2nd Annual IBDHorizons Gulf Coast Symposium

Speakers

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  Anita Afzali, MD, MPH, MHCM Professor of Medicine in the Division of Digestive Diseases, Executive Vice Chair of Medicine in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Associate Chief Medical Officer of the UC Health System
  

  Anita Afzali, MD, MPH, MHCM

  Professor of Medicine in the Division of Digestive Diseases, Executive Vice Chair of Medicine in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Associate Chief Medical Officer of the UC Health System

  Dr. Anita Afzali is a Professor of Medicine in the Division of Digestive Diseases and Executive Vice Chair of Medicine in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. She is also the Associate Chief Medical Officer of the UC Health System. She received her medical degree and then completed Internal Medicine residency and gastroenterology fellowship at the University of Washington in Seattle, WA. While in fellowship, Dr. Afzali worked in outcomes research and epidemiology, and graduated with a Masters in Public Health from The University of Washington. She then later obtained another Masters In Healthcare Management (MHCM) from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Her sub-specialty training includes a one-year advanced IBD fellowship at the University of Washington, prior to becoming faculty.

  While practicing at the University of Washington – Harborview Medical Center, Dr. Afzali served as the Director of the IBD Program and Associate Medical Director of Gastroenterology Clinics. After Seattle, Dr. Afzali moved to Columbus, OH to be the Medical Director of The OSU IBD Center and the Vice Chair of Clinical Operations of Gastroenterology at The Ohio State University.

  Recently, she has transitioned to the University of Cincinnati where she serves as the Executive Vice Chair of the Department of Internal Medicine. Her research interests include drug study design, investigational drug trials, and clinical outcomes. She has extensive peer-reviewed publications, an invited lecturer on national and international programs, and serves on several international advisory boards and committees including Chair of the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) Educational Affairs Committee and Vice Chair of Publications Committee for the World Gastroenterology Organization (WGO).

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  Bincy Abraham, MD Director, Fondren IBD Program, Director, Gastroenterology Fellowship Program Underwood Center for Digestive Disorders, Houston Methodist Hospital
  

  Bincy Abraham, MD

  Director, Fondren IBD Program, Director, Gastroenterology Fellowship Program Underwood Center for Digestive Disorders, Houston Methodist Hospital

  Bincy P Abraham, MD, MS, AGAF, FACG is the Distinguished Professor and Director of the Fondren Inflammatory Bowel Disease Program at the Underwood Digestive Diseases Center of Houston Methodist Hospital. She is also the Program Director for the Gastroenterology Fellowship at Houston Methodist Hospital.

  Dr. Abraham earned her undergraduate degree in bioengineering at Texas A&M University in College Station, and then received her medical degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston. She completed her internal medicine internship and residency, as well as a gastroenterology fellowship at UTMB, where she also earned a master’s in clinical investigation and received specialized training in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). During her training, she completed a National Visiting Fellow IBD Rotation Program through the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation (CCF) at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. After fellowship, she joined as faculty as assistant professor of medicine in the section of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Baylor College of Medicine where she served as director of the Baylor Clinic Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center for over 5 years before her move to Houston Methodist Hospital. She is board-certified in Internal medicine and Gastroenterology.

  Her particular interest in inflammatory bowel disease includes the transition of adolescent IBD patients from pediatric to adult care as well as women’s issues and pregnancy in IBD. She chairs the Southern Regional Chapter of the CCF Medical Advisory Committee, has served as president of the Texas Gulf Coast Gastroenterology Society, co-directed the Texas Society of Gastroenterology & Endoscopy Annual meeting, is involved in national committees for American College of Gastroenterology (ACG), a member of American Gastroenterology Association (AGA), and Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation.

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  Brian Feagan, MD, MSc Professor of Medicine at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry in London, Ontario, Senior Scientific Director of Alimentiv Inc
  

  Brian Feagan, MD, MSc

  Professor of Medicine at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry in London, Ontario, Senior Scientific Director of Alimentiv Inc

  Dr. Brian Feagan is a gastroenterologist, with training in Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics. His research focus is the design, conduct, and execution of large-scale randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD), and over the past 30 years, has been Principal Investigator in over 140 multi-center RCTs. His research has been devoted to the development, validation, and optimization of outcome measures to assess the efficacy of novel therapeutics in IBD. Dr. Feagan is Professor of Medicine at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, a gastroenterologist at London Health Sciences Centre and Senior Scientific Director of Alimentiv Inc (formerly Robarts Clinical Trials Inc).

  Brian G. Feagan completed a medical degree at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, Canada. His postdoctoral training included a residency in the Department of Medicine and a fellowship in Gastroenterology at the University of Western Ontario. A Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, Dr. Feagan holds membership in the Canadian and American Association of Gastroenterology, the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG), the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, Crohn’s and Colitis Canada (CCC), and the European Crohn’s & Colitis Organization (ECCO). He is the recipient of the 2013 Senior Achievement Award from the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation (CCF) and the Dean’s Award of Excellence in 2013 from the University of Western Ontario. He has authored numerous articles, book chapters and has also given over 900 invited presentations, at national and international scientific meetings. In 1997, Dr. Feagan became Director of Robarts Clinical Trials (now Alimentiv, Inc.).

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  Feza Remzi, MD Vice President and Colorectal Surgeon at Northwell Health Center for Advanced IBD Care, New York
  

  Feza Remzi, MD

  Vice President and Colorectal Surgeon at Northwell Health Center for Advanced IBD Care, New York

  Dr. Feza Remzi is the Vice President and a colorectal surgeon at the Center for Advanced IBD Care at Northwell Health in New York.

  He is a national and international expert in colorectal surgery, specializing in the surgical management of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). He performs pelvic pouch surgery, complex abdominopelvic re-operative surgery, and sphincter-saving surgery for rectal cancer, utilizing minimally invasive techniques to manage colorectal conditions.

  Dr. Remzi resides in New York with his wife and son. They enjoy traveling and spending time together as a family.

  Dr. Remzi is an Honorary IBDHorizons Board member.

  @FezaRemziMD

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  Gary Lichtenstein, MD Director, Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center, Professor of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
  

  Gary Lichtenstein, MD

  Director, Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center, Professor of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania

  Gary R. Lichtenstein, MD, FACP, FACG, AGAF is the Director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center and a Professor of Medicine in the Gastrointestinal Division of the Department of Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

  Dr. Lichtenstein earned his medical degree from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, in New York, New York. He then completed his internship and residency in Internal Medicine at Duke University Medical Center, in Durham, North Carolina. He also served a fellowship in Gastroenterology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania of the University Of Pennsylvania School Of Medicine. His current research interests encompass investigational therapies for the treatment of IBD. Dr. Lichtenstein has received numerous research grants focusing on these areas and has served as the national/ international principal investigator evaluating novel agents for therapeutic trials in the treatment of IBD.

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  Ghassan Wahbeh, MD Director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Center at Seattle Children’s Hospital. Professor of Pediatrics and Gastroenterology at the University of Washington School of Medicine and Director of Clinical Gastroenterology Operations.​
  

  Ghassan Wahbeh, MD

  Director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Center at Seattle Children’s Hospital. Professor of Pediatrics and Gastroenterology at the University of Washington School of Medicine and Director of Clinical Gastroenterology Operations.​

  Ghassan Wahbeh, MD, is the Director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Center at Seattle Children’s Hospital. He is a Professor of Pediatrics and Gastroenterology at the University of Washington School of Medicine and Director of Clinical Gastroenterology Operations. Dr. Wahbeh’s clinical focus is in advanced care for children, adolescents, and young adults with IBD, including advanced therapeutics and perioperative IBD management. He leads the Intestinal Ultrasound (IUS) Program at Seattle Children’s.

  Dr. Wahbeh’s research interests include novel therapeutics for pediatric IBD, advanced disease monitoring towards mucosal healing, clinical standard work in managing severe ulcerative colitis and complicated Crohn’s disease including fistulizing and stricturing phenotypes, and navigating IBD surgical options. He is actively involved in translational IBD research at Seattle Children’s Hospital.

  Dr. Wahbeh is actively involved as teaching faculty in medical student education, resident training and fellow physician specialty, and advanced IBD specialty training.

  He is the honored recipient of the Outstanding Teaching Faculty Award, as well as the Family Choice Award, and the Northwest Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation service award. Dr. Wahbeh enjoys playing soccer, skiing, and paddle-boarding with his wife and kids.

  Dr. Ghassan Wahbeh is a co-founder of IBDHorizons

  @PedsIBD_Wahbeh

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  Harry Thomas, MD Gastroenterologist, Site Principal Investigator for multiple IBD clinical trials at Austin Gastroenterology
  

  Harry Thomas, MD

  Gastroenterologist, Site Principal Investigator for multiple IBD clinical trials at Austin Gastroenterology

  Harry J. Thomas, MD, graduated from the University of Cambridge with a bachelor’s degree in natural sciences and received a medical degree from the University of Oxford. In addition, he received a master’s degree in public health from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. After serving as a house officer in the U.K. National Health Service, he completed his internship and residency in medicine and fellowship in gastroenterology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

  He moved to Austin in 2014 and practiced at Baylor Scott & White where he was an assistant professor of medicine at Texas A&M prior to joining Austin Gastroenterology in 2017. His clinical interests are inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and he has served as Site Principal Investigator for multiple clinical trials in IBD. He is active with the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation (CCF), serving as co-chair of the National Scientific Advisory Committee (NSAC) Patient Education committee, member of the Austin Leadership Board, and chair of the Austin Mission Committee. In addition, he serves on the Board of Directors of People’s Community Clinic, a Federally Qualified Health Center in Austin, and on the board of the Texas Society for Gastroenterology and Endoscopy (TSGE) and the Digestive Health Physicians Association. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he organized a group of over 100 local volunteer health care providers – Health Alliance for Vaccine Equity – to administer vaccinations to underserved populations in Austin-Travis County through pop-up clinics.

  Dr. Thomas lives in Austin with his wife and kids, and enjoys finding delicious foods and street fairs.

  @DrHarryThomas

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  Laura Raffals, MD, MS Professor of Medicine, Department of Medicine Associate Chair of Faculty Development, Vice Chair of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, and Chair of the Operations Coordinating Group for the Mayo Clinic
  

  Laura Raffals, MD, MS

  Professor of Medicine, Department of Medicine Associate Chair of Faculty Development, Vice Chair of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, and Chair of the Operations Coordinating Group for the Mayo Clinic

  Laura Raffals, MD, MS is Professor of Medicine, Department of Medicine Associate Chair of Faculty Development, Vice Chair of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Mayo Clinic, and Chair of the Operations Coordinating Group for the Rochester, MN campus of Mayo Clinic. Dr. Raffals’ clinical and research interests have focused on inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) with a focus on pouch disorders, exploring the intersection of pouch motility disorders, and pouch inflammation. Dr. Raffals is a speaker in faculty development, career development, and work-life integration.

  Dr. Raffals has two daughters, who keep her on her toes with all of their activities and shenanigans.

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  Scott D. Lee, MD Associate Professor of Medicine, Director, Clinical Inflammatory Bowel Disease Program at University of Washington Medical Center
  

  Scott D. Lee, MD

  Associate Professor of Medicine, Director, Clinical Inflammatory Bowel Disease Program at University of Washington Medical Center

  Dr. Scott D. Lee is an Associate Professor of Medicine with expertise in inflammatory bowel diseases. Dr. Lee earned his bachelor’s degree at Pomona College and his M.D. at Jefferson Medical College. He completed his residency in internal medicine at the University of Colorado in Denver. After residency, Dr. Lee completed his gastroenterology fellowship at the University of Washington. After completing his fellowship, he attended the University of Chicago and Cedar-Sinai in Los Angeles as a visiting physician to gain additional training in IBD. Since finishing his fellowship, he has been an attending gastroenterology physician at the University of Washington Medical Center. Currently, his clinical practice is at the Digestive Disease Center at the University of Washington and is dedicated exclusively to providing care to patients with the diagnosis of IBD. His research is focused on inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) including – new therapies for IBD, improving outcomes in the treatment and long-term management of IBD, evaluation of non-invasive biomarkers to assess disease activity in IBD patients, and the effects of the microbiome on IBD. He has participated in more than 100 clinical trials in IBD and continues to have an active clinical research program. He is a member of the Crohn’s Colitis Foundation of America (CCF), American Gastroenterology Association (AGA), American College of Gastroenterology (ACG), and American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE). He is a past chair of Northwest CCF Chapter Medical Advisory Committee (CMAC) and continues as a current member of the CMAC.

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  Tim Ritter, MD, FASGE Senior Medical Director of the Department of Research and Education at GI Alliance
  

  Tim Ritter, MD, FASGE

  Senior Medical Director of the Department of Research and Education at GI Alliance

  Dr. Timothy Ritter is Senior Medical Director of the Department of Research and Education at GI Alliance. His interest within GI is Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD) and Clinical Trials.

  He is a practicing gastroenterologist in Southlake, Texas and an Assistant Professor of Medicine at TCU School of Medicine.

  Dr. Ritter earned his medical degree from the University of Texas Southwestern, where he also completed his residency and fellowship. He was awarded a Regional Top Doctor in 2014 by Castle Connolly and is a professional member of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG), the Texas Society for Gastroenterology & Endoscopy (TSGE), and the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE).

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  Tina Ha, MD Director, Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Section, Mayo Clinic Arizona
  

  Tina Ha, MD

  Director, Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Section, Mayo Clinic Arizona

  Dr. Tina Ha is a gastroenterologist at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona. She is the Director of the Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Section.

  Dr. Ha earned her medical degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University. She completed an internal medicine residency at Washington University at St. Louis School of Medicine as well as a fellowship in gastroenterology. She continued to a fellowship in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

  She likes to spend her free time with friends and family, and exploring the outdoors with her golden retriever Sebastian – who does not enjoy walking or retrieving.

  @tinahamd