Dr. Melmed is the Co-Director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. He earned his medical degree from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, New York, and Master’s of Science in clinical research from UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles. He completed his gastroenterology fellowship at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Dr. Melmed has authored or co-authored more than 150 articles in peer-reviewed journals and several book chapters. Dr Melmed has served as Associate Editor of the American Journal of Gastroenterology, an ad hoc reviewer for several journals, and clinical research editor for Inflammatory Bowel Disease. His research interests include clinical outcomes and quality of care in IBD, as well as translational prognostic and therapeutic strategies to improve inflammation and clinical outcomes. He has lectured nationally and internationally on various topics related to inflammatory bowel disease.

He is a current or past committee member of several professional organizations, including the American Gastroenterology Association, American College of Gastroenterology and the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, where he serves as co-chair of the IBD Quality of Care committee. He has led or participated in the development of quality indicators for IBD with the American Gastroenterology Association, the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, the National Quality Forum, and the Canadian Crohn’s and Colitis organizations.

Dr. Scott is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the Crohn’s and Colitis Center in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, Colorado. He serves as Associate Program Director of the GI Fellowship, Co-Director of the GI Outcomes Research Group, and Co-Director of the Division’s Administrative Research Team at the University of Colorado. He received his medical degree from Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, PA and completed his residency in internal medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College/New York-Presbyterian Hospital. He completed his gastroenterology fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA, during which time he also received a Master of Science in Clinical Epidemiology. He completed an advanced fellowship in Inflammatory Bowel Disease at the University of Pennsylvania at the completion of his GI Fellowship.

Dr. Scott’s research interests include using pharmacoepidemiologic methods in order to maximize the risk-benefit balance of biologic and immunosuppressive therapies, optimizing medication delivery and biologic positioning, understanding factors associated with gaps in care and non-adherence, and exploring novel pharmacoepidemiologic associations in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and other gastrointestinal disorders. His work has been funded by the NIH, PCORI, the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation, and via collaborations with multiple industry partners. 

Dr. Scott has previously served on the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation REACH-IBD steering committee, and currently is co-Chair of the Research Training Grants review committee for the foundation. He also serves on the American Gastroenterological Association’s Clinical Guidelines Committee, and is co-Chair of the living guidelines focused on the pharmacologic management of moderate-to-severely active Crohn’s disease.  

James Testaverde re-joined the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation in March 2021 as Associate Vice President, IBD Qorus Implementation. In this role, he is responsible for overseeing the implementation of clinical best practices that drive higher quality of care at participating IBD Qorus sites. Prior to this role, he served as the Foundation’s Senior Director of Patient Education and Support for more than five years. James has 20 years of experience creating, managing, and evaluating public health initiatives focused on patient education, patient support, and healthcare provider education across a variety of medical conditions, including HIV/AIDS, lymphoma, and inflammatory bowel disease.

James holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Binghamton University in New York State, and a Master’s of Public Administration in Nonprofit Management from Baruch College in New York City.

Ridhima Oberai joined the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation in October 2015 as Coordinator of IBD Qorus. Prior to joining the Foundation, Ridhima spent over three years on clinical trial coordination in areas such as hypertension, diabetes, sleep and dementia. In her current role, Ridhima is managing and evaluating program-related activities with a focus on streamlining and efficiency. In particular, she is supporting the infrastructure for data collection and working on the operational activities that are involved within the program. She remains 100% dedicated to the goals set forth for the success of IBD Qorus and is always looking for ways to improve the quality of care for patients with IBD.

Ridhima holds a Bachelors of Science in Biology with a minor in Psychology from Syracuse University in upstate New York.

Laura joined the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation in March 2021 as a Research Coordinator of Regulatory and Business Engagement. In this role, she serves as a liaison between sites and the IBD Qorus Leadership team. Before joining the Foundation, Laura spent nearly five years coordinating research studies in the Department of Neurosciences at the Medical University of South Carolina. She is a Certified Clinical Research Professional through the Society of Clinical Research Associates and holds a Bachelor’s in Psychology from the College of Charleston.

Taylor joined the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation in February 2023 and currently serves as the Manager of Research Program Engagement. In this role, she leads efforts to disseminate program impact, strengthen site engagement, and recruit new sites to the collaborative. Prior to joining the Foundation, Taylor spent four years in management consulting, where she provided project-based support for professional services clients. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Marketing with a minor in Small Business Management & Entrepreneurship from Montana State University.