Spotlight on Research
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.
Patient Spotlight: Reaching New Heights with PCT (Pacific Crest Trail), with PSC, and IBD: Adam Rubinberg with his mother, Amy Rubinberg
After enduring the altitude and the rigors of strenuous hiking...
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.
November 17th Diet and Nutrition Educational Webinar for Patients featuring Courtney Schuchmann, RD
“If you are doing well, I highly encourage you to avoid overly restricting your diet… [but] IBD looks very different from one person to the next, and diet looks extremely different from one person to the next,” explains Courtney Schuchmann, RD.
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.”
The Multidisciplinary Team: Integrated Specialty Pharmacy Featuring David Choi, PharmD and Archariya Puangampai, PharmD
Fortunately for patients at the University of Chicago Medicine Digestive Diseases Center, specialty pharmacists David Choi, PharmD, BCACP, and Archariya Puangampai, PharmD, BCPS, have honed expertise in helping patients understand their medications, and also navigate other barriers such as insurance challenges to gain access to these life-changing medicines.
Montana Weissner, Empowered IBD Patient, “Taking care of your health is most important.”
Wise beyond her years, she has sage advice for patients with Crohn’s disease: “Don’t be afraid to grieve. It’s going to be really hard, and you are going to feel sad, and that’s okay. And also, don’t get caught up in what you think everyone else is doing.”
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.
Billy Perry, former Hepatitis C patient, “I won’t waste their time. If they don’t work, then I can’t work. If I don’t work, I’m gone…”
“This is the only hospital I have ever known to sit down with you, literally. They don’t hand you papers and tell you what this medication is. They sit down with you…. and tell you how important it is to take this medicine.”
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…”
Other Recent News
Board Spotlight: Brad Peterson
Many people bring relevant experience when they join the GI Research Foundation Board of Directors, but new member Brad Peterson has the distinction of previously serving as the longest-tenured President of its Associates Board. It all began when Mr. Peterson, an Executive Vice President of Guaranteed Rate mortgage company, sought care from David T. Rubin, MD, for Crohn’s disease. Dr. Rubin recruited him to participate in the GI Research Foundation Associates Board in 2013. Soon after, the Associates Board elected him President.
Visceral: Podcast Episode – All about Ostomy Care (episode 3)
In this episode, Advanced Practice Nurses and leaders in the field of ostomy care Janice Colwell, APRN, CWOCN, FAAN, and Marita Kametas, MSN, APN, FNP-BC, CMSRN, COCN offer need-to-know information about post-surgical life with an ostomy for IBD patients.
Gut-Friendly Recipe: Midwinter Soup
“When patients with active inflammatory bowel disease start eliminating food, fiber is the first thing that they tend to restrict.” Says Courtney Schuchmann, registered dietitian at the University of Chicago Medicine Digestive Diseases Center. “But many studies show that the fiber-rich fruits and vegetables are also the most beneficial for minimizing inflammation.”
While some patients with strictures (narrowing of parts of the digestive system due to scar tissue and inflammation) must monitor their diet to avoid bowel obstruction, Ms. Schuchmann generally recommends a diet rich in dietary fiber, even for patients with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
Create Your Legacy: Report a Gift to the GastroIntestinal Research Foundation in Your Will or Trust
If you’ve included GI Research Foundation in your estate plan, thank you! You can use the tool below to let us know so we can let you know about the life-changing research your gift supports! Importantly, we want to personally thank you for considering our work as a part of your legacy.
Visceral: Podcast Episode – The Art and Science of IBD Treatment (episode 2)
In the latest episode of Visceral: Listen to Your Gut, Russell D. Cohen, MD, and Emily Dobrez, APN, discuss the ways patients can best manage their Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis using the latest available treatments.
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.