About the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center

Advanced IBD Care and Research

Our center is a true home for IBD care, with our specialists and related disciplines working together to coordinate a full spectrum of care for our patients. We provide multidisciplinary, holistic care for inflammatory bowel diseases. We use a patient-centered team approach to diagnose your condition and the latest research to customize your treatment plan and ensure you obtain the best possible outcomes.

Conditions We Treat

Our gastroenterology experts specialize in treating patients with inflammatory bowel diseases, including:

Comprehensive Care

We use a team approach to diagnose your condition, customize your treatment plan and ensure you reach the best possible outcome. Our team of specialists is specifically trained in IBD, and includes:

  • Gastroenterologists
  • Nutritionists
  • Mental health counselors
  • Nurses who specialize in IBD, as well as infusion services, and tailored care for patients with ostomies
  • Colorectal surgeons
  • Pharmacists
  • Endoscopy experts
  • Diagnostic experts, including Radiologists and Pathologists
  • Dermatologists
  • Rheumatologists
  • Hepatologists (liver care)

A New Approach to IBD Treatment

BIDMC's Center for Inflammatory Bowel Disease is a world leader in clinical research on best methods for treating IBD. Our unique approach to IBD treatment is setting a new standard for care. We believe in personalized care that meets each patient's individual needs.

Treat Early

The more time your IBD is left untreated, the more damage the disease can cause. Our goal is to diagnose your condition and begin appropriate treatment as early as possible, when your body will respond best to medical therapy.

Treat Better and Deeper

Our goal is to ensure you get better (induce remission) and stay better (maintain remission). We want you to feel as well as you felt prior to your diagnosis of IBD. In addition to improving how you feel, we also strive to improve the inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract (endoscopic improvement). This improvement has the ability to prevent permanent damage to your gastrointestinal tract, limit hospitalizations and surgeries and improve your quality of life.

Treat More Effectively

BIDMC researchers pioneered new strategies that optimize medication levels to produce more effective treatment with potentially fewer side effects. This approach, known as "proactive therapeutic drug monitoring," is being adopted by many worldwide as a new standard for IBD care.

We work closely with you to make the best decisions about therapies based on your unique condition, age, and other medical conditions that may affect your treatment, as well as potential treatment side effects and your overall health goals.

Behavioral Health

IBD symptoms can be stigmatizing to talk about, which can lead to feelings of isolation. In addition, symptoms are often made worse by stress. The Center for Inflammatory Bowel Disease offers access to a dedicated, specialized clinical psychologist to help you manage your diagnosis and symptoms and help you adjust your lifestyle without sacrificing you quality of life.

On a short-term basis (five to seven visits), you'll learn strategies such as stress management skills and physical relaxation training to better manage symptoms, tolerate uncertainty about the future and manage anxiety.

Sessions last 45 to 60 minutes and you do not need a mental health diagnosis to schedule an appointment. Speak with your IBD doctor for a referral if you feel you may benefit from a Behavioral Health consultation.

Research

Adam S. Cheifetz, MD, is Director of the Center for Inflammatory Bowel Disease at BIDMC and a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. As an internationally recognized leader in the treatment of IBD, he is involved in multiple IBD research projects, lectures nationally and internationally, and has published more than 175 articles on the subject. Dr. Cheifetz's research focuses on the use of therapeutic drug monitoring to improve the short and long-term effectiveness of biologic therapies for patients with IBD. He and his colleagues have helped to define and improve quality of care through their successful efforts to develop treatment methods that increase the effectiveness of available medications, while decreasing side effects. Through these and other breakthroughs, Dr. Cheifetz's group has shown that this treatment method reduces IBD-related hospitalizations and surgeries.