Biography
I was inspired to pursue my career by my father, who is a physician, and my mother, who is a grade school teacher. They modeled for me the importance of caring for others and investing in our children. My personal experience with ulcerative colitis motivated me to care for children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
As a pediatric gastroenterologist, I treat children and adolescents with digestive disorders. My focus is on IBD, including ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease and very early onset IBD. In my practice, personal connections are important to me. I hope to build a meaningful relationship with each patient and their family, where we work together to restore and maintain their health. When deciding on the best treatment course together, we consider both the most up-to-date medical evidence as well as each patient's individual needs and priorities.
At Cincinnati Children’s, we offer collaborative care. Our patients have access to a team of exceptional nurses, dietitians, social workers, psychologists, surgeons and other pediatric specialists with expertise in caring for children and young adults with IBD.
I’m the chairperson of the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation's PRO-KIIDS Pediatric IBD Research Network. This is a group of 30 pediatric IBD centers working together to develop better approaches to treating children and adolescents with IBD. I am also on the editorial board of the journal Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.
My research seeks to understand how the body's immune system interacts with the cells that line the intestine to maintain a healthy digestive tract. To do this, we are using models of the human intestine cultured in a dish called organoids or "mini-guts." We believe these "mini-guts" will teach us about what is going wrong in inflammatory bowel disease and allow us to use them to test new treatment approaches. My research is funded by the National Institutes of Health, and I have authored over 40 articles in major medical and scientific journals.
I enjoy spending my time away from work with my wife and two children. I love the movies, and I am an immense Star Wars fan.
Clinical Interests
Pediatric gastroenterology; pediatric inflammatory bowel disease
Research Interests
Mucosal immunology; epithelial biology; clinical pharmacology
Academic Affiliation
Associate Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Clinical Divisions
Gastroenterology GI, Inflammatory Bowel Disease IBD, Autoimmune Liver Disease