Objectives
Criteria
Program Content
Funding
Curriculum
Application
Current & Former Fellows
Mentors

The Foundation for Clinical Research in IBD offers program directors of respected medical institutions the opportunity to nominate a physician who has completed a full three-year GI fellowship for a post-GI fellowship education in clinical research and management of inflammatory bowel diseases.

The fellowship is sponsored by the Division of Gastroenterology of The Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, NY.

Shown left to right Andrew Levison, Dr. Brett Jones of Sydney, Australia, who was the first Present-Levison fellow, Jane Present and Dr. Daniel H. Present. The Present-Levison Fellowship offered by The Foundation for Clinical Research in IBD prepares physicians to not just learn how to diagnose and manage IBD, but gives them the foundation to become thought leaders and teachers in the arena of IBD.

• diagnose and manage the medical aspects of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), focusing on Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis but also including microscopic and lymphocytic colitis, and collagenous colitis
• serve as academic leaders and teachers in the arena of IBD, especially in areas of North America
• plan, conduct, present, and publish clinical studies in IBD
• analyze, critique, and interpret the published literature in this field.

• participate directly in the management of patients with IBD in both in-patient and out-patient settings
• gain experience in diagnostic radiology and pathology of the gastrointestinal tract
• participate in at least one ongoing clinical research project
• design and implement at least one prospective clinical research project with preparation of a completed manuscript for publication
• receive formal teaching — through both course work and seminars — in epidemiology, biostatistics, and clinical research design.

To learn more about Mount Sinai Medical Center's Division of Gastroenterology, click here.

We seek those candidates who have:

• completed a full three-year GI fellowship program
• demonstrated the highest potential for academic leadership
• will be prepared to return to their respective GI units.

We will accept only one nomination from any individual GI program.

Fringe Benefits
Present/Levison Fellows are entitled to all the benefits afforded to Mount Sinai house staff in the Department of Medicine, commensurate with their PGY status.

Deadline for Nominations & Start Date
The deadline for nominations is December 15. Individuals accepted into the program will begin their fellowships on July 1.

More than 400 operations a year are performed on IBD patients at Mount Sinai, where their medical and surgical management is consolidated through a unified GI Care Center.

To further develop academic and presentation skills, fellows will be responsible for presenting an IBD case at a bi-weekly GI Care Center clinical conference and for participating in a bi-weekly Journal Club.

In addition, our curriculum includes:

Clinical Research Projects
Fellows will participate in at least one ongoing clinical research project under the close guidance of a research preceptor. In the course of the year, fellows will be expected to design a clinical study that can be implemented during the fellowship year.

Formal Didactics
In cooperation with the Department of Community Medicine, fellows will complete introductory course work in biostatistics and epidemiology, followed by a second level course in epidemiological methods and clinical trial design specifically relevant to the study of chronic diseases. In addition, fellows will attend a regular seminar conducted at the Mount Sinai Clinical Research Center that addresses research design and analysis, ethical issues, and techniques of grant application and scientific presentation.

• a description of the candidate's attributes
• information about the role that the candidate is expected to play in the academic program of your unit upon his/her return
• the commitment of support for the candidate at his/her home institution.

In addition, please include three (3) copies of the candidate's CV.

Nominations should be sent to:

Lloyd Mayer, MD
Chief: Division of Gastroenterology
The Mount Sinai Medical Center
Box 1069
One Gustave L. Levy Place
New York, NY 10029-6574

Seamus Joseph Murphy, MB, BCh, BAO, PhD
Dr. Murphy, a Specialist Registrar in Gastroenterology/General Internal Medicine at the Ulster Hospital, Dundonald, County Down, in Northern Ireland, is our 2006-2007 Present/Levison Inflammatory Bowel Disease Fellow.

A member of the Royal College of Physicians and the British Medical Association, Dr. Murphy received his medical degree from the Queen's University of Belfast in 1996. His previous research focused on Barrett's esophagus, esophageal adenocarcinoma, and colon cancer. He has published a number of papers and abstracts and was a reviewer for the journal "Gut" for a paper on the epidemiology of Barrett's esophagus in October 2004. Dr. Murphy is looking forward to expanding his knowledge and experience in clinical research and the treatment of IBD.

Dr. Murphy ran the New York City Marathon in 1992 and completed the Crooked Lake Triathlon in County Armagh in June 2004.

Miles Patrick Sparrow, MB.BS, FRACP
Dr. Sparrow, a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of Physicians, is our 2005-2006 Present/Levison Inflammatory Bowel Disease Fellow. He was an Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinical Research Fellow at the University of Chicago Medical Center and began his fellowship at Mt. Sinai in October 2005.

Before Dr. Sparrow came to the U.S., he was a gastroenterology fellow at Alfred Hospital and at Box Hill Hospital, both in Melbourne, Australia. He completed his internship in 1996 at Geelong Hospital and his did his residency at St. Vincent's Hospital in Melbourne. He is a member of the American Gastroenterology Association, the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America, the Gastroenterology Society of Australia, Inflammatory Bowel Disease Australia, and the Conjoint Committee of Endoscopy Training in Australia.

He is currently working on a Centocor Educational Grant, entitled "Clinical outcomes of patients who discontinue Infliximab therapy due to either inefficacy or adverse events."

Steven John Brown, MBBS, FRACP, PhD
Gastroenterologist and Senior Lecturer at the Department of Medicine St. Vincent's Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, Dr. Brown was both our 2004-2005 Present/Levinson IBD Fellow and a de Rothschild Research Fellow at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. During his fellowship, he pursued research in the areas of immunology and microbiology of IBD.

He serves as a visiting gastroenterologist at St. Vincent's Private & Mercy Hospitals, and as a visiting endoscopist at Jolimont Endoscopy Centre, East Melbourne.

A fellow of the Royal Australian College of Physicians, Dr. Brown is a member of the Gastroenterology Society of Australia, the American Gastroenterology Association, and the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America. He received both his PhD and his MBBS from the University of Melbourne and is an examiner for the Australian Medical Council.

Miles Patrick Sparrow, MB.BS, FRACP
Dr. Sparrow, a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of Physicians, is the newest Present/Levison Inflammatory Bowel Disease Fellow. He is currently working as an Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinical Research Fellow at the University of Chicago Medical Center and will begin his fellowship at Mt. Sinai in October 2005.

Before Dr. Sparrow came to the U.S., he was a gastroenterology fellow at Alfred Hospital and at Box Hill Hospital, both in Melbourne, Australia. He completed his internship in 1996 at Geelong Hospital and did his residency at St. Vincent's Hospital in Melbourne. He is a member of the American Gastroenterology Association, the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America, the Gastroenterology Society of Australia, Inflammatory Bowel Disease Australia, and the Conjoint Committee of Endoscopy Training in Australia.

He is currently working on a Centocor Educational Grant, entitled "Clinical outcomes of patients who discontinue Infliximab therapy due to either inefficacy or adverse events."

Adam Cheifetz, MD
Dr. Cheifetz is the most recent past Present/Levison Fellow. A Yale University Fellow, he began his fellowship at Mount Sinai on July 1, 2003 and since completion has been working with Dr. Mark Peppercorn at the Beth Israel Deaconess medical Center in Boston.

Dr. Chaifetz published an important paper on reactions to Remicade, and is completing a paper on Cyclosporin toxicity. He continues with his studies on dysplasia in IBD.

Dr. Chaifetz was excited to have worked with the GI/IBD specialists at Mt. Sinai. “In one month I saw more IBD than I did in the two prior years.”

Kimberly M. Persley, MD
A former Present/Levison Fellow, Dr. Persley is a Staff Physician at Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas and an Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

During her fellowship, she conducted clinical research and wrote a paper on azathioprine withdrawal in Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

"My experience at Mt. Sinai was incredible," says Dr. Persley. "I learned so much about the treatment of Crohn's disease and colitis. I also gained a greater appreciation for well done clinical trials.

"The experience truly enriched my life and current GI practice. I was program director for a regional IBD conference. This could have only happened because of my experience at Mt. Sinai. Now I am involved in clinical trials and hope to have an IBD center of excellence in the North Texas area in the not too distant future."

Steven H. Itzkowitz, MD
Director of the Dr. Henry D. Janowitz Division of Gastroenterology, Dr. Itzkowitz is The Dr. Burrill B. Crohn Professor of Medicine at Mount Sinai Medical Center.

Dr. Itzkowitz has participated in study sections for both the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and and the National Cancer Institute (NCI). He is a member of the American Gastroenterological Association, the New York Gastroenterological Association, and the Chemotherapy Foundation where he currently serves as the Associate Scientific Director.

He has published numerous peer-reviewed articles and abstracts and is the editor of the "International Journal of Colorectal Disease" and associate editor of "Inflammatory Bowel Diseases," "American Journal of Medical Sciences," and "Gastric Cancer." Among his many honors and awards are the Faculty Distinguished Research Award, Department of Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine; the Faculty Achievement Award of 1000, Mount Sinai School of Medicine; the Excellence in Teaching Award, Mount Sinai GI Fellows; the Charles Newman Scholar Award, and the Saul Horowitz, Jr. Memorial Award.

Dr. Itzkowitz received his medical degree from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. He completed his residency at NYU Medical Center/Bellevue Hospital and his GI fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco. He served as an Assistant Professor of Medicine, in residence, at the University of California, San Francisco, before returning to Mount Sinai Medical Center.

A former member of the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America, he served on its Career Developement Award Study Section between 1996 and 1999.

Maria T. Abreu, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine and Director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Dr. Abreu is currently pursuing research in innate immunity — specifically the interaction of intestinal epithelial (tissue) cells with bacteria in the bowel. She serves on the editorial board of the "Inflammatory Bowel Disease Journal" and as a reviewer for "Gastroenterology," "Journal of Immunology," and the "American Journal of Physiology."

Dr. Abreu has published numerous articles and abstracts in such journals as "Gastroenterology," "Journal of Immunology," "Journal of Biological Chemistry," and "Journal of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases" and participates in clinical research trials.

A graduate of the University of Miami School of Medicine, she completed her internship and residency at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and was awarded a research fellowship in gastroenterology at University of California in Los Angeles.

Asher Kornbluth, MD
An Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at Mount Sinai Medical Center and Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Dr. Kornbluth was named Teacher of the Year six times and was selected by three graduating classes as Grand Marshall and speaker at Commencement ceremonies.

Dr. Kornbluth has published more than 60 articles, abstracts and book chapters and is the principle author of "Ulcerative Colitis Practice Guidelines in Adults, published by the American College of Gastroenterolgy for the first and second editions. He is a peer-reviewer for "Annals of Internal Medicine," "American Journal of Gastroenterology," "Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology," "Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics," and "Gastroenterolgy."

He is member of the American Gastroenterological Association, the American College of Gastroenterology, and the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. Dr. Kornbluth also serves on the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America's Clinical Research Alliance and the Foundation's Clinical Research Agenda Task Force.

Dr. Kornbluth received his medical degree from Downstate Medical Center in New York and completed his postgraduate training in Internal Medicine at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He completed a fellowship abroad at Aarhus, Denmark, for advanced training in ERCP and took his gastroenterology fellowship at Mount Sinai Medical Center.

James F. Marion, MD
Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine of New York University and attending physician at Mount Sinai-New York University Health System, Dr. Marion is a member of the American Gastroenterological Association, the Celtic Medical Society, and the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America where he serves on the Scientific Advisory Committee and the Patient Education Committee of the Foundation's New York Chapter.

Dr. Marion has published many peer-reviewed reports, articles and abstracts and has contributed to several textbook chapters and lay publications. He was a Rudin Scholar, Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons, and University of California Undergraduate Presidents Research Fellow.

He received his Doctor of Medicine from Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons, completed his residency in Internal Medicine at Presbyterian Hospital of New York, and took his gastroenterology fellowship at Mount Sinai Hospital.

Lloyd Mayer, MD
Professor of Immunobiology, Medicine and Microbiology at Mount Sinai Medical Center, Dr. Mayer is Chief of the Division of Clinical Immunology and Chairman of the Immunobiology Center at Mount Sinai. He has published more than 100 peer-reviewed articles.

Dr. Mayer began his career at Mount Sinai in 1981 and has been honored by the American Society for Clinical Investigation, the Immunological Sciences Study section, the Association of American Physicians, the Jaffe Food Allergy Institute, and the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America.

He received his medical degree from Mount Sinai Medical School and completed his internship and residency at New York University/Bellevue in New York City. Dr. Mayer returned to Mount Sinai to take a fellowship in gastroenterology.

Daniel H. Present, MD
Clinical Professor of Medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and an attending physician at Mt. Sinai Medical Center, Dr. Present is a diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Gastroenterology and a Fellow of the American Gastroenterological Association and a Master of the American College of Gastroenterology.

Dr. Present has published more than 120 articles and many abstracts on inflammatory bowel disease. He has served on the editorial board of the "Journal of Clinical Aspects of Autoimmunity," as editor of "IBD News," and as section editor for the "Journal of Inflammatory Bowel Disease." He serves as a reviewer for the "New England Journal of Medicine," the "Annals of Internal Medicine," "Gastroenterology," the "American Journal of Gastroenterolgy," and "Gut."

During his years of service to the profession, Dr. Present has served on the National Scientific Advisory Board of the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America, Chair of the Research Committee of the American College of Gastroenterology, and course director and faculty for the American College of Physicians, the American Gastroenterology Association, and the American College of Gastroenterology post graduate courses.

He graduated with honors from the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn in 1959 and took his Internal Medicine internship, residency, and gastroenterology fellowship at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. He has received the American Gastroenterology Association's Distinguished Clinician Award and the William Dock Master Teacher Award.

David B. Sachar, MD
Clinical Professor of Medicine and Director Emeritus of the GI Division at Mount Sinai Medical Center, Dr. Sachar was the first Dr. Burrill B. Crohn Professor of Medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine from 1992-1999, when he also held the positions of vice chairman of the Department of Medicine (1991-99) and Director of the Dr. Henry D. Janowitz Division of Gastroenterology at The Mount Sinai-NYU Medical Center/Health System (1983-99).

He has published more than 200 publications and is a founding director of the Burrill B. Crohn Research Foundation. Dr. Sachar is the first American to have been elected Chairman of the International Organization for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease. In 2002, he was named a Master of the American College of Gastroenterology.

Dr. Sachar set the standard for clinical teaching in America and has lectured on the topic of IBD extensively in the U.S. and abroad. He is the recipient of the 1996 Distinguished Educator Award from the American Gastroenterological Association and the 1989 Baker Presidential Lectureship of the American College of Gastroenterology. Most recently, he was awarded Mount Sinai's "Gold-Headed Cane," its highest award for the physician "best exemplifying the ideals of the profession."

Graduating with honors from Harvard College and Harvard Medical School, he completed his medical residency at Boston's Beth Israel Hospital and his GI fellowship at Mount Sinai Hospital.