Insurance broker. Wisconsin llama farmer. And now the volunteer Marketing and Communications VP at GIRF. Mark Waldeck does it all.

After falling ill to Crohn’s Disease in 2002, Mark turned to the brilliant doctors at the University of Chicago Medicine for help. Since then Mark has been doing all he can to give back to the doctors and GIRF-funded researchers that helped save his life.

Serving on GIRF’s board for over a decade, Mark’s instrumental in raising funds to support the research conducted by UChicago doctors and scientists. Seeing what they accomplish up close led Mark to get even more involved this year. “What GIRF is doing will not only help my own children, but people around the world,” says Mark. “I want people to know that GIRF is here and has the resources to help. No one else is committed to what GIRF’s doing in helping those with GI issues.”

As the new volunteer Marketing and Communications VP, Mark will focus on getting the word out on GIRF and spreading awareness of the impact of the investments GIRF makes in research and the physician scientists at the Digestive Diseases Center.  

“There are a lot of positive ways to make an impression on the public. I can’t wait to do it for GIRF.”