Welcome to the new GI Research Foundation (GIRF) e-newsletter! This letter is now delivered regularly to those interested in GIRF supported-research at the Digestive Diseases Center at The University of Chicago Medicine. As lead scientific advisor at GIRF, I look forward to sharing exciting news about the doctors, research, and medical advances happening through GIRF’s continual financial support.
Over the summer, a group of University of Chicago researchers were awarded a $1 million grant from the Keck Foundation to further explore microbiome dynamics. Tao Pan, PhD leads this research, which looks at what microbes are in the microbiome and their activity. This research will have far-reaching effects for those living with IBD and other digestive diseases. This project began several years ago with initial funding from the GI Research Foundation and demonstrates the incredible impact that GIRF has on critical medical research. You can read more about this study, the collaboration across the University, and its potential impacts here.
Dr. Eugene Change, scientific advisor to GIRF, received high honors at the notable Halo Awards last month for his groundbreaking microbiome research. Described as a GRAMMY-style event, the Halo Awards celebrate Chicago’s “heroes of medicine” for their tireless efforts of turning research into treatments that help people live better lives. No one is more deserving of this award than Dr. Chang. Please join me in congratulating him!
It is a tremendously exciting time at the University of Chicago for digestive diseases. We are larger than ever, with more than 20 new world-class faculty recruited in gastroenterology and surgery. We see patients in seven locations throughout the Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana region, and have expanded our laboratory space and presence on campus. It is a new era here, and we, as always, owe much of our success to the support of GIRF.