7th Annual Pacific Northwest Hybrid 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 of America 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 CCFA 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, and member of American Gastroenterology Association, 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 Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), 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 CD and UC. 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, 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 of America (CCF) and the Dean’s Award of Excellence in 2013 from the University of Western Ontario. He has authored over 200 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 Colorectal Surgeon at NYU Langone, Director of IBD Center, Professor of Surgery at NYU School of Medicine
  

  Feza Remzi, MD

  Colorectal Surgeon at NYU Langone, Director of IBD Center, Professor of Surgery at NYU School of Medicine

  As a colorectal surgeon at NYU Langone, Dr. Remzi is a foremost expert in the surgical management of Inflammatory Bowel Disease, also known as Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis. Dr. Remzi performs pelvic pouch surgery and complex abdominopelvic re-operative surgery, as well as sphincter-saving surgery for rectal cancer, applying minimally invasive techniques to manage colorectal conditions.
  Dr. Remzi serves as the director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center and is one of the few colorectal surgeons in the world who is specialized in caring for people who are experiencing problems with a prior pelvic pouch, or J-pouch, procedures. He states “I have been humbled and privileged to be able to help my patients for more than 20 years. I treat my patients the way I would treat my own family. I take a team approach to care, so we bring together medical, surgical, and nursing professionals who devote 100 percent of their efforts to giving patients a better chance at life. Many of the people I treat are experiencing complex problems that impact not only their own quality of life but also that of their families. Therefore, I include patients’ family members as a part of the treatment team.”
  As a national and international expert in colorectal surgery, Dr. Remzi has published many articles and book chapters on the surgical management of Inflammatory Bowel Disease, ileal J-pouch surgery, and re-operative abdominopelvic surgery. He is an honored member of the American Surgical Association and is humbled to be one of only a handful of surgeons in the world who is a member of the International Organization For the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

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  Florian Rieder, MD Vice Department Chair in Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition and Co-Section Director in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD) at the Cleveland Clinic
  

  Florian Rieder, MD

  Vice Department Chair in Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition and Co-Section Director in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD) at the Cleveland Clinic

  Dr. Florian Rieder is Vice Department Chair in Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition and Co-Section Director in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD) at the Cleveland Clinic. His work has been acknowledged through national and international leadership roles in clinical guidelines and scientific initiatives. The Rieder lab is internationally recognized for his work on intestinal fibrosis. #WeTheFibrosisLab

  He has published more than 60 articles and book chapters and serves on multiple committees, speakers’ panels, editorial boards and steering committees. Dr. Rieder received multiple awards, including the Fellowship Award of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America, the best abstract award of the American Gastroenterology Association and the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation, the best poster award of the United European Gastroenterology Federation, three consecutive Excellence in Teaching Awards for exceptional teaching achievements at the Cleveland Clinic and three NIH awards (T32, P30 Pilot and K08).

  Dr. Rieder loves to travel with his family. 

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  Ghassan Wahbeh, MD Director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center at Seattle Children’s Hospital
  

  Ghassan Wahbeh, MD

  Director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center at Seattle Children’s Hospital

  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. Dr. Wahbeh’s clinical focus is in advanced care for children, adolescents, and young adults with Crohn’s Disease and ulcerative colitis, including advanced therapeutics and pre and post-surgery IBD management.

  Dr. Wahbeh’s research interests include advanced management of moderate and severe colitis in the outpatient and inpatient setting, managing complicated Crohn’s disease including fistulizing and stricturing phenotypes, mucosal healing in IBD, navigating surgical options in IBD and novel therapies.
 Dr. Wahbeh is actively involved as teaching faculty in medical student education, resident training, and fellow physician specialty training. He is the honored recipient of the Outstanding Teaching Faculty Award, as well as the Family Choice Award, and the Northwest Crohns & Colitis Foundation service award. He continues to serve as a member of the National Professional Education Committee and the Northwest Medical Advisory Committee of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation.

  Dr. Ghassan Wahbeh is a co-founder of IBDHorizons

  @PedsIBD_Wahbeh

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  Maria Abreu, MD Professor of Medicine, Director, Martin Kalser Chair, Vice Chair of Research
  

  Maria Abreu, MD

  Professor of Medicine, Director, Martin Kalser Chair, Vice Chair of Research

  Dr. Maria Abreu is a Professor of Medicine, researcher, and Director of the Crohn’s and Colitis Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
  Dr. Abreu is also a Professor of Microbiology and Immunology and holds the Martin Kalser Chair in Gastroenterology. Dr. Abreu is the Vice Chair of Research in the Department of Medicine as well as the Chair for the International Organization for the Study of Inflammatory Diseases all at her alma mater, the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

  On the clinical-translational side, Dr. Abreu is an expert in intestinal inflammation, Crohn’s disease, and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). On the basic science side, the focus of her laboratory has been host-bacterial interactions and, in particular, the role of toll-like receptor signaling in intestinal inflammation and neoplasia. They have focused on toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) as a model for how recognition of bacteria by TLRs in the intestine functions broadly with an eye to translating this to patients before they develop dysplasia.