Scientific Advisory Board

Andras Arató M.D. , PhD received his medical education and trained in pediatrics and gastroenterology at Semmelweis University in Budapest, Hungary. He is a professor of pediatrics at the First Department of Pediatrics, Semmelweis University in Budapest.

Dr. Arato studied the distribution of lymphocyte subsets in the intestinal mucosa of children with celiac disease at the Children’s Hospital, University of Helsinki and performed his PhD thesis on “Immunological changes in celiac disease” in 1989.

In 1990 he became the head of the Pediatric Gastroenterological Unit and in 2007 was appointed vice chairman of the First Department of Pediatrics, Semmelweis University.

Dr. Arato received a DSc for his contribution to research in immunopathogenesis of celiac disease and inflammatory bowel disease and has interests in mucosal immunology and infant nutrition.

Robert N. Baldassano M.D. earned his Doctor of Medicine degree at the State University of New York Health Science Center at Brooklyn, College of Medicine. He completed a residency in pediatrics and fellowship in pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He is currently Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and Director of the Center for Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

He has been instrumental in developing an international consortium for the study of the gene responsible for causing pediatric IBD.

He has chaired multiple national and international programs including the Pediatric Affairs Committee for the CCFA, Pediatric Abstract Review Committee Pediatric for AGA, Inflammatory Bowel Disease Committee for NASPGHAN, and IBD Consortium. He has been a member of the IBD Classification Committee, IBD Guidelines Committee, Pediatric Affairs Committee (Patient Education, Clinical Trials) and the Pediatric Challenges in IBD Research Committee (Steering Committee, Genetics Focus Group, Clinical Trials Focus group, Quality Improvement/Adverse Event Tracking Focus Group) for NASPGHAN and CCFA.

Dr. Baldassano has served on the Board of Trustees for the CCFA at both the local and national levels. He also participates as the co-chair for CDHNF IBD Committee.

He is on the editorial advisory board for five journals. He has published greater than 100 papers on pediatric IBD and editor of a Pediatric IBD textbook.

Stanley A. Cohen, M.D. received his undergraduate degree from Case Western Reserve University and his medical degree from Ohio State in his hometown of Columbus. His internship and residency were at Johns Hopkins Hospital. After serving as an Air Force physician, Dr. Cohen specialized in pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition with a fellowship at Harvard University and the Massachusetts General Hospital. During this time he also served as Director of Pediatrics at the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Hospital.

In addition to his broad clinical interests and his desire to provide care to the region's children and their families, he is now the Director of Combined Center for Inflammatory Bowel Disease bringing together a comprehensive program that utilizes the resources of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, the Children's Center for Digestive Health Care, and Emory University to meet the needs of children with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

Dr. Cohen is the founding chairman of the Committee on Nutrition for the Georgia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. He is chairman of the Physicians Advisory Board of The Georgia WIC Program. In 1987 he was elected President of the Medical Staff at Scottish Rite Children's Hospital. He is proud to remain an active member of the staff at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, and recently founded the Children's Digestive Research Fund under its stewardship to support important investigations in the areas of nutrition and gastrointestinal illnesses.

Dr. Cohen is also respected for his contributions to medical literature. In addition to numerous articles, Dr. Cohen edited two textbooks for physicians and wrote a book for parents: Healthy Babies, Happy Kids: a Common Sense Guide to Nutrition for Growing Years. This popular book was syndicated by Associated Press and republished in London as Start Right.

Dr. George Ferry is currently a Professor of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine and Director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center at Texas Children's Hospital.

Dr. Ferry served as Chief of the GI/Nutrition Clinic at Texas Children's Hospital for 17 years and started the liver transplant program at TCH in 1988.

He is a member of the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition and has served as past Chair of the Pediatric IBD Consortium as well as past President and Chair of Children’s Digestive Health and Nutrition Foundation.

Dr. Benjamin Gold received his medical degree from The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Washington, DC, in 1987. He completed an internship and a residency in Pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine, followed by a fellowship in Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada. He completed his research fellowship at the Research Institute, Hospital for Sick Children as a Medical Research Council of Canada Research Fellow.

Prior to joining the Children’s Center for Digestive Healthcare, Dr. Gold had an outstanding academic career at Emory University where he had been a Marcus Chair of Pediatric Gastroenterology, a tenured Professor of Pediatrics and Microbiology and the Director of the Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition. Dr. Gold was also Chief of Gastroenterology Service and Medical Director of the Gastrointestinal Diagnostics and Endoscopy Laboratory of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, at the Egleston hospital campus.

Dr. Gold continues to advance our understanding of pediatric GERD by undertaking and spearheading a number of multi-center, multinational, clinical, and epidemiological trials in children. His particular interest is in the natural history of GERD, its epidemiology, association with asthma (ie, extra-esophageal GERD), and risk factor characterization for disease prevention.

He also pursues his interest in infectious causes of inflammatory conditions of the gastrointestinal tract by studying inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and the role of both infectious pathogens and normal flora in the gastrointestinal tract in modulating disease. Dr.Gold is a co-investigator of the national Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease Consortium, and he is working closely with the CDC to determine infectious etiologies of IBD.

Almuthe Christine Hauer, M.D., PhD received her medical degree from the University of Vienna, Austria. She is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Pediatric Gastroenterology, Department of Paediatrics, Medical University of Graz, Austria.

Dr. Hauer lectures at numerous national/international conferences and seminars and participates in multi-center research studies with ESPGHAN and GPGE. She has also authored over 70 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters.

Dr. Melvin B. Heyman earned a medical degree at UCLA and completed his pediatric residency training at Los Angeles County-University of Southern California Medical Center. He completed postdoctoral training in nutrition, earning a master's degree in public health, and completed a fellowship in pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition at UCLA. In 1981, he joined UCSF, where he organized the clinical pediatric nutrition support service and established protocols for pediatric gastroenterology.

Dr. Heyman is chief of pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition at UCSF Children's Hospital and is particularly interested in the care of children with inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, and nutrition-related problems.

In his research, Heyman was one of the first to reveal the importance of nutrition support in sickle cell anemia. He helped develop procedures to diagnose problems related to the liver in infants and has pursued new treatments for children with inflammatory bowel disease and gastroesophageal reflux disease. He serves on many local and national committees and is chair of the Executive Committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics section on Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition. A professor of pediatrics, he is director of the teaching program in pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition in the School of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.

Dr. Barbara Kirschner originally lived in Philadelphia and attended the Medical College of Pennsylvania, where her interest in Pediatrics developed. She and her husband, Robert, also a physician, came to the University of Chicago for residency training. Working with renowned gastroenterologists at the U of Chicago, Dr. Kirschner started the program in pediatric gastroenterology. The complexity and individuality of the effects of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in children and adolescents, especially the diversity in the natural history of these conditions and problems of growth and nutritional complications sparked what was to become her focused interest both clinically and in research.

Her studies resulted in over 100 publications predominantly related to the special issues of IBD in children and teenagers. As a co-founder of the Pediatric IBD Consortium, she has actively contributed to the group's research projects and recognizes the importance of pediatric gastroenterology sub-specialists working together to better understand the pathogenesis of IBD, its impact on children's lives and improve therapeutic options and quality of life through participating in clinical trials.

Joel E. Lavine, M.D. , PhD is Professor of Pediatrics at Columbia University and Chief of the Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition Division at Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital of New York.

Dr. Lavine has served as Chief of the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at Rady’s Children’s Hospital San Diego, Director of UCSD Pediatric Fellowship Programs, as Fellowship Director of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition and on the Executive Board of Directors for Children’s Specialists, San Diego. Dr. Lavine is a NIH-funded investigator for studies in fatty liver disease, and serves on the Executive Committee and Chairs the Steering and Pediatric Committees for the NIH-funded multi-center network.

Thomas Müller, M.D. is a pediatric gastroenterologist and hepatologist at the Department of Pediatrics, Medical University of Innsbruck, Austria. After attending medical school at the University of Innsbruck, he completed a residency in Pediatrics at the Department of Pediatrics, Medical University of Innsbruck.

He currently is the acting Director of the University Hospital for Pediatrics II at the Department of Pediatrics in Innsbruck.

He has unraveled the etiology of microvillus inclusion disease, congenital sodium diarrhea and non-Wilsonian copper toxicosis prevalent in the Tyrol and northern Germany.

He is married to Janette Müller and father of two sons, named Niklas and Tobias.

Laurel L. Prestridge, M.D. received her medical degree from University of Texas Medical School, Houston and did her Pediatric Residency at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

Dr. Prestridge is a Pediatric Gastroenterologist at the Boys Town National Research Hospital in Boys Town, Nebraska and is also a diplomat for the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition.

Dr. Rubén E. Quirós is currently a Professor of Pediatrics & Surgery and Chief of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition at University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC)/Children’s Hospital & Medical Center in Omaha NE. He is also the Director of the Pediatric GI Fellowship Program at UNMC. He joined the team at UNMC in June 2009.

Dr. Quirós completed his medical studies at the National University of Panama, followed by a 3-year pediatric residency at “Hospital del Niño” in Panama. From 1993-1995 he was a pediatric residency at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. From 1995-1998, he was a pediatric GI fellow at University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). After completing his 3-year fellowship he continued as an advance clinical fellow and conducted clinical research which allowed him to gain additional experience in the areas of pediatric hepatology and parenteral nutrition.

In July 2000, Dr. Quirós was appointed Director of Pediatric Hepatology at the University of Rochester in New York. In 2002, he joined Texas Children’s Hospital/Baylor College of Medicine as the Medical Director of Pediatric Liver Transplantation.

In October 2004, Dr. Quirós was appointed Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center (UTHSC) and MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. He was the Director of Pediatric Hepatology at UTHSC.

Dr Quirós’ primary clinical and research areas of interest are pediatric liver disease, transplantation, autoimmune disease, IBD and nutritional support.

Brian Regan DO is a pediatric gastroenterologist at Tufts Medical Center, Floating Hospital for Children. After attending medical school at the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine, he completed a residency in Pediatrics at Winthrop University Hospital, and a Fellowship in Gastroenterology at Schneider Children’s Hospital in New York.

His research interests during fellowship included studying the association between 6-mercaptopurine metabolites and their concomitant effects with anti TNF agents. He is currently developing impedance program at Tufts Medical Center in addition to his interests in Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

He lives in West Roxbury, Massachusetts with his wife, Shalini. They have three children, and growing.

Jennifer A. Strople, M.D. received her medical degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine and did her Pediatric Residency at Cincinnati’s Children’s Hospital.

Dr. Strople is the Director, Inflammatory Bowel Disease Program; Assistant professor of Pediatrics, Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine with special interests in inflammatory bowel disease and outcomes research.

Jon A. Vanderhoof, M.D. received his medical degree from University of Nebraska College of Medicine and did his Pediatric Residency at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

Dr. Vanderhoof is a Pediatric Gastroenterologist at the Boys Town National Research Hospital in Boys Town, Nebraska and is also a diplomat for the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition.

Gabor Veres, M.D. received his medical degree from Semmelweis Medical University, Budapest, Hungary. He is a pediatric gastroenterologist in the First Department of Pediatrics, Semmelweis Medical University, Budapest, Hungary.

Dr. Veres is an expert on pediatric endoscopy and organized the Hungarian Pediatric IBD Registry in 2007.

Harland S. Winter, M.D. is a pediatric gastroenterologist and the Director of the Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Center at the MassGeneral Hospital for Children. After attending medical school at the University of California, Los Angeles, he completed a residency in Pediatrics at UCLA, a Clinical Fellowship in Gastroenterology at Children’s Hospital, Boston, and a Research Fellowship at Harvard Medical School.

As President of the North American Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition from 2000-2002, he served as the Chair of the First World Congress of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition that was held in Boston, August 2000.

He currently directs a laboratory that studies neurotransmitters in children and has established a biorepository for the study of the microbiome and genome in children and families with Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis and other autoimmune gastrointestinal disorders. As one of the principal investigators of an IBD consortium with 18 academic centers in North America and Europe, he, along with colleagues, is studying outcomes, pathogenesis and new therapies for chronic gastrointestinal diseases in children. He has been involved in many clinical trials involving medications used to treat children with gastro-esophageal reflux disease, constipation, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. He has authored over 100 articles and chapters, and published books on infant nutrition, pediatric inflammatory bowel disease, and recently a comprehensive textbook and atlas on endoscopy in children.

Dr. Winter lives in Newton with his wife, Susan. They have three children and two dogs.

Dr. David Ziring has dedicated his life to helping people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). He received his medical degree from the Chicago Medical School concurrently with earning his Master’s degree in Clinical Immunology. His thesis topic was the current state of understanding of the immune system in IBD. Dr. Ziring went on to receive his residency training in Pediatrics at Children’s Hospital Orange County. As a senior resident, he spent a month at UCLA developing a research proposal on the regulation of the immune system in IBD with his research mentor, Dr. Jonathan Braun. He then pursued subspecialty training in Pediatric Gastroenterology at UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine with Dr. Marvin Ament and associated faculty.

Dr. Ziring performs research projects on the regulation of the immune system in IBD, working first with mouse models of disease and then with patient samples. Dr. Ziring was instrumental in discovering an IBD-associated gene, working with collaborators at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. He has since migrated his research interests from working in the laboratory with animal models to studies involving patients with IBD. He was recently awarded a Broad Medical Research Program grant to study the immunomodulatory effects of large doses of vitamin D in children with Crohn’s disease.

Dr. Ziring serves as the primary investigator and UCLA’s representative for the national Pediatric IBD Consortium. He is a member of the IBD Committee for the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition (NASPGHAN). He has given lectures on topics as diverse as skeletal health in children with IBD to the successful transition of care of teens with IBD at regional academic centers. And he continues to publish extensively, from a recent review on the cutting-edge research being done in pediatric IBD to the discovery of a new IBD-associated gene (CNR2, a gene involved in the endocannabinoid system) and the importance of this system in regulating the immune system in IBD.

Dr. Ziring is Director of the UCLA Pediatric IBD Center, a comprehensive multi-disciplinary team based approach to providing holistic care to children with IBD and their families.