroenterology where he has served on the Education Committee, Programs Committee, and Nominations Committee. He recently served as a member of the research committee. He has been the chair of numerous abstract review committees for IBD for the American College of Gastroenterology and the AGA and has served as section chair and moderator for numerous sessions at Digestive Disease Week. Dr. Lichtenstein is also a member of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America where he served at the national level as the chair of the membership committee of the Clinical Research Alliance, on the National Grants Review Committee, on the National Physician Education Committee, and currently as chair of the Membership Committee. Additionally, he is a longstanding member of the American College of Physicians and the American Medical Association.

Dr. Lichtenstein has received numerous awards, including the National Scientific Achievement Award from the national Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA), for his clinical work and research. In 2020, he was recipient of the AGA’s top academic clinician award (the AGA Distinguished Clinician Award in Academic Practice). He received the award for the top specialist in the University of Pennsylvania Health System (the Louis A. Duhring Award) as well as the top teaching award in all of University of Pennsylvania (the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Award). Additionally, he has received the medical school teaching award (the Penn Pearls Award), the Department of Medicine house staff teaching award (the Donald B. Martin Teaching Award), and the Gastroenterology Division teaching award (the Sidney Cohen Teaching Award).

Dr. Lichtenstein is listed in Philadelphia Magazine among top gastroenterologists for elderly in Philadelphia and among top gastroenterologists in Philadelphia (special focus: IBD). He is the recipient of the CCFA Physician of the Year Award: Philadelphia and Delaware Valley Chapters.

In addition to having served on the editorial board of the journals Gastroenterology, American Journal of Gastroenterology, Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, World Journal of Gastroenterology, and Digestive Diseases and Sciences, Dr. Lichtenstein served as a former writer of Selected Summaries in the journal Gastroenterology and as the Section Editor of Selected Summaries as well as Print and Media Review in Gastroenterology for a 5-year term. He has been and is currently serving as a reviewer for journals such as The New England Journal of Medicine,Gastroenterology, The Lancet, Annals of Internal Medicine, Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Gut, Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, The American Journal of Gastroenterology, World Journal of Gastroenterology, and Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology. He is the journal founder and Executive Editor of the PubMed-indexed journal Gastroenterology and Hepatology, now in press for 18 years, and has served as Associate Editor of Therapeutic Advances in Gastroenterology, The Physician and Sports Medicine, and Clinical Investigation and has served as Assistant Editor-in-Chief of World Journal of Gastroenterology. He is the author or coauthor of more than 150 primary research articles, 280 chapters, editorials, and reviews, has edited 32 books, and has presented over 350 abstracts. Dr. Lichtenstein has been an invited speaker at the local, national, and international levels, speaking at over 500 conferences, lectures, symposia, and institutional grand rounds.

Neilanjan Nandi, FACG, AGAF, FACP, is Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Nandi’s practice focuses on the management of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) (e.g., Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis) and recurrent Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) infection via fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT). Dr. Nandi serves on the executive council of the Philadelphia Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation (CCF) and on the medical advisory board of the United Ostomy Associates of America (UOAA), coordinates outreach on the American College of Gastroenterology Patient Care Committee, and is a founding board member of the South Asian IBD Alliance (SAIA). He also regularly peer reviews research publications and serves on the social media editorial board for the premier journals Inflammatory Bowel Diseases and Crohn’s & Colitis 360. His research has focused on studying conditions co-morbid to IBD quality of care, namely the diagnosis and management of refractory C. difficile infection and the application of FMT in C. difficile; also, characterizing the management and consequences of iron deficiency anemia and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in patients with IBD. Dr. Nandi has authored numerous book chapters on the diagnosis and management of various viral, parasitic, mycobacterial, and bacterial infections of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.

Dr. Nandi’s fervor for clinical education has been recognized with multiple teaching awards. He was honored as the 2019 Physician Hero by the Philadelphia/Delaware Valley Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation at their annual Take Steps for Crohn’s & Colitis event, and wields digital and social media platforms to amplify education, outreach, and advocacy in IBD to clinicians and patients. He was also awarded the Philadelphia CCF’s Chairman’s Citation in 2022. He is the regular host of the academic podcast GI Insights: IBD Crosstalk, which features high-yield, evidence-based medicine discussions with guests from different interdisciplinary fields critical to providing comprehensive IBD care. Dr. Nandi’s passions include fitness, cooking, virtual reality gaming, reading, and dancing. Follow him on social @fitwitmd.

Maria T. Abreu, MD is a Gastroenterologist who specializes in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). She completed her medical degree at the University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine. Her postdoctoral training included an internship and residency in medicine at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, and a clinical and research fellowship in gastroenterology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Dr. Abreu is the Director of the Crohn’s and Colitis Center, Professor of Medicine, and Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Miami, Florida.

Dr. Abreu has more than 20 years of leadership experience in basic, translational, and clinical research and mentoring. She was elected to the American Society for Clinical Investigation in 2010 and, in 2018, to the Association of American Physicians (AAP). She completed a three-year term as Chair of the International Organization for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IOIBD) in 2022. In 2019, she was elected Councilor-at-Large of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Governing Board for a term of three years. Most recently, she is President-Elect of the AGA, on the path to becoming President in 2024. She will be the fifth woman and first Latina to hold this position.

Dr. Abreu is a recipient of the 2019 Sherman Prize by The Bruce and Cynthia Sherman Charitable Foundation, which recognizes outstanding achievements in IBD. In 2020, she received the Mentoring Award from the Immunology, Microbiology, and Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IMIBD) section of the AGA. In the Fall of 2020, she received the Healio’s Lifetime Disruptor Award. This award goes to a gastroenterologist or hepatologist who consistently pushed the gastroenterology field forward through innovative treatments, practice management, patient care, or research. She is the 30th alumnus inducted into the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine Hall of Fame. Dr. Abreu is frequently invited as a speaker (in English and Spanish) at symposia on basic science and clinical topics all over the world. She has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed articles, books, chapters, and reviews.

David T. Rubin, MD, FACG, AGAF, FACP, FASGE, FRCP (Edinburgh) is the Joseph B. Kirsner Professor of Medicine, a Professor of Pathology, Chief of the Section of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, and Director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Center at the University of Chicago Medicine in Chicago, Illinois. Dr. Rubin earned a medical degree with honors at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine in Chicago, Illinois and completed his residency in internal medicine and fellowships in gastroenterology and clinical medical ethics at the University of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois, where he served as Chief Resident and Chief Fellow. He also serves as Associate Faculty at the MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics, Associate Investigator at the University of Chicago Comprehensive Cancer Center, and is a member of the University of Chicago Committee on Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacogenomics. He is the chair of the National Scientific Advisory Committee of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, where he also serves as a Board of Trustees member. Dr. Rubin is the deputy chair of the Executive Committee of the International Organization for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Prior to these appointments, he served as the Director of the Fellowship in Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at the University of Chicago for 11 years. In 2018, Dr. Rubin completed the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Leadership Development Course for Physicians.

Dr. Rubin is a Fellow of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG), the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE), the American College of Physicians (ACP), and the Royal College of Physicians (Edinburgh). He is on the Board of Trustees for the ACG. Among numerous awards and honors, Dr. Rubin was chosen by his peers as a member of Best Doctors (recognized for superior clinical ability) and America’s Top Physicians (gastroenterology). Additionally, he twice received the ACG’s Governor’s Award of Excellence in Clinical Research (2003 and 2013), and the UChicago Postgraduate Teaching Award in recognition of significant contributions for fellowship education (2006). In 2012, he received the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation’s Rosenthal Award, a national leadership award bestowed upon a volunteer who has contributed in an indisputable way to the quality of life of patients and families. He has previously served as an Associate Editor of the journal Gastroenterology and Editor-in-Chief of the ACG On-Line Education Universe. In 2020, Dr. Rubin received the Sherman Prize for Excellence in Crohn’s and Colitis.

Dr. Rubin is an editor of a best-selling book Curbside Consultation in IBD, now in its 3^rd edition, was an associate editor of the 11th edition and is senior editor of the upcoming 12^th edition of Sleisenger and Fordtran’s Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease, and an author or coauthor of over 500 articles on treatment and management of IBD, cancer in IBD and novel paradigms, as well as the first author of the 2019 ACG Guidelines for ulcerative colitis. His current research is in the area of novel approaches to monitoring of IBD (wearables and point of care intestinal ultrasound), prevention of progressive complications from uncontrolled inflammation, and a variety of collaborative and translational studies related to the causes of IBD and its complications. His H index is 74. He is also a featured media contact for issues related to IBD, appearing on satellite radio, television, print media and maintains a popular and verified twitter feed @IBDMD with over 20,000 followers.

Joshua Kantrowitz, MD, is an Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at the Columbia University Department of Psychiatry and New York State Psychiatric Institute in New York, New York. He is also the Director of the Columbia Schizophrenia Research Center.

Dr. Kantrowitz’s career has focused on understanding the causes, prevention and treatment of psychotic disorders, especially schizophrenia, with a particular focus on N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor (NMDAR) and other early stage treatments and auditory cognition.  His research has demonstrated that NMDAR dysfunction may contribute to underlying neuroplasticity deficits. Dr. Kantrowitz has also conducted numerous early stage, target engagement biomarker studies with novel therapeutics using neurophysiological and neuroimaging biomarkers.

Dr. Kantrowitz has published over 80 peer-reviewed scientific papers in these fields.

Neal J. Weinreb, MD, FACP is a graduate of the Jewish Theological Seminary (Bachelor of Hebrew Literature), and SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University (MD, summa cum laude). After a residency in Internal Medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and a fellowship and faculty position at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, NY, he practiced Hematology and Medical Oncology in South Florida. Dr. Weinreb, the director of the University Research Foundation for Lysosomal Storage Diseases in Boca Raton, FL, retired from clinical practice in May 2018. He now devotes his entire professional attention to clinical research about Gaucher Disease and Fabry Disease. Dr Weinreb is a Voluntary Associate Professor of Human Genetics and Medicine at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Dr. Weinreb is an investigator for the Gaucher and Fabry Registries and a member of the Medical Advisory Board for the National Gaucher Foundation and of the International Working Group for Gaucher Disease.

Dr. Coy Heldermon is an associate professor of medicine and board-certified medical oncologist at the University of Florida with expertise in the treatment of breast cancer. He is a member of the American Society of Hematology and the American Society of Clinical Oncology. His research expertise is in the use of gene replacement and stem cell therapies for the treatment of inherited disorders such as lysosomal storage diseases.

Dr. Roshan Lal is a Pediatric Clinical and Metabolic Geneticist working at the Rare Disease Institute, Children’s National Hospital in Washington DC. Her clinical and research interests are geared towards improving the quality of life for children with rare genetic diseases, specifically lysosomal storage diseases and neuro-genetic disorders. Her special interest includes being involved in clinical trials using orphan drugs as well as gene therapy. She is currently the Director of Clinical Trials and Director of International Patient Consultations and Care Referrals for the Rare Disease Institute at the Children’s Hospital.

Michael E. Wechsler is Professor of Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine at National Jewish Health (NJH) in Denver, Director of the NJH/Cohen Family Asthma Institute, and Associate Vice President for Innovation and Industry Relations at NJH. In addition to clinical work in pulmonary and critical care medicine, Professor Wechsler’s research focuses on clinical and translational asthma with emphasis on clinical trials in asthma, novel asthma therapies, bronchial thermoplasty, asthma pharmacogenomics, and management of eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (i.e. Churg-Strauss Syndrome). He has led studies focusing on novel biologic agents for asthma and related diseases, including benralizumab, dupilumab, mepolizumab, reslizumab, and tezepelumab. He has published more than 270 peer-reviewed manuscripts relating to asthma, EGPA, and eosinophilic lung diseases. He was a member of the Steering Committee and site Principal Investigator (PI) of the NIH-sponsored Asthma Clinical Research Network (ACRN, now called AsthmaNet), a multicenter asthma clinical trials consortium, and currently serves as the PI of the Denver site of the Precision Intervention in Severe/Exacerbating Asthma (PRECISE) network. A member of the American Society of Clinical Investigation and the Association of American Physicians, he has participated in many different task forces related to the study of eosinophilic lung diseases that were sponsored by the NIH, the FDA, the European Respiratory Society, and the International Eosinophil Society. He is currently Associate Editor of the journal Chest and has served as Associate Editor of the journal Allergy and on the editorial board of the European Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Dr. Wechsler received AB and MMSc degrees from Harvard University in Boston and an MD degree from McGill University in Montreal. He completed medical training at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston, and as part of the Harvard Combined Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellowship Training Program.</br.

Dr. Gordon was diagnosed with EGPA, a form of ANCA-associated vasculitis, in 2014. She holds a PhD in Pathology and spent nearly 30 years working as an NIH-funded biomedical researcher studying neurological disorders and infectious diseases, most recently as an Associate Professor in the Department of Neuroscience at Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She recently retired from academia and is now Head of Research & Development at Excision BioTherapeutics, a biotech start-up company developing CRISPR-based gene editing for the treatment of HIV and other viral diseases. Jenn is active in the vasculitis community. She is a patient partner in the Vasculitis Patient Powered Research Network (VPPRN) and a member of the VPPRN-VCRC EGPA Registry Joint Steering Committee. She currently hosts the EGPA Caf? Zoom Chat through the Vasculitis Foundation. You can find her blog online at www.vasculitides.com or follow her on Twitter at @vasculitides.