Foundation Leadership Team & Staff

Allison Coffey has spent the majority of her career in the nonprofit health sector. Her experiences have shaped her expertise in fundraising, staff development, financial and operational management, and community engagement.

As Chief Development & Field Officer, Allison is responsible for the strategic vision of many of the Foundation’s major revenue campaigns, including peer-to-peer fundraising, special events, individual major gifts, planned giving, and corporate sponsorship. She is inspired daily by the commitment of the Foundation's loyal supporters, and finds tremendous joy in working with funders to align their passions with the Foundation’s mission.

With a penchant for building and igniting brands with purpose, Christy DeSantis is a seasoned communications and marketing leader, with three decades of professional experience in Fortune 500 and agency organizations. She spearheaded the healthcare marketing and communications strategies for many iconic consumer brands, including Weight Watchers, Dove, and Vaseline, as well as pharmaceuticals. From brand transformations to go-to-market strategies, she has led teams in driving measurable growth, crafting memorable and award-winning campaigns, and developing powerful claims. She has spent much of her career cementing relationships with practicing healthcare professionals and academic thought leaders. Translating science into stories that matter has been a centerpiece of her work.

Christy is deeply invested in personal and professional development and is a Certified Executive Coach. She volunteers with various nonprofits, underscoring her commitment to community enrichment. She holds both a master’s degree and a bachelor’s degree in communications.

Before joining the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, Sharon held senior leadership positions at Housing Plus, Instituto Xilonen, the Synergos Institute, and the International Network for Public Schools. During her six-year tenure at the Synergos Institute, a US-based international development organization that builds collaborations to address systemic inequities and poverty, Sharon integrated the Operations Team across country offices and program offices to optimize collaboration between program leaders, consulting services, and the philanthropic advisory divisions in Latin America, Africa, Europe, and Asia.

Prior to Synergos, Sharon worked as the COO & CFO of a startup school development organization, was an associate at a biotech venture capital firm, taught English as a second language in Venezuela, and worked with the International Women’s Health Coalition and the Women’s Environment and Development Organization on the 1994 United Nations Conference on Population and Development Conference in Cairo.

Sharon is delighted to be joining the Foundation and is looking forward to working with the staff and volunteers to sustain and deepen the Foundation's impact.

Sharon was raised in Jamaica and East New York, Brooklyn. She and her family live in the Bronx.

Dr. Alan Moss earned his medical degree from RCSI School of Medicine in Ireland and completed his internal medicine and gastroenterology training in Dublin and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center of Boston (BIDMC). His prior leadership roles include Director of Translational Research at BIDMC, Director of the Crohn's & Colitis Program, and Interim Chief of Gastroenterology, at Boston Medical Center (BMC). His academic roles included Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Professor of Medicine at BU School of Medicine.

Before joining the Foundation as Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Moss worked with the Foundation in various roles - from being an active member of the Professional Education Committee and the New England Chapter Advocacy Committee to contributing his expertise to Grant Review Panels. Dr. Moss has extensive experience collaborating with industry, from biotechnology start-ups to sponsors of phase II and III clinical trials. He has also led Principal Investigator-initiated trials, held investigational new drug applications from the FDA, and spoken globally at IBD meetings as a key opinion leader. He has published over 200 peer-reviewed papers in academic journals, and his research has been funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the American Gastroenterological Association, and the Helmsley Charitable Trust.

Dr. Moss brings his perspective from clinical and academic practice to support the Foundation's strong legacy in IBD education, support, research, and advocacy. He has worked with many underserved groups with IBD, including unhoused and incarcerated patient populations. His passion for patient empowerment, and appreciation of the diverse mix of patients with IBD, informs his strategy for driving the Foundation’s mission forward.

Rohit joined the Foundation as our chief technology officer in November 2017 bringing more than 25 years of experience leading large, global, cross-functional teams. For the past 20 years, Rohit has specialized in the health IT (HIT) industry developing, delivering, and supporting enterprise software solutions.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Rohit served as the Product Line Owner, VP of Product Management at Edifecs Inc, a leading product development organization providing solutions to payers and providers enabling value base care partnerships. Rohit has served in a variety of roles throughout his extensive career, most notably as head of product delivery and operations at Active Health Management, a subsidiary of Aetna Healthcare a global medical insurance provider and healthcare technology company; Director of SOA integration and Eastern U.S. operation at United Healthcare’s OptumInsight, a provider of health information exchange solutions; and director of enterprise integrations and clinical information systems at Montefiore Hospital, a leading healthcare institution in NYC.

Rohit earned a Bachelor of Science from M.D. University, India.

Fidyk leads the Foundation's business development initiatives, leveraging his extensive experience in healthcare and life sciences to drive innovative solutions for patients with IBD.

Fidyk brings more than 20 years of experience in the healthcare and life sciences industries to the Foundation. He began his career in sales and marketing at Amgen. Following that, he spent nearly a decade at PatientsLikeMe (acquired by UnitedHealth Group) where he led business development. Most recently, Fidyk spearheaded commercialization efforts at several innovative health data and technology startups, four of which were acquired generating $1.1 billion in realized value to shareholders.

Chris is passionate about driving innovative solutions into the healthcare and life sciences industries that positively impact patients. An engineer by training, he earned his BS in computer science from Columbia University and his MBA in entrepreneurship from UCLA Anderson. Chris and his family live in Boston.

Laura Wingate began her career working at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. During her tenure, she advised and implemented quality improvement initiatives, including redesigning the outpatient center to streamline the patient experience. Laura worked with pediatric and geriatric centers across the United States, providing professional entertainers through the Clown Care and Vaudeville Caravan programs, which expanded dramatically over her eight-year tenure.

Joining the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation fulfilled Laura’s career aspirations and desire to make a difference for people with chronic illness. As the Chief Education, Support, & Advocacy Officer, Laura oversees patient and professional education, state and federal advocacy, and support programming for the Foundation. She is a graduate of the University of Rochester, School of Arts & Sciences, and holds certificates in Leadership & Management, Entrepreneurship & Innovation, and Strategy from Harvard Business School Online.  She also earned a Reducing Racial Disparity in Health Care certificate from Harvard Online.