Did you know that your body possesses biological characteristics that can be indicators of disease? That’s right, inside your own body are biomarkers – molecules in the body like proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids (DNA, RNA) that may be measured by laboratory tests to assist in diagnos...

More than one billion people around the world live with some form of a disability. For over three decades, July has been observed as Disability Pride Month, coinciding with the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Tomorrow is the 32nd anniversary of the ADA, and I wa...

Many conditions that we’re now comfortable talking about – from breast cancer to diabetes – were once taboo topics. Decades ago, it was rare to hear celebrities talk about their medical problems and treatments or even for our friends and family to share their cancer diagnoses. Times hav...

I was one of the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation's initial Visiting IBD Fellows in the spring of 2007. At the time of my rotation, I had already accepted a faculty position at Washington University to join one other IBD physician and conduct ...

June is observed as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning/Queer (LGBTQ) Pride Month to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan. Pride Month has meant a great deal to me ever since as a member of the community I atte...

Nearly four decades have passed since former NFL kicker Rolf Benirschke underwent ostomy surgery for ulcerative colitis after all other treatments failed to control his disease. Since that time, many new therapies have been developed to better treat patients and the prognosis for patien...

In October 2021, the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation sent me an email to ask about a generous – yet puzzling – gift. The Foundation had recently received more than $500,000 from the estate of Ted Scholnick. The gift was unexpected, the Foundation had no known connection to Ted Scholnic...

Of all the surgical procedures and medical devices available, few are more stigmatized than ostomy surgery.  Ostomy surgery diverts waste from the intestines to a pouch outside your body. If you or someone you love is undergoing ostomy surgery or living with an ostomy, knowing the fact...

Our Chief Marketing Officer Judy Hoffstein knows what it is like to urgently need to use a restroom but not be able to find one. After being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis when she was 23 years old, she spent decades with her IBD not well-controlled. When she joined the Crohn's &...

The third annual IBD Insider was, as always, a great culmination of the events from the 2022 Crohn’s & Colitis Congress®. As patients, we often have many questions about what goes on at these medical conferences and how to understand the r...