2003 IFFGD Research Award Recipients

 

These IFFGD research awards were given to active investigators who have a record of research interest in basic mechanisms or clinical aspects of functional gastrointestinal and motility disorders. The awards are intended to encourage the participation of clinicians and scientists in multidisciplinary efforts aimed at advancing the understanding of gastrointestinal disorders in adults and in children.

Basic Science is the fundamental approach to understanding how systems work. Basic research takes place in the laboratory and often involves the study of molecules and cells.

Clinical Science is the approach aimed at understanding the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and disorders through studies involving people, usually carried out in clinical settings.

We congratulate the 2003 IFFGD Research Award recipients for their outstanding achievements.

Senior Investigator, Clinical Science

Award Amount: $7,500
William E. Whitehead, Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Dr. Whitehead's research interests include the physiological and psychological mechanisms for symptoms of functional GI disorders; development and validation of diagnostic criteria for functional GI disorders; pathophysiology of anorectal disorders; and biofeedback treatment of fecal incontinence and constipation.

• View research summary: Summary of Clinical Research Activities

Senior Investigator, Basic Science

Award Amount: $7,500
Jyoti N. Sengupta, Ph.D., Medical College of Wisconsin.
Dr. Sengupta's current research interests include investigating the pathophysiology of functional bowel disorders. He is studying sensory neurons involved in GI pain, while exploring new pharmacologic agents.

Pediatric Investigator, Clinical Science

Award Amount: $7,500
Caroline Elder Danda, Ph.D., University of Kansas.
Dr. Danda's current research projects include examining the physiological and psychosocial factors associated with functional dyspepsia and examining the effectiveness of several treatment protocols for children with functional dyspepsia; examining the effectiveness of noninvasive, educational treatment on the resolution of functional fecal retention; determining psychosocial and family factors related to initial treatment failures in functional fecal retention; and assessing whether fear increases anal sphincter pressures.

• View research summary: Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders: Biopsychosocial Perspectives on Assessment and Treatment

Pediatric Investigator, Basic Science

Award Amount: $7,500
Terry Buchmiller-Crair, M.D., Cornell University.
Dr. Buchmiller-Crair performs the full spectrum of pediatric surgery with a particular interest in minimal access surgery, management of the short bowel syndrome, and fetal surgical diagnoses and prenatal counseling. Her recent basic science and clinical work reflect her continuing interest in fetal gastrointestinal development and the mechanisms of GI absorption and motility during the last trimester of gestation.

• View research summary: Using the Fetal Gastrointestinal Tract to Overcome Neonatal Disease

International (Developing Nation) Investigator Clinical or Basic Science

Award Amount: $5,000
Dan L. Dumitrascu, M.D., Ph.D., University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Romania.
Dr. Dumitrascu's main interests are in functional and motility GI disorders, epidemiology, and clinical trials. He has produced over 120 papers and authored or contributed to 15 books. He authored the first Romanian book on GI manometry and was the first East European to join the Functional Brain Gut Research Group. He is also the associate editor of the Romanian Journal of Gastroenterology and a member of the editorial committees of several journals in Romania and France.

• View research summary: The Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness in Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Junior Investigator, Clinical Science

Award Amount: $5,000
Adil E. Bharucha, M.D., Mayo Clinic.
Dr. Bharucha's most recent research has focused on understanding epidemiology and mechanisms of fecal incontinence and obstructed defecation, specifically characterizing the multiple recto-ano mechanisms maintaining continence.

• View Research Summary: Summary of Clinical Research Activities – Incontinence

Junior Investigator, Basic Science

Award Amount: $5,000
Klaus Bielefeldt, M.D., Ph.D., University of Iowa.
Dr. Bielefeldt's clinical interests are with functional diseases of the esophagus. Scientifically, he has used his training in cellular neurophysiology to explore mechanisms that change sensation with a focus on certain nerves that innervate the stomach and may contribute to the development of hypersensitivity, or pain and discomfort.

• View research summary: From Bed to Bench and Back – Functional Disorders