David Rubin, MD

Chief, Section of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition

University of Chicago, IL

Dr. David T. Rubin is the Joseph B. Kirsner Professor of Medicine, Chief of the Section of Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition, and the Co-Director of the Digestive Diseases Center at The University of Chicago Medicine. He earned a medical degree with honors at The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine and completed his residency in internal medicine and fellowships in gastroenterology and clinical medical ethics at the University of Chicago, where he served as Chief Resident and Chief Fellow.

Prior to his current appointments, Dr. Rubin served for 11 years as Director of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition fellowship program. He also currently serves as an associate faculty member at the MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics and an associate investigator at the University of Chicago Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Dr. Rubin is a Fellow of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG), the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE), the American College of Physicians (ACP), and the Royal College of Physicians (Edinburgh), and the chair-elect of the National Scientific Advisory Committee of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, where he also serves as a Board of Trustees member. He is on the Board of Trustees for the ACG. Among numerous awards and honors, Dr. Rubin was chosen by his peers as a member of Best Doctors (recognized for superior clinical ability) and America’s Top Physicians (gastroenterology). Additionally, he twice received the ACG’s Governor’s Award of Excellence in Clinical Research (2003 and 2013), the Cancer Research Foundation Young Investigator’s Award (2004), and the UC Postgraduate Teaching Award in recognition of significant contributions for fellowship education (2006). In 2012, he received the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation’s Rosenthal Award, a national leadership award bestowed upon a volunteer who has contributed in an indisputable way to the quality of life of patients and families. He is an Associate Editor of the journal Gastroenterology and Editor-in-Chief of the ACG On-Line Education Universe.

Dr. Rubin is the editor of a best-selling book on inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), now in its 3rd edition, an associate editor of the now available 11th edition of Sleisenger and Fordtran’s Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease, and an author or co-author of over 200 peer-reviewed articles on treatment and management of IBD, cancer in IBD and novel paradigms, as well as the first author of the 2019 ACG Guidelines for ulcerative colitis. His current research is in the area of biosensor monitoring of IBD, prevention of progressive complications from uncontrolled inflammation, and a variety of collaborative studies related to the microbiome and causes of IBD and its complications. He is also a featured media contact for issues related to IBD, appearing on satellite radio, television, print media and maintains a popular and verified Twitter feed @IBDMD (>14,000 followers).

In 2020, Dr. Rubin received the Sherman Prize for Excellence in Crohn’s and Colitis.

Rish Pai, MD, PhD

Histopathologist

Mayo Clinic, AZ

Dr. Rish Pai received his BA from Pomona College in Claremont, CA, and earned his MD, PhD from Case Western University School of Medicine in Cleveland, OH. He completed his anatomic pathology residency at the University of Chicago Medical Center, followed by a gastrointestinal and hepatic pathology fellowship at the same institution. Dr. Pai is currently a Professor of Laboratory Medicine & Pathology and serves as a Consultant Pathologist at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, Arizona. Dr. Pai has lectured nationally and internationally on many aspects of gastrointestinal and hepatic pathology and has directed multiple gastrointestinal CME courses. Dr. Pai is a regular reviewer for numerous pathology and gastroenterology journals and serves on the Editorial Board of the American Journal of Surgical Pathology. He has published over 110 articles and written multiple book chapters in the fields of gastrointestinal and hepatic pathology. He is currently President of the Rodger C. Haggitt Gastrointestinal Pathology Society, a member of the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology (USCAP) Nominating Committee, and a former member of the USCAP Education Committee.

Dr. Pai works extensively with Alimentiv executive and scientific leaders in developing and validating histologic indices for clinical trials in inflammatory bowel disease, eosinophilic esophagitis, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, and other diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Dr. Pai also participates in protocol development, the development of histologic endpoints, and precision medicine initiatives.

Stephen Harrison, MD

Hepatologist and Clinical Trialist

San Antonio, TX

Dr. Harrison earned his medical degree from the University of Mississippi School of Medicine. He completed his internal medicine residency and gastroenterology fellowship at Brooke Army Medical Center and a 4th year advanced liver disease fellowship at Saint Louis University. He is board certified in both Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology. Dr. Harrison is currently a Visiting Professor of Hepatology at the Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford. He is internationally known for studies in hepatitis C and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease with over 200 peer reviewed publications in these fields. Currently, Dr. Harrison currently serves as the Medical Director for Pinnacle Clinical Research and the President of Summit Clinical Research.

Mark Valasek, MD

Associate Professor, Pathology

UCSD, CA

Dr. Mark Valasek is a physician-scientist and a practicing gastrointestinal and liver pathologist focused on strategic innovations in diagnostic applications. He regularly participates as a consultant in numerous clinical trials related to gastrointestinal diseases, and he serves on the clinical faculty at the University of California San Diego as an Associate Professor of Pathology. He is particularly interested in practical molecular, imaging, and digital pathology techniques (including artificial intelligence) for the evaluation of gastrointestinal tissues utilizing emerging technologies. He was awarded the San Diego Medical Society’s “2014 Top Doctors” — Physicians of Exceptional Excellence in the Field of Pathology and was an American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) “40 Under Forty” Honoree in 2015. He established the first Gastrointestinal Pathology Fellowship at UCSD and served as the first Director of the Gastrointestinal Pathology Section.