Posted on: Tuesday, 14 December 2010, 00:01 CST

The Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation was proud to honor three leaders in the field of IBD research and treatment on Friday, December 10th at its 2010 Advances in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Clinical & Research Conference (AdvancesInIBD.com) in Hollywood, Florida.

New York, NY (Vocus) December 13, 2010

the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation was proud to honor three leaders in the field of IBD research and treatment on Friday, December 10th at its 2010 Advances in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Clinical & Research Conference (AdvancesInIBD.com) in Hollywood, Florida.

The award recipients – Claudio Fiocchi, MD; William Sandborn, MD; and Lloyd Mayer, MD – were nominated by the CCFA’s National Scientific Advisory Committee (NSAC) for their dedication to improving the quality of life of the 1.4 million Americans suffering from Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, chronic and often debilitating digestive diseases.

Dr. Fiocchi, Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the Cleveland Clinic has studied T cell function in the normal and IBD-involved intestinal mucosa for the past 30 years. For his unfaltering efforts, he was selected to receive the prestigious Henry D. Janowitz Lifetime Achievement Award in IBD. This award is presented annually to the research scientist who has demonstrated a career-long dedication toward the understanding of these devastating digestive diseases. during the last two decades Dr. Fiocchi has gone above and beyond expectations with his studies exploring the broad field of immune-non-immune cell interactions in IBD and fostering the study of pediatric IBD. Dr. Fiocchi has trained a large number of young investigators that are new leaders in IBD and has helped expand research in IBD worldwide.

Dr. Sandborn, the incoming Chief of the Division of Gastroenterology and Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of California, San Diego, is no stranger to success. From 1993 until the present time he has been on the faculty of the Mayo Clinic and has published over 350 peer-reviewed articles for esteemed journals, such as the new England Journal of Medicine and the Annals of Internal Medicine. For his continued contribution toward advancing the field of IBD treatment, through clinical trials and clinical pharmacology, Dr. Sandborn was awarded with the 2010 CCFA Scientific Achievement Award in Clinical Research.

Dr. Mayer, Chair of the Immunology Institute and the Chief of the Division of Clinical Immunology at the Mount Sinai Medical Center and Professor of Immunology and the Dorothy and David Merksamer Professor of Medicine, currently holds five active grants from the National Institutes of Health on immunoregulatory mechanisms and responses in the intestine. he is also the principle investigator of the NIH immunobiology training grant. he is also the Chairman of the CCFA NSAC. he was the recipient of the 2000 CCFA Scientific Achievement Award and now, 10 years later, Dr. Mayer is being honored once again for his innovations in basic research in the field of IBD.

“The Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation couldn’t be more thrilled to honor these esteemed members of the scientific community,” says Richard J. Geswell, President of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America. “We look forward to the innovations their research will bring in the coming years.”

About Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative ColitisCrohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are painful, medically incurable illnesses that attack the digestive system. Crohn’s disease may attack anywhere from the mouth to the anus, while ulcerative colitis inflames only the large intestine (colon). Symptoms may include abdominal pain, persistent diarrhea, rectal bleeding, fever and weight loss. Many patients require hospitalization and surgery. These illnesses can cause severe complications, including colon cancer in patients with long-term disease. Some 1.4 million American adults and children suffer from Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, with as many as 150,000 under the age of 18. most people develop the diseases between the ages of 15 and 35.

About the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of AmericaThe Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America’s mission is to cure Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, and to improve the quality of life of children and adults affected by these diseases. the Foundation ranks third among leading health non-profits in the percentage of expense devoted to research toward a cure, with more than 80 cents of every dollar the Foundation spends goes to mission-critical programs. the Foundation consistently meets the standards of organizations that monitor charities, including the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance and the American Institute of Philanthropy. For more information, contact the Foundation at 800-932-2423 or visit the CCFA web site at ccfa.org. Join CCFA on Facebook at apps.facebook.com/supportccfa/ and follow CCFA on Twitter at twitter.com/ccfa.

About Advances in IBD, Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation’s Clinical & Research ConferenceThe Advances in Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation’s Clinical & Research Conference has grown to become the foremost annual event for investigators and clinicians to come together, share their knowledge and experience, and learn about the latest advances and new insights for personalized care of patients with inflammatory bowel diseases. Conference attendees gained insight from expert faculty on cutting-edge research breakthroughs and advancements in IBD patient care. more than 1,200 healthcare professionals attended the conference— the largest annual event in the United States dedicated to the state-of-the-art in basic and clinical research as well as clinical management of patients with IBD. Visit advancesinibd.com for more information. MEDIA CONTACT:

Ariella LevineCrohn’s & Colitis Foundation 646.943.7430alevine(at)ccfa(dot)org

For the original version on PRWeb visit: prweb.com/releases/prweb2010/12/prweb4880724.htm

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