Spotlight on Research
Classic Chicago Magazine – Champions for A Cure : Saturday, June 4th, 2022 The GI Research Foundation Annual Ball
GIRF In the News: Preparing for the Next Pandemic – Featuring David T. Rubin, MD
On January 14, 2022, David T. Rubin, MD, Joseph B. Kirsner Professor of Medicine, Co-Director of the UChicago Medicine Digestive Diseases Center and GIRF Lead Scientific Advisor, shared insights on the current state of the COVID-19 pandemic, its impact on healthcare workers, the Omicron and future variants, the possibility of herd immunity, and planning for future pandemics on Steve Dale’s Other World on WGN Radio.
A Closer Look: Research Processes at the University of Chicago Medicine Featuring Michael Charlton, MBBS
““Perhaps our greatest strength in basic science research is with the microbiome [e.g., the bacteria that live in the gut]. We helped develop an animal model for liver disease that become one of the most widely utilized in the world, as it recreates lipid diseases in mice. That enables us, in the lab, to study causes of the liver disease and also ways to prevent and reverse it. In particular, Dr. Eugene Chang’s work with the Duchossois Family Institute [at the University of Chicago Medicine], discovered that mice that don’t have any microbes, animals that have been bred to be germ-free, and live in germ-free facilities, are totally resistant to fatty liver disease.”
Moving the Needle: Forward, to the Future!
On Thursday, December 2nd, more than one hundred GIRF supporters joined the University of Chicago Medicine Digestive Diseases Center online for the second presentation of Moving the Needle: An Update on GIRF’s Impact. Eight esteemed physician scientists shared latest research updates informing the treatment and care of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), liver disease, colon cancer, celiac disease, as well as the impact of the gut microbiome on depression and anxiety.
Faculty Profile: Michael Charlton, MBBS, Treatment of Liver Disease and Liver Transplant at University of Chicago Medicine
“I also have the happy experience of patients who say, ‘I saw Dr. John Fung, and he saved my sister’s life. We’d been told nothing could be done.’ I recently treated a patient with bile duct cancer who had been told his cancer was inoperable, and he came here and it was taken care of. With Dr. Rubin, we recently had a patient who failed multiple therapies for Crohn’s disease, and Dr. Rubin simply said, ‘We’ll get you into remission.’ He wasn’t just bragging; he did it.”
2021 GIRF Scholar Kinga Skowron Olórtegui, MD, Update: Pouchitis Risk Factors Database
Different risk factors, including the type of sutures used to create the pouch, BMI, patient’s sex, prior C. difficile infection, and prior use of anti-TNF medications, all predicted different types of pouchitis.
2021 GIRF Scholar Tina Rodriguez Update: Investigating Inflammation, IBD and Mental Health Disorders
Research suggests inflammation itself may influence a patient’s development of mental health disorders. In this way, treating inflammation could have benefits for a person’s mental state.
IBD Updates: New Medications and COVID-19 Vaccine Updates with Russell D. Cohen, MD, and David T. Rubin, MD
“For many years, we had just a few treatments, which we had to give to everyone… with the help of research, [we are hoping to] identify the predominant inflammatory pathway for each patient, and then choose the best agent, customized for that patient…”
Everyday Health 8/6/20
The North Shore Weekend 6/27/21
Other Recent News
Meet Allison Thielen: GastroIntestinal Research Foundation’s New Finance and Operations Manager Shares Her Story
I have been fascinated by medicine and the human body since I was a small child. While other pre-teens spent the early 1990s watching the docudrama series, Rescue 911, or the TV drama, ER, I was disappointed in their fictitious nature and scoured the education channels for real surgery shows. I love learning about anatomy, disease, what can go wrong, and all the methods physician scientists have developed to heal people.
Take a Research Learning Journey With Us
Ever since becoming the Executive Director of the GastroIntestinal Research Foundation (Foundation), all my Zoom calls with my family start with a question from my brother with Crohn’s, “Have you found a cure yet?” While I can’t answer yes, I can tell him about the incredible research the Foundation is funding and its promise of a cure for Crohn’s and other digestive diseases. I value his continued urging to stay focused on the mission.
Gut-Friendly Recipe: Pureed Parsnips with Olive Oil and Fresh Herbs
Many parsnip recipes call for a great deal of rich butter and heavy cream… delicious, but also sometimes complicated for people with digestive diseases or other health concerns. In this recipe, you roast the parsnips before pureeing, which helps their unique flavor shine, and then add vegetable or chicken stock to create the classic velvety smooth texture. Finishing the dish with a drizzle of olive oil and a handful of chopped fresh herbs helps make this simple dish special-occasion-worthy, while also being easier to digest and gluten-free.
Season’s Eatings: How digestive diseases patients can cope with the challenges of the holidays, with Courtney Schuchmann, Registered Dietitian at the University of Chicago Medicine
From Halloween through the New Year, it can feel like every gathering – from family dinners to holiday parties and cookie exchanges – centers around food. What should be a happy holiday season often becomes a challenging ‘food season’ for those living with inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, Celiac disease, liver disease, pancreatic disease, or those struggling with metabolic and weight-related concerns. Fortunately, Courtney Schuchmann, registered dietitian at the University of Chicago Medicine Digestive Diseases Center, has some helpful guidance.
Visceral: Podcast Episode One – The Role of the Gut Microbiome in Your Health
In this episode, we interview Dr. Eugene Chang, a national and renowned physician-scientist from the University of Chicago. In his lab, he and his team study the interactive relationship between intestinal microbes and the gut they live in, a relationship that is fundamental to our health. When the right balance is disturbed, the consequences can be catastrophic.
Celebrities and Pro-Athletes Swing into A Winning All-Star Challenge!
On Monday, August 29th the GI Research Foundation hosted the Larry A. Pogofsky All-Star Challenge—On the Greens at Bryn Mawr Country Club in Lincolnwood. Pro-athletes – including Chicago greats Ozzie Guillen, Chris Chelios, Willie Gault and more – joined foursomes to honor Larry’s love of sports and continue his legacy of funding research to better treat, prevent and cure digestive diseases.
ANNOUNCEMENT: GI Research Foundation Launches NEW Cancer Cure Funding Initiative
The GI Research Foundation is proud to announce the CA CURE initiative, made possible through a...
Welcome Back with the Associates Board Annual Cocktail Party: ReUnited for GI Health
“Just looking at this room tonight, it feels awesome to say we are here, together, and doing what the Associates Board does—raising money, and giving it to support research at the University of Chicago Digestive Diseases Center,” said Jordan Hirsch, AB President.
Should digestive diseases patients seek out anti-inflammatory foods?
Inflammation is a key concern for people living with many different digestive diseases and other health concerns. Walnuts, turmeric, flaxseeds, green tea, broccoli sprouts, fatty fish, olive oil, among many, many, others, are all touted by different research studies (of varying rigor) as having anti-inflammatory properties.
Research Spotlight: How Do We Assess Cancer Risk, and Prevent Cancer, and Improve Mortality? Featuring Sonia Kupfer, MD
Explains Kupfer, “Number one, we want to understand better how some of these chemopreventive agents are working. For example, there is good clinical-trials data that aspirin prevents colon cancer, specifically in Lynch syndrome. Now, we can look at how it works, and target those pathways. Secondly, we can determine who may respond best to which therapy, or who may have more response, and use that information to build more robust treatments. That’s the big vision here. But it’s early days right now.”