September 1, 2006 - The Foundation for Clinical Research in Inflammatory Bowel Disease is pleased to announce that Fabrizio Michelassi, MD, FACS, Lewis Atterbury Stimson Professor and Chairman, Department of Surgery at Weill Medical College of Cornell University in New York City, has joined its Scientific Advisory Committee.

“Dr. Michelassi is a skilled surgeon and researcher dedicated to improving the lives of those with inflammatory bowel disease,” said Stephen Hanauer, MD, Professor of Medicine at the University of Chicago School of Medicine and head of the Foundation for Clinical Research in Inflammatory Bowel Disease’s Scientific Advisory Committee. “We are delighted that he has agreed to provide his expertise and guidance to the Foundation.”

A gastrointestinal surgeon with expertise in the surgical treatment of gastrointestinal cancers and inflammatory bowel disease, Dr. Michelassi also is prolific author of more than 150 papers, book chapters and abstracts that have contributed new insight on the surgical treatment of pancreatic and colorectal cancers and inflammatory bowel disease. He has edited a book on operative strategies in inflammatory bowel disease and produced ten instructional movies for surgeons on the surgical treatment of complications of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

A pioneer in the development of new techniques that ensure better outcomes and improved quality of life for patients with digestive diseases, his expertise with Crohn’s disease led him to develop a new bowel-sparing procedure known as the side-to-side isoperistaltic strictureplasty, designed to avoid sacrificing large amounts of bowel at the time of surgery.

Dr. Michelassi is summa cum laude graduate of the University of Pisa School of Medicine, Italy. He completed his internship and surgical residency at New York University and his research fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard University. In 1984, he joined the faculty of the Department of Surgery at the University of Chicago, where he became Section Chief of General Surgery and the Thomas D. Jones Professor of Surgery and Vice Chair of the Surgery Department. In addition to his duties at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University, Dr. Michelassi now serves as the Surgeon-in-Chief at the New York Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Cornell Medical Center.

The Foundation for Clinical Research in IBD is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to providing continued support to the IBD professional community, encouraging and enabling continued clinical research into IBD and its treatments and supporting patients and their families through education. For more information about the Foundation for Clinical Research in IBD, visit www.myIBD.org.