EVENTS
2025 Annual Ball
Help us imagine a world without digestive diseases.
WHO’S WHO:
Research Stars of the Ball
Through live remarks and featured videos, guests heard directly from, and about, the UChicago Medicine researchers whose work is shaping the future of digestive disease care. Here’s a closer look at the “Who’s Who” from our Ball program.
Valerie Abadie, PhD
Dr. Adabie is a Research Associate Professor of Medicine. She received a 2023 Annual Grant Cycle award for her study exploring whether people with celiac disease lose tolerance to the helpful bacteria in their gut. This research could explain how the celiac disease develops and help identify those most at risk.
Osman Ahmed, MD
Dr. Ahmed, an Associate Professor of Radiology, was featured in the 2025 Ball video. Through the CA CURE initiative, he and his team received the Edison Histotripsy System—a cutting-edge ultrasound device that uses natural gases in the body to create microbubbles that mechanically break apart liver tumors. UChicago Medicine is one of only four hospitals nationwide using this innovative, noninvasive approach to treat liver cancer.
Andrew Aronsohn, MD
Dr. Aronsohn is Chief of Hepatology and specializes in liver disease and transplant. He also serves as Associate Section Chief of Education and as Program Director for the Fellowship program. In this role, he shepherds the next generation of medical and scientific leadership in Gastroenterology, Hepatology, & Nutrition.
Candace Cham, PhD
Dr. Cham is an immunologist and chief investigator for the Chang Lab. She received a 2025 Annual Grant Cycle award for a study testing whether adding a fiber supplement called inulin can improve gut health—even while eating a typical Western diet—by restoring healthy gut bacteria and tracking changes using a new gut health scoring tool.
Orlando DeLeon, Phd
Dr. DeLeon is a senior postdoctoral researcher. His recent project funded through the 2025 Annual Grant Award cycle, explores how the daily rhythms of gut bacteria may influence conditions like IBD. He also received a 2024 Annual Grant Award and the 2023 ELC Young Investigator Award.
Alvin George, MD
Dr. George, a GI fellow and recipient of the Emerging Leaders Council’s 2025 Young Investigator Award, is exploring how virtual reality could help patients with IBD manage anxiety.
Dr. Kellar, an Assistant Professor of Medicine, specializes in treating children with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. She is also one of the few physicians in the U.S. using intestinal ultrasound—a non-invasive tool—to diagnose and manage these conditions during routine office visits.
Dr. McDonald was featured in the 2025 Ball Video. In 2022, the GI Research Foundation funded Dr. Benjamin McDonald’s study on improving diagnosis and treatment of perianal Crohn’s disease, a severe form affecting about 25% of patients. The project explores using ultrasound for early detection—before symptoms appear—and investigates inflammatory pathways for new therapies. Building on its success, the Foundation funded an additional IUS machine in 2025.
Dr. Shogan serves as Associate Professor of Surgery specializing in colon and rectal surgery. Funding from the foundation allows him to advance investigations that could improve surgical outcomes for patients with conditions including colon cancer and Crohn’s disease. He received a grant through the 2023 Annual Grant Cycle for a study he is leading with Dr. Tao Pan, PhD, exploring how tumor genetics and diet influence colorectal cancer recurrence.
David T. Rubin, MD
Dr. Rubin is Chief of the Section of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition and is the GI Research Foundation’s lead Scientific Advisor. In 2025, he was honored with the Joseph B. Kirsner Award. His most recent Foundation-funded research explores reducing treatment in IBD patients in long-term remission and investigating how gut inflammation may contribute to anxiety and depression in those with IBD.