Sara Horst

Dr. Sara Horst MD, MPH, FACG, AGAF is a Professor in the division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, & Nutrition at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Horst completed her medical school and residency training at The Ohio State University and then went to Vanderbilt University Medical Center for Gastroenterology Fellowship and to obtain her Masters of Public Health. She joined the faculty at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in 2011. She is involved in clinical care of complex IBD care, complex amyloid care, clinical research, and teaching and mentoring medical students and housestaff. She is the medical director for VUMC Specialty Pharmacy, VUMC Telehealth director, and VUMC Associate Vice Chair of Clinical Affairs for Dept of Medicine. Her research interests involve enhancing EHR efficiencies in the care of IBD, telehealth in IBD, and medication adherence in IBD. She has extensively published in peer reviewed journals. She is also involved in clinical care improvement as an EPIC Physician Builder and is on the National EPIC GI Steering Board. She is an associate editor for American Journal of Gastroenterology.

Raymond K. Cross, MD, MS, AGAF, FACG completed undergraduate training at Washington and Jefferson College and attended medical school at the University of Pittsburgh. He completed internal medicine residency and gastroenterology and Hepatology fellowship training at the University of Maryland Medical Center and Baltimore Veterans Affairs. Prior to fellowship, he was a Chief Medical Resident. He obtained a Master’s Degree in Clinical Research at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. He joined the faculty at the University of Maryland and served as Director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Program from 2004 to 2024. In July 2024, he joined the faculty at the Melissa L. Posner Institute for Digestive Health & Liver Disease at Mercy Medical Center where he is Director of the Center for Inflammatory Bowel and Colorectal Diseases.
He has published over 200 peer reviewed manuscripts, review articles, and book chapters and has obtained research funding from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation, and the American College of Gastroenterology. He is past Chair of the Patient Education and Clinical Research Committees and Clinical Research Alliance for the Foundation. He is the Co-Chair of the Regional Advances in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Course, Scientific Co-Director of the CorEvitas Registry, and past Course Director for the American College of Gastroenterology’s Eastern Regional Course. He is Governor for Maryland for the American College of Gastroenterology, a member of the American College of Gastroenterology’s Research Committee, and Senior Associate Editor of the American Journal of Gastroenterology.

Dr. Sara Horst MD, MPH, FACG, AGAF is a Professor in the division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, & Nutrition at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Horst completed her medical school and residency training at The Ohio State University and then went to Vanderbilt University Medical Center for Gastroenterology Fellowship and to obtain her Masters of Public Health. She joined the faculty at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in 2011. She is involved in clinical care of complex IBD care, complex amyloid care, clinical research, and teaching and mentoring medical students and housestaff. She is the medical director for VUMC Specialty Pharmacy, VUMC Telehealth director, and VUMC Associate Vice Chair of Clinical Affairs for Dept of Medicine. Her research interests involve enhancing EHR efficiencies in the care of IBD, telehealth in IBD, and medication adherence in IBD. She has extensively published in peer reviewed journals. She is also involved in clinical care improvement as an EPIC Physician Builder and is on the National EPIC GI Steering Board. She is an associate editor for American Journal of Gastroenterology.

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.

Kelly Issokson, MS, RD, CSDH, LDN, CNSC is the Senior Registered Dietitian of Outpatient Nutrition at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and a nationally recognized expert in gastrointestinal nutrition. With over 17 years of clinical experience, she specializes in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and surgical nutrition. Ms. Issokson graduated magna cum laude from Johnson & Wales University and earned her MS in Nutrition from California State University, Northridge. She serves on the National Board of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation and is a leading voice in advancing nutrition as part of multidisciplinary IBD care. She co-developed the Cedars-Sinai IBD Prehabilitation Program and nutrition education training programs for physicians, APPs, and RDs.

Millie D. Long MD, MPH earned her doctor of medicine degree at the University of Virginia. She completed a residency and chief residency in internal medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She then completed a gastroenterology fellowship at University of North Carolina. She also completed a fellowship in preventive medicine and a masters of public health in epidemiology at the Gillings School of Public Health. She is board certified in internal medicine, preventive medicine, and gastroenterology. She is currently Professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the University of North Carolina, as well as Chief of the Division.

Dr. Long’s clinical practice is at the UNC Multidisciplinary Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD) center. Her research interests include prevention of complications of IBD, women’s health and clinical epidemiology. Dr. Long has contributed over 200 peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, and review articles to the literature. She co-authored the 2025 ACG ulcerative colitis guidelines. She serves Co-Editor in Chief of the American Journal of Gastroenterology.

Dr. Long is a fellow of the American College of Gastroenterology where she is a member of the Board of Trustees. She is also a fellow of the American Gastroenterological Association and a member of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation. Recipient of the 2024 Sherman Prize for Excellence in Crohn’s and Colitis. She is a member of the International Organization for the Study of IBD.

Jessiy Salwen-Deremer, Ph.D., DBSM, is the Director of Behavioral Medicine for Digestive Health at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry & Medicine at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. Dr. Salwen-Deremer earned her Ph.D. in clinical psychology at Stony Brook University and completed her fellowship training in behavioral medicine at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Her areas of clinical expertise include behavioral sleep medicine and gastropsychology. Her research expertise encompasses two areas: understanding the impact of sleep disorders on inflammatory bowel diseases and improving access to gastrointestinal behavioral health care. Across both of these areas, she focuses on the integration of telehealth and remote technologies to enhance patient engagement and participation.

Dr. Sara Horst MD, MPH, FACG, AGAF is a Professor in the division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, & Nutrition at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Horst completed her medical school and residency training at The Ohio State University and then went to Vanderbilt University Medical Center for Gastroenterology Fellowship and to obtain her Masters of Public Health. She joined the faculty at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in 2011. She is involved in clinical care of complex IBD care, complex amyloid care, clinical research, and teaching and mentoring medical students and housestaff. She is the medical director for VUMC Specialty Pharmacy, VUMC Telehealth director, and VUMC Associate Vice Chair of Clinical Affairs for Dept of Medicine. Her research interests involve enhancing EHR efficiencies in the care of IBD, telehealth in IBD, and medication adherence in IBD. She has extensively published in peer reviewed journals. She is also involved in clinical care improvement as an EPIC Physician Builder and is on the National EPIC GI Steering Board. She is an associate editor for American Journal of Gastroenterology.

Jami Kinnucan, MD, is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) specialist who joined the Mayo Clinic Florida practice in January 2021 as an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. She currently serves as the Clinical Practice Chair for the Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Associate Chair for Digital Transformation and Practice Integration for the Department of Medicine and Medical Director for Plummer Chart Ambulatory Communication Solutions team. She is also the Director of the IBD Intestinal Ultrasound Program at Mayo Clinic Florida. She has been recognized as a fellow of the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG), American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), and Crohn's and Colitis Foundation. She is a former member of the ACG Board of Governors for the state of Michigan and the ACG Women in Gastroenterology Committee. She is active in the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation and previous Co-Chair for the Women in IBD Task Force and prior member of the Government and Industry Affairs Committee for the National Scientific Advisory Committee. Dr. Kinnucan is the co-founder of the Michigan GI Society in 2020 and, most recently, co-founded the Florida Women in GI (2022) and Gastro Digital Health (2024) She serves as Associate Editor for the Crohn’s and Colitis 360 Journal. She is actively involved with research looking at the impact of cannabis in IBD and received a 2024 Mayo Clinic STARDOM award to evaluate the use of virtual reality on the impact of pain in patients with abdominal pain and Crohn’s disease.

Dr. Sara Horst MD, MPH, FACG, AGAF is a Professor in the division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, & Nutrition at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Horst completed her medical school and residency training at The Ohio State University and then went to Vanderbilt University Medical Center for Gastroenterology Fellowship and to obtain her Masters of Public Health. She joined the faculty at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in 2011. She is involved in clinical care of complex IBD care, complex amyloid care, clinical research, and teaching and mentoring medical students and housestaff. She is the medical director for VUMC Specialty Pharmacy, VUMC Telehealth director, and VUMC Associate Vice Chair of Clinical Affairs for Dept of Medicine. Her research interests involve enhancing EHR efficiencies in the care of IBD, telehealth in IBD, and medication adherence in IBD. She has extensively published in peer reviewed journals. She is also involved in clinical care improvement as an EPIC Physician Builder and is on the National EPIC GI Steering Board. She is an associate editor for American Journal of Gastroenterology.

Jami Kinnucan, MD, is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) specialist who joined the Mayo Clinic Florida practice in January 2021 as an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. She currently serves as the Clinical Practice Chair for the Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Associate Chair for Digital Transformation and Practice Integration for the Department of Medicine and Medical Director for Plummer Chart Ambulatory Communication Solutions team. She is also the Director of the IBD Intestinal Ultrasound Program at Mayo Clinic Florida. She has been recognized as a fellow of the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG), American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), and Crohn's and Colitis Foundation. She is a former member of the ACG Board of Governors for the state of Michigan and the ACG Women in Gastroenterology Committee. She is active in the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation and previous Co-Chair for the Women in IBD Task Force and prior member of the Government and Industry Affairs Committee for the National Scientific Advisory Committee. Dr. Kinnucan is the co-founder of the Michigan GI Society in 2020 and, most recently, co-founded the Florida Women in GI (2022) and Gastro Digital Health (2024) She serves as Associate Editor for the Crohn’s and Colitis 360 Journal. She is actively involved with research looking at the impact of cannabis in IBD and received a 2024 Mayo Clinic STARDOM award to evaluate the use of virtual reality on the impact of pain in patients with abdominal pain and Crohn’s disease.

Lisa Malter, MD, FACG, is a Professor of Medicine at the NYU School of Medicine, the Director of Education for the NYU IBD Center and Director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinic at the Bellevue Hospital Center in New York City. Board-certified in Gastroenterology, Dr. Malter’s patient practice is focused primarily on inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, and she has pioneered access to care for the underserved patient population at Bellevue. Dr. Malter’s academic interests include the study of inflammatory bowel disease, patient safety, and fellowship education. Dr. Malter teaches at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine and has published in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases,  The American Journal of Gastroenterology and CC360. She is a member of ACG, AGA, and the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation. She serves as the Editor of the ACG Universe, is a member of the ACG Training Committee, the ACG Education Task Force, and is a faculty advisor for the Crohn's &Colitis Foundation's Greater New York Fellows’ Education Committee. She created and created and directs IBD 101, a first year fellows course on IBD, in collaboration with NYU and the ACG.  Dr. Malter received her medical degree from Rosalind Franklin University/Chicago Medical School, completed her internal medicine internship and residency at The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, and went on to complete a Gastroenterology fellowship at NYU Langone Medical Center.

David Choi completed his Doctor of Pharmacy degree at the University of Colorado School of Pharmacy. He went on to complete his PGY1 Pharmacy Residency and PGY2 Ambulatory residency at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. He is currently an Associate Director at University of Chicago Medicine Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center. He is very excited about advocating for increased pharmacists’ role in gastroenterology/hepatology as well as importance for patient advocacy in receiving the care they require. He feels passionately about treat to target to improve patient care and research related to improving patient outcomes.

Oriana M. Damas, MD, MSCTI, is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. She also serves as the Director of Translational Studies for the Crohn’s and Colitis Center. Dr. Damas earned her medical degree from the University of Miami and completed her training in internal medicine and gastroenterology at the University of Miami and Jackson Memorial Hospital.

Her clinical practice and research focus on the care of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Dr. Damas has conducted extensive research on environmental factors and the epidemiology of IBD. Her contributions to the field have earned her accolades, including the DREAM Award in recognition of her work with the Hispanic IBD community.

Dr. Damas has significant experience in running clinical trials, including innovative dietary trials, aimed at improving the quality of life for patients with IBD through lifestyle and dietary modifications. She is an NIH-funded researcher and currently serves as the principal investigator for a study developing an anti-inflammatory South Florida diet for IBD patients, which incorporates elements of traditional Latin foods from the region.

She has authored numerous original research articles, and she serves on the Editorial Boards of the prestigious Gastroenterology journal and Crohn’s & Colitis 360. In addition to her research, Dr. Damas is recognized as a national and international leader in her field. She is frequently invited to speak at national and international conferences and is an active member of the AGA n and the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation.

Dr. Sara Horst MD, MPH, FACG, AGAF is a Professor in the division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, & Nutrition at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Horst completed her medical school and residency training at The Ohio State University and then went to Vanderbilt University Medical Center for Gastroenterology Fellowship and to obtain her Masters of Public Health. She joined the faculty at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in 2011. She is involved in clinical care of complex IBD care, complex amyloid care, clinical research, and teaching and mentoring medical students and housestaff. She is the medical director for VUMC Specialty Pharmacy, VUMC Telehealth director, and VUMC Associate Vice Chair of Clinical Affairs for Dept of Medicine. Her research interests involve enhancing EHR efficiencies in the care of IBD, telehealth in IBD, and medication adherence in IBD. She has extensively published in peer reviewed journals. She is also involved in clinical care improvement as an EPIC Physician Builder and is on the National EPIC GI Steering Board. She is an associate editor for American Journal of Gastroenterology.

Jami Kinnucan, MD, is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) specialist who joined the Mayo Clinic Florida practice in January 2021 as an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. She currently serves as the Clinical Practice Chair for the Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Associate Chair for Digital Transformation and Practice Integration for the Department of Medicine and Medical Director for Plummer Chart Ambulatory Communication Solutions team. She is also the Director of the IBD Intestinal Ultrasound Program at Mayo Clinic Florida. She has been recognized as a fellow of the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG), American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), and Crohn's and Colitis Foundation. She is a former member of the ACG Board of Governors for the state of Michigan and the ACG Women in Gastroenterology Committee. She is active in the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation and previous Co-Chair for the Women in IBD Task Force and prior member of the Government and Industry Affairs Committee for the National Scientific Advisory Committee. Dr. Kinnucan is the co-founder of the Michigan GI Society in 2020 and, most recently, co-founded the Florida Women in GI (2022) and Gastro Digital Health (2024) She serves as Associate Editor for the Crohn’s and Colitis 360 Journal. She is actively involved with research looking at the impact of cannabis in IBD and received a 2024 Mayo Clinic STARDOM award to evaluate the use of virtual reality on the impact of pain in patients with abdominal pain and Crohn’s disease.

Dr. Ryan Ungaro is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Dr. Ungaro received his undergraduate degree from Wesleyan University and his medical degree from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai where he graduated Alpha Omega Alpha with Distinction in Research. He completed his internal medicine training and served as chief resident at the Mount Sinai Medical Center then went on to complete fellowship training in gastroenterology at the Mount Sinai Medical Center and served as chief gastroenterology fellow. Dr. Ungaro received training in translational inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) research as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Fellow and completed a Masters in Biostatistics and Clinical Research Methods at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

Dr. Ungaro specializes in the care of patients with ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. He is Director of the Comprehensive Care for the Recently Diagnosed IBD Patient (COMPASS-IBD) Program at the Mount Sinai IBD Clinical Center. This program provides interdisciplinary care for recently diagnosed inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients. His research focuses on understanding early IBD including the impact of early intervention on IBD outcomes and precision medicine approaches to improve risk stratification and optimization of therapy for recently diagnosed IBD patients. His work is supported by an NIH K23 Career Development Award. He is also co-founder of the SECURE-IBD Registry which aims to understand the impact of COVID-19 on IBD patients.

Dr. Sara Horst MD, MPH, FACG, AGAF is a Professor in the division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, & Nutrition at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Horst completed her medical school and residency training at The Ohio State University and then went to Vanderbilt University Medical Center for Gastroenterology Fellowship and to obtain her Masters of Public Health. She joined the faculty at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in 2011. She is involved in clinical care of complex IBD care, complex amyloid care, clinical research, and teaching and mentoring medical students and housestaff. She is the medical director for VUMC Specialty Pharmacy, VUMC Telehealth director, and VUMC Associate Vice Chair of Clinical Affairs for Dept of Medicine. Her research interests involve enhancing EHR efficiencies in the care of IBD, telehealth in IBD, and medication adherence in IBD. She has extensively published in peer reviewed journals. She is also involved in clinical care improvement as an EPIC Physician Builder and is on the National EPIC GI Steering Board. She is an associate editor for American Journal of Gastroenterology.

Dr. Miguel Regueiro is the Enterprise Chief of Staff and Executive Vice President at Cleveland Clinic, and Professor in the Department of Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University.

Dr. Regueiro is the inaugural Chair holder of The Melody and Steve Golding Chair for Digestive Diseases. He served as the Global Chief for the Digestive Disease Institute from 2021 - 2026 before becoming Enterprise Chief of Staff. As Chief of Staff, he is responsible for shaping the healthcare strategy and vision for the national and international Cleveland Clinic sites. He oversees 6,000 physicians and 4.000 advanced practice providers across the enterprise.

Dr. Regueiro’s main clinical and research interest is Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD) with a focus on the natural course and medical-surgical management of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. He leads research on postoperative prevention of Crohn’s disease, as well as developing new models of healthcare, including the first-of-its kind specialty medical home for IBD.

Corey A. Siegel, MD, MS, is the Director of the Walter and Carole Young Center for Digestive Health at the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire. He is the Constantine and Joyce Hampers Professor of Medicine and a Professor at The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth.

Dr. Siegel received his medical degree from Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, Massachusetts. He completed his residency in internal medicine at the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center where he also served as chief medical resident. He then completed a fellowship in Gastroenterology at Dartmouth Hitchcock followed by a fellowship in Inflammatory Bowel Disease at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

Dr. Siegel’s research interests include understanding risk/benefit tradeoffs in IBD, developing models to predict outcomes in Crohn’s disease, creating tools to facilitate shared decision making, expanding telemedicine services to patients with IBD living in rural locations, and improving the quality of care delivered to patients with IBD. He has been funded by the NIH, AHRQ, the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation, and the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust for this work. Dr. Siegel is the founder of the BRIDGe group, an international research collaborative of IBD investigators. Dr. Siegel was inducted into the International Organization for the Study of IBD (IOIBD) in 2013 and he received the Sherman Prize in 2023. He lives in Hanover, New Hampshire with his wife and three boys.

Dr. Sara Horst MD, MPH, FACG, AGAF is a Professor in the division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, & Nutrition at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Horst completed her medical school and residency training at The Ohio State University and then went to Vanderbilt University Medical Center for Gastroenterology Fellowship and to obtain her Masters of Public Health. She joined the faculty at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in 2011. She is involved in clinical care of complex IBD care, complex amyloid care, clinical research, and teaching and mentoring medical students and housestaff. She is the medical director for VUMC Specialty Pharmacy, VUMC Telehealth director, and VUMC Associate Vice Chair of Clinical Affairs for Dept of Medicine. Her research interests involve enhancing EHR efficiencies in the care of IBD, telehealth in IBD, and medication adherence in IBD. She has extensively published in peer reviewed journals. She is also involved in clinical care improvement as an EPIC Physician Builder and is on the National EPIC GI Steering Board. She is an associate editor for American Journal of Gastroenterology.

Edward V. Loftus, Jr. is a gastroenterologist who specializes in the care of patients with complex Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. He is the Maxine and Jack Zarrow Family Professor of Gastroenterology Specifically in IBD at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science in Rochester, Minnesota, USA. He developed a population-based cohort of inflammatory bowel disease patients which has resulted in over 50 peer-reviewed publications on the epidemiology and natural history of IBD. Professor Loftus has published over 500 original articles, book chapters, or editorials and more than 750 abstracts. He was awarded AGA’s Distinguished Clinician Award and the IMIBD section’s Research Mentor Award in 2019. He has also been awarded the Mayo Department of Medicine Laureate Award twice and the Outstanding Mentorship Award in Research. Professor Loftus has been the principal investigator on several funded studies focusing on the epidemiology and natural history of inflammatory bowel disease and has served as the local PI on multiple clinical trials of investigational agents for IBD. He serves on the steering committees of several clinical development programs in IBD. In the past he has served as Associate Editor for American Journal of Gastroenterology and Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, and currently serves as Associate Editor for Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

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.

Bruce Sands, MD, MS is the Dr. Burrill B. Crohn Professor of Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY. Dr. Sands is an expert in the management of IBD and has earned an international reputation for his care of patients with complex and refractory disease. Dr. Sands was awarded his BA and MD from Boston University, and trained in internal medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. After completing GI fellowship at the Massachusetts General Hospital, he joined the faculty of Harvard Medical School and served as the Acting Chief of the Gastrointestinal Unit at MGH before moving to Mount Sinai in 2010 as Chief of the Dr. Henry D. Janowitz Division of Gastroenterology. Dr. Sands is widely recognized for his innovative treatment of IBD and for his clinical investigations of new therapeutics. Dr. Sands' research also explores IBD epidemiology and includes the creation of a population-based cohort of IBD in Rhode Island. Dr. Sands is a past chair of the Clinical Research Alliance of the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America and served as Chair of the Immunology, Microbiology and Inflammatory Bowel Disease Section of the American Gastroenterological Association. Additionally, Dr. Sands was the Chair of the International Organization for the Study of IBD (IOIBD). In 2016 Dr. Sands was awarded the Dr. Henry Janowitz Lifetime Achievement Award from the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America, that organization’s highest honor.

Dr. Bridget E. Shields is the Susan Nicholas Fasciano Family Foundation Professor of Inflammatory Skin Diseases, Associate Professor, and Director of the Clinical and Translational Research Program in the Department of Dermatology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She completed her dermatology residency at the University of Wisconsin, where she served as Chief Resident, followed by a fellowship in Complex Medical Dermatology at the University of Pennsylvania with specialized training in granulomatous skin diseases, including cutaneous Crohn disesae. Dr. Shields directs the University of Wisconsin's specialized IBD-Dermatology clinic and serves on the inpatient dermatology consultation service, caring for patients with complex inflammatory skin disorders. She also leads the University of Wisconsin Multidisciplinary Sarcoidosis Program, fostering collaboration among clinicians and scientists to improve the understanding and treatment of systemic granulomatous disease.
As a clinician-scientist, Dr. Shields' research focuses on defining the molecular mechanisms underlying skin manifestations of IBD through spatial transcriptomics, multiomics, and translational immunology, with the goal of developing precision diagnostics and targeted therapies.
Dr. Shields has authored more than 70 peer-reviewed scientific publications and numerous invited book chapters. She is a nationally recognized speaker who has delivered invited lectures on skin manifestations of IBD and other inflammatory dermatologic disorders at regional and national scientific meetings.
Her research program has been supported by the Dermatology Foundation Medical Dermatology Career Development Award and the Ann Theodore Foundation, among other competitive funding sources.

Dr. Kara De Felice serves as an Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine and the Director of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases at the University of Cincinnati. Leading a multidisciplinary IBD team, her mission is to deliver exceptional patient care and improve long-term outcomes through clinical excellence, participation in clinical trials, and the training of the next generation of gastroenterologists. A dedicated educator, she is a frequent speaker at regional and national conferences with a specialized focus on women in GI and Advanced Practice Provider (APP) education. Outside of the clinic, she enjoys traveling, playing tennis, and hosting dinner and cocktail parties.

Millie D. Long MD, MPH earned her doctor of medicine degree at the University of Virginia. She completed a residency and chief residency in internal medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She then completed a gastroenterology fellowship at University of North Carolina. She also completed a fellowship in preventive medicine and a masters of public health in epidemiology at the Gillings School of Public Health. She is board certified in internal medicine, preventive medicine, and gastroenterology. She is currently Professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the University of North Carolina, as well as Chief of the Division.

Dr. Long’s clinical practice is at the UNC Multidisciplinary Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD) center. Her research interests include prevention of complications of IBD, women’s health and clinical epidemiology. Dr. Long has contributed over 200 peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, and review articles to the literature. She co-authored the 2025 ACG ulcerative colitis guidelines. She serves Co-Editor in Chief of the American Journal of Gastroenterology.

Dr. Long is a fellow of the American College of Gastroenterology where she is a member of the Board of Trustees. She is also a fellow of the American Gastroenterological Association and a member of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation. Recipient of the 2024 Sherman Prize for Excellence in Crohn’s and Colitis. She is a member of the International Organization for the Study of IBD.

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.

Jessica Caron, MS is a passionate healthcare professional and patient advocate in the Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) community. As a nationally-recognized speaker on patient advocacy, Jessica shares her experience as a patient living with Crohn’s disease, advocating for a co-facilitated approach to advancing medical care. She blogs and supports patients across the globe through her website, Chronically-Jess.com. Jessica has been a Patient Leader with the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation’s IBDQorus program, a past member of the Patient Engagement Committee with the Academy on Communication in Healthcare, and is an active advocate through social media. She has a Psychology degree from the University of Maine, a Master of Education in Human Relations from Plymouth State University, and a Master's in Health Care Delivery Science (MHCDS) from Dartmouth College. Jessica currently lives in New Hampshire with her husband and two young sons and works in strategic patient engagement with Snow Companies.

Dr. Sara Horst MD, MPH, FACG, AGAF is a Professor in the division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, & Nutrition at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Horst completed her medical school and residency training at The Ohio State University and then went to Vanderbilt University Medical Center for Gastroenterology Fellowship and to obtain her Masters of Public Health. She joined the faculty at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in 2011. She is involved in clinical care of complex IBD care, complex amyloid care, clinical research, and teaching and mentoring medical students and housestaff. She is the medical director for VUMC Specialty Pharmacy, VUMC Telehealth director, and VUMC Associate Vice Chair of Clinical Affairs for Dept of Medicine. Her research interests involve enhancing EHR efficiencies in the care of IBD, telehealth in IBD, and medication adherence in IBD. She has extensively published in peer reviewed journals. She is also involved in clinical care improvement as an EPIC Physician Builder and is on the National EPIC GI Steering Board. She is an associate editor for American Journal of Gastroenterology.

David Schwartzberg, MD is a double-board certified colorectal surgeon who specializes in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, including redo/corrective pelvic pouch surgery in the Center for Advanced IBD at Northwell Health. He completed his general surgery training at NYU & Bellevue Hospital, a colorectal fellowship at Cleveland Clinic and an complex IBD & J-pouch surgery fellowship at NYU's IBD Center.
He is currently at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City and serves as the director of reoperative surgery & the intestinal fistula center.