Hans Herfarth

Hans Herfarth is Director of the Multidisciplinary IBD Center at the University of North Carolina. His primary research interests focus on the development and evaluation of novel diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). His work is particularly centered on the conceptualization and conduct of investigator-initiated clinical studies in IBD, supported by funding from the NIH, the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, and private and industry-associated foundations. Dr. Herfarth has authored more than 350 journal articles, book chapters, and review articles related to IBD.

Laura Raffals, MD, MS, FACG is Professor of Medicine, Vice Chair, Department of Medicine at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN. She received her Masters in Health Studies and completed her gastroenterology fellowship training at the University of Chicago, and for six years was a member of the faculty. In 2011, she joined the Gastroenterology and Hepatology Division at Mayo Clinic. Dr. Raffals’ clinical and research interests have focused on inflammatory bowel disease with a focus on pouch disorders, exploring the intersection of pouch motility disorders and pouch inflammation. She is the co-principal investigator for the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation SPARC IBD, a national prospective adult research cohort with IBD study and has published broadly on topics in inflammatory bowel disease.

Bincy P. Abraham, M.D., M.S., AGAF, FACG, FASGE, FCCF is the Distinguished Professor and Director of the Fondren Inflammatory Bowel Disease Program at the Underwood Digestive Diseases Center of Houston Methodist Hospital. She is also the Program Director for the Gastroenterology Fellowship and Associate Program Director of the Advanced IBD Fellowship at Houston Methodist Hospital. She earned her medical degree from University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, where she continued with residency training in internal medicine and fellowship in gastroenterology. During fellowship, she received specialized training in inflammatory bowel disease and earned her degree in Masters of Clinical Investigation. She also completed a National Visiting Fellow Inflammatory Bowel Disease Rotation program through the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation in Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles. She has chaired the Southern Regional chapter of the CCFA Medical Advisory Committee, served as president of the Texas Gulf Coast Gastroenterology Society, is involved in national committees for and is a Fellow of the American College of Gastroenterology, American Gastroenterology Association, American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, and Crohn's and Colitis Foundation. She is trained in and passionate about intestinal ultrasound in IBD patient care.

Edward L. Barnes, MD, MPH is an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology and Co-Director of the Multidisciplinary Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Center at the University of North Carolina of Chapel Hill. Dr. Barnes received his undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of South Carolina. He completed his internship, residency, and chief residency in internal medicine at the University of North Carolina. He completed his gastroenterology fellowship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. During his gastroenterology fellowship, Dr. Barnes received a Master of Public Health from the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health. Following his gastroenterology fellowship, Dr. Barnes completed a one year advanced fellowship in inflammatory bowel disease at the University of North Carolina.

Dr. Barnes has a research interest in the epidemiology and clinical outcomes of patients with inflammatory bowel disease. He has a particular interest in improving our understanding of inflammatory conditions of the pouch after restorative proctocolectomy with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA). He has received funding from the National Institutes of Health, Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, American College of Gastroenterology, and American Gastroenterological Association to study clinical outcomes of patients with pouchitis and other pouch-related conditions and to investigate predictors of a complicated disease course after IPAA. Dr. Barnes is the 2021 Sherman Emerging Leader Prize recipient.

Dr. Fichera earned his M.D. from the Catholic University of Rome, completed General Surgery Residency at the University of Chicago and two year fellowship in laparoscopic and colorectal surgery at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York. He returned to the University of Chicago where he started and became the first Program Director of the Colon and Rectal Surgery Training Program. He moved to the University of Washington in July 2012 as chief of colorectal surgery and was appointed chief of the section of Gastrointestinal Surgery in 2014 and in 2016 the clinical director of Gastrointestinal Oncology at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. In November 2017 he moved to University of North Carolina as the Division Chief of Gastrointestinal Surgery. In September 2019 he became the Division Chief of Colorectal Surgery at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas and the Surgery Safety and Quality Officer since July 2020. His clinical and research interest include colorectal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease

Hans Herfarth is Director of the Multidisciplinary IBD Center at the University of North Carolina. His primary research interests focus on the development and evaluation of novel diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). His work is particularly centered on the conceptualization and conduct of investigator-initiated clinical studies in IBD, supported by funding from the NIH, the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, and private and industry-associated foundations. Dr. Herfarth has authored more than 350 journal articles, book chapters, and review articles related to IBD.

Laura Raffals, MD, MS, FACG is Professor of Medicine, Vice Chair, Department of Medicine at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN. She received her Masters in Health Studies and completed her gastroenterology fellowship training at the University of Chicago, and for six years was a member of the faculty. In 2011, she joined the Gastroenterology and Hepatology Division at Mayo Clinic. Dr. Raffals’ clinical and research interests have focused on inflammatory bowel disease with a focus on pouch disorders, exploring the intersection of pouch motility disorders and pouch inflammation. She is the co-principal investigator for the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation SPARC IBD, a national prospective adult research cohort with IBD study and has published broadly on topics in inflammatory bowel disease.

Bincy P. Abraham, M.D., M.S., AGAF, FACG, FASGE, FCCF is the Distinguished Professor and Director of the Fondren Inflammatory Bowel Disease Program at the Underwood Digestive Diseases Center of Houston Methodist Hospital. She is also the Program Director for the Gastroenterology Fellowship and Associate Program Director of the Advanced IBD Fellowship at Houston Methodist Hospital. She earned her medical degree from University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, where she continued with residency training in internal medicine and fellowship in gastroenterology. During fellowship, she received specialized training in inflammatory bowel disease and earned her degree in Masters of Clinical Investigation. She also completed a National Visiting Fellow Inflammatory Bowel Disease Rotation program through the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation in Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles. She has chaired the Southern Regional chapter of the CCFA Medical Advisory Committee, served as president of the Texas Gulf Coast Gastroenterology Society, is involved in national committees for and is a Fellow of the American College of Gastroenterology, American Gastroenterology Association, American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, and Crohn's and Colitis Foundation. She is trained in and passionate about intestinal ultrasound in IBD patient care.

Edward L. Barnes, MD, MPH is an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology and Co-Director of the Multidisciplinary Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Center at the University of North Carolina of Chapel Hill. Dr. Barnes received his undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of South Carolina. He completed his internship, residency, and chief residency in internal medicine at the University of North Carolina. He completed his gastroenterology fellowship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. During his gastroenterology fellowship, Dr. Barnes received a Master of Public Health from the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health. Following his gastroenterology fellowship, Dr. Barnes completed a one year advanced fellowship in inflammatory bowel disease at the University of North Carolina.

Dr. Barnes has a research interest in the epidemiology and clinical outcomes of patients with inflammatory bowel disease. He has a particular interest in improving our understanding of inflammatory conditions of the pouch after restorative proctocolectomy with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA). He has received funding from the National Institutes of Health, Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, American College of Gastroenterology, and American Gastroenterological Association to study clinical outcomes of patients with pouchitis and other pouch-related conditions and to investigate predictors of a complicated disease course after IPAA. Dr. Barnes is the 2021 Sherman Emerging Leader Prize recipient.

Dr. Fichera earned his M.D. from the Catholic University of Rome, completed General Surgery Residency at the University of Chicago and two year fellowship in laparoscopic and colorectal surgery at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York. He returned to the University of Chicago where he started and became the first Program Director of the Colon and Rectal Surgery Training Program. He moved to the University of Washington in July 2012 as chief of colorectal surgery and was appointed chief of the section of Gastrointestinal Surgery in 2014 and in 2016 the clinical director of Gastrointestinal Oncology at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. In November 2017 he moved to University of North Carolina as the Division Chief of Gastrointestinal Surgery. In September 2019 he became the Division Chief of Colorectal Surgery at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas and the Surgery Safety and Quality Officer since July 2020. His clinical and research interest include colorectal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease

Dr. Jessica Allegretti currently serves as the Medical Director of the Crohn’s and Colitis Center at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. In 2020, she received the Sherman Emerging Leader Prize for Excellence in Crohn’s and Colitis. In addition, she developed and leads the hospital’s Fecal Microbiota Transplantation Program and has grown to become and international expert on the topic. Dr. Allegretti cares for patients with inflammatory bowel disease as well as Clostridioides difficile (c.diff) infection. Her research focuses on the intestinal microbiome and the consequences of its derangement, with the goal of understanding the role dysbiosis plays in microbial associated diseases. In addition, her lab focuses on novel therapeutic agents for IBD and she is leading multiple sponsored and investigator initiated drug trials. For more information visit www.allegrettilab.com

Hans Herfarth is Director of the Multidisciplinary IBD Center at the University of North Carolina. His primary research interests focus on the development and evaluation of novel diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). His work is particularly centered on the conceptualization and conduct of investigator-initiated clinical studies in IBD, supported by funding from the NIH, the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, and private and industry-associated foundations. Dr. Herfarth has authored more than 350 journal articles, book chapters, and review articles related to IBD.

Maria T. Abreu, MD, is a physician-scientist and gastroenterologist who specializes in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). She received her medical degree from the University of Miami School of Medicine and completed a residency in medicine at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She served as an Associate Professor of Medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine (and head of their IBD Center), a Professor of Medicine and Microbiology & Immunology at the University of Miami School of Medicine (and Director of the Crohn’s and Colitis Center), and currently is the Executive Director of the F. Widjaja IBD Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center; in past years, she has served as the President of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) and the Chair of the International Organization for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IOIBD). Dr. Abreu has 30 years of leadership experience in basic, translational, and clinical research, and has authored almost 300 peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and reviews. Her work has received multiple awards, including the 2019 Sherman Prize from the Bruce and Cynthia Sherman Charitable Foundation for outstanding achievements in IBD and Healio’s Lifetime Disruptor Award for addressing critical unmet needs in IBD. Her research focuses on interactions between the gut microbiome and the innate immune system in the development of IBD and IBD-associated colon cancer. Currently, Dr. Abreu’s team is investigating how diet may shape the gut microbiome and alleviate IBD symptoms. Understand the underlying mechanisms can help us develop targeted treatment strategies to help patients live their best lives.

Gastroenterologist with an interest in inflammatory bowel diseases.

Dr. Hudesman is Director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center at NYU Langone Health. He is Professor of Medicine at the NYU School of Medicine.

Dr. Hudesman specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and in the provision of integrated, seamless, patient-centered care. His research is focused on the development of biomarkers and evaluation and optimization of new medical therapies for the treatment of both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

Dr. Hudesman served on the Educational Affairs Committee of the American College of Gastroenterology, and the Professional Membership Committee of the Crohn’s Colitis Foundation, and is currently on the Quality Committee of the American Gastroenterological Association.

Dr. Jessica Allegretti currently serves as the Medical Director of the Crohn’s and Colitis Center at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. In 2020, she received the Sherman Emerging Leader Prize for Excellence in Crohn’s and Colitis. In addition, she developed and leads the hospital’s Fecal Microbiota Transplantation Program and has grown to become and international expert on the topic. Dr. Allegretti cares for patients with inflammatory bowel disease as well as Clostridioides difficile (c.diff) infection. Her research focuses on the intestinal microbiome and the consequences of its derangement, with the goal of understanding the role dysbiosis plays in microbial associated diseases. In addition, her lab focuses on novel therapeutic agents for IBD and she is leading multiple sponsored and investigator initiated drug trials. For more information visit www.allegrettilab.com

Hans Herfarth is Director of the Multidisciplinary IBD Center at the University of North Carolina. His primary research interests focus on the development and evaluation of novel diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). His work is particularly centered on the conceptualization and conduct of investigator-initiated clinical studies in IBD, supported by funding from the NIH, the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, and private and industry-associated foundations. Dr. Herfarth has authored more than 350 journal articles, book chapters, and review articles related to IBD.

Maria T. Abreu, MD, is a physician-scientist and gastroenterologist who specializes in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). She received her medical degree from the University of Miami School of Medicine and completed a residency in medicine at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She served as an Associate Professor of Medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine (and head of their IBD Center), a Professor of Medicine and Microbiology & Immunology at the University of Miami School of Medicine (and Director of the Crohn’s and Colitis Center), and currently is the Executive Director of the F. Widjaja IBD Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center; in past years, she has served as the President of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) and the Chair of the International Organization for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IOIBD). Dr. Abreu has 30 years of leadership experience in basic, translational, and clinical research, and has authored almost 300 peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and reviews. Her work has received multiple awards, including the 2019 Sherman Prize from the Bruce and Cynthia Sherman Charitable Foundation for outstanding achievements in IBD and Healio’s Lifetime Disruptor Award for addressing critical unmet needs in IBD. Her research focuses on interactions between the gut microbiome and the innate immune system in the development of IBD and IBD-associated colon cancer. Currently, Dr. Abreu’s team is investigating how diet may shape the gut microbiome and alleviate IBD symptoms. Understand the underlying mechanisms can help us develop targeted treatment strategies to help patients live their best lives.

Gastroenterologist with an interest in inflammatory bowel diseases.

Dr. Hudesman is Director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center at NYU Langone Health. He is Professor of Medicine at the NYU School of Medicine.

Dr. Hudesman specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and in the provision of integrated, seamless, patient-centered care. His research is focused on the development of biomarkers and evaluation and optimization of new medical therapies for the treatment of both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

Dr. Hudesman served on the Educational Affairs Committee of the American College of Gastroenterology, and the Professional Membership Committee of the Crohn’s Colitis Foundation, and is currently on the Quality Committee of the American Gastroenterological Association.

Gastroenterologist with an interest in inflammatory bowel diseases.

Paulo Gustavo Kotze is Adjunct Senior Professor of Surgery at the Catholic University in Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil. He rcompleted his General Surgery training at the Evangelical University Hospital in Curitiba (2000). He also completed his senior Fellowship in Colorectal Surgery at the Clinics Hospital from the Federal University of Parana (2002). Dr. Kotze achieved his Masters' Degree on Surgery at the Catholic University in 2008 and joined the faculty of medicine at the same university in 2011. He achieved his PhD degree studying the influence of biological therapy on surgical outcomes in Crohn´s disease, in the University of Campinas, in São Paulo, Brazil (UNICAMP) in 2015. Dr. Kotze was also an IBD advanced visiting fellow in the IBD unit at the University of Calgary (Cumming school of medicine), Canada, for the period of 2017-2018. Dr. Kotze is an experienced IBD surgeon and author of 3 books, 250+ pubmed peer-reviewed articles and multiple book chapters focused on Crohn´s disease and ulcerative colitis. He has special interest in the fields of biological therapy, epidemiology and surgery in IBD. Dr. Kotze was formely a committee member of S-ECCO (surgeons of ECCO) from 2015-2018 and a member of the ECCO EduCOM (educational committee), 2018-2021. He is an active member from the International Organization of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IOIBD). Currently, he is Professor of the Health Sciences Postgraduate Program at the Catholic University of Paraná, in Curitiba, Brazil. Dr Kotze is also a senior researcher for the National Brazilian Council of Research (CNPq).

Dr. Aline Charabaty is Professor of Medicine at the University of Maryland and the Director of the IBD Program at the University of Maryland Medical center. She is the Editor-in-Chief of the Crohn’s and Colitis 360 journal, and is past Vice-Chair of the AGA Research Foundation Executive Board, and past ACG Governor for Washington DC. Her work and advocacy were recognized by the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation Excellence in Medicine Award in 2020 , the ACG Diversity Equity and Inclusion Award in 2025, and the AGA Beacon of Hope Award in 2026. Dr Charabaty uses social media to amplify medical education in IBD and is the founder of @MondayNightIBD a CME platform on twitter for which she received the Healio Disruptive Innovator Award in 2019. Dr Charabaty is a strong advocate for diversity and the professional advancement of women in GI. She is the Co-Founder of Scrubs & Heels, a foundation focused on empowering women in GI with the leadership skills, networking and mentorship to achieve professional goals and growth.

Katherine Falloon, MD, is a staff gastroenterologist at the Digestive Disease and Surgery Institute at the Cleveland Clinic and an assistant professor of medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine. She is also the co-director of the intestinal ultrasound program at the Cleveland Clinic. Her clinical focus is in caring for patients in inflammatory bowel disease and her research interest is in extra-intestinal manifestations of inflammatory bowel disease. She is currently leading the Cohort for Healing Skin, Eye, and Extra-Intestinal Manifestations (CHASE-EIM), a multi-disciplinary research consortia related to extra-intestinal manifestations of inflammatory bowel disease. She has received funding from the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation, Pfizer, and the Digestive Disease and Surgery Institute's Chief Innovation and Research Award.

Phillip R. Fleshner, MD is the Director of Colorectal Surgery Research at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. He holds the Shierley, Jesslyne, and Emmeline Widjaja Chair in Colorectal Surgery.

Dr. Fleshner's main clinical and research interests are directed towards optimizing outcomes and techniques in the surgical management of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

Dr. Fleshner has written numerous articles for peer-reviewed publications, including the Annals of Surgery, Journal of the American College of Surgeons, Diseases of the Colon and Rectum, Gut and the American Journal of Surgery.

Dr. Fleshner received his bachelor's degree from McGill University and his medical degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He completed his General Surgery Residency at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York and his Colorectal Surgery Fellowship at the Lahey Clinic in Boston.

He received the Sherman Prize in 2021.

Hans Herfarth is Director of the Multidisciplinary IBD Center at the University of North Carolina. His primary research interests focus on the development and evaluation of novel diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). His work is particularly centered on the conceptualization and conduct of investigator-initiated clinical studies in IBD, supported by funding from the NIH, the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, and private and industry-associated foundations. Dr. Herfarth has authored more than 350 journal articles, book chapters, and review articles related to IBD.