2005 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 2005 IFFGD Research Award recipients for their outstanding achievements.

Senior Investigator - Clinical Science

Fernando Azpiroz, MD, PhD
Hospital General Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona, Spain
Dr. Azpiroz's clinical practice develops in a large referral unit, and specifically focuses on functional gut disorders. His research program investigates the origin of gastrointestinal symptoms and involves both physiologic and pathophysiologic aspects of the control mechanisms of gut motility, visceral sensitivity, and more recently, intestinal gas dynamics.

• View Research Summary: Understanding Intestinal Gas

Senior Investigator - Basic Science

Yvette Tache, PhD
West LA-VA Medical Center, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
Dr. Tache's early publications put the "brain-gut axis" on the map. Since then, she has been one of the pioneers in this field, and in many ways, it has been her energy and enthusiasm that has ensured the continued vibrancy of the field. Her recent identification of the role of corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF) signaling pathways in stress-related alterations of gut motor function and visceral pain are of major and lasting importance.

• View Research Summary: Stress and Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Unraveling the Code

Junior Investigator - Clinical Science

Shaheen Hamdy, MRCP, PhD
Hope Hospital, Salford, United Kingdom
Dr. Hamdy has specific interest in the human brain-gut axis, in particular investigating the central neural control of human swallowing. Over the last three years, much of this work has revolved around the design and development of stimulation techniques for the treatment of swallowing recovery after dysphagic stroke. A recent newer development has been the broadening of the human brain-gut studies to investigate the neural control of anal continence, and its abnormalities in fecal incontinence of unknown origin.

• View Research Summary: Adult Neurogenic Dysphagia: Disorders and Conditions that Disrupt Swallowing

Junior Investigator - Basic Science

Michael Pezzone, MD, PhD
University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
Dr. Pezzone is currently the principle investigator of an NIH study looking at the pathways of neurogenic cross-sensitization of pelvic viscera and its implications for the overlap of irritable bowel syndrome, interstitial cystitis, and other chronic pelvic pain disorders.

• View Research Summary: Chronic Pelvic Pain and the Overlap of Chronic Pelvic Pain Disorders

Pediatric Investigator - Basic Science

Bridget R Southwell, PhD
Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
Dr. Southwell has brought her skills in basic neurogastroenterology to understanding the causes of functional disturbances of colonic motility in children. She has also been coordinating a critical evaluation of a method to overcome constipation and soiling.

• View Research Summary: Treatment-Resistant Constipation in Children

Pediatric Investigator - Clinical Science

Rachel Rosen, MD, MPH
Children's Hospital Boston, Boston, MA
Dr. Rosen's current research focuses on the role of non-acid reflux in symptom development in children. In the studies that she and her colleagues have conducted at the motility unit at Children's Hospital Boston, they found that non-acid reflux is common in pediatrics. Interestingly, even though acid reflux is more common than non-acid reflux, non-acid reflux is, in their referral population, more highly correlated with symptoms such as heartburn, chest pain, and cough than acid reflux.

• View Research Summary: Symptoms Arising from Non-Acid Reflux in Children