CARLO Di LORENZO, MD (Program Chair)

Chief, Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition
Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH
Robert F. and Edgar T. Wolfe Foundation
Endowed Chair in Pediatric Gastroenterology
Professor of Clinical Pediatrics
The Ohio State University College of Medicine
Columbus, Ohio

BIOGRAPHY:

For the past 30 years, the focus of my academic activities has been the diagnosis and treatment of functional and motility disorders in children of any age. I have pioneered the use of manometry and barostat testing to evaluate motor and sensory function in the upper and lower GI tract. I have held leadership positions within NASPGHAN, ANMS, AGA, Brain-Gut Club, and ABP. I have chaired both the Rome III and Rome IV Child-Adolescent committees, and I have had more than 280 peer-reviewed and invited manuscripts in the field of functional and motility disorders in pediatrics. I was awarded the Master Award in Gastroenterology by the AGA. I was the President of NASPGHAN from 2014 to 2016.

SPEAKER DISCLOSURES:

Honorarium/Consultant: Allergan; Innovative Health Solutions, Inc.; Mahana Therapeutics, Inc.; Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals; QOL Medical, LLC; Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.

TANAZ FARZAN DANILAFAR, MD

Vice Chief, Vatche and Tamar Manoukian
Children's Hospital Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California

BIOGRAPHY:

Dr. Tanaz Farzan Danialifar is a clinical assistant professor of pediatrics at the KECK School of Medicine of USC and Children's Hospital Los Angeles. She attended the Yale School of medicine and completed her training in pediatrics and pediatric gastroenterology at the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles. Her areas of expertise are in motility and functional disorders and carbohydrate malabsorption. Dr. Danialifar is also a part of the editorial board of the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition.

SPEAKER DISCLOSURES:

Honorarium/Consultant: QOL Medical, LLC.

SAMUEL NURKO, MD, MPH

Professor of Pediatrics
Harvard Medical School
Director of the Center for Motility and Functional Bowel Disorders
Boston Children's Hospital
Boston, MA, USA

BIOGRAPHY:

Samuel Nurko, MD, MPH is a Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, and Director of the Center for Motility and Functional Bowel Disorders at Boston Children's Hospital. He was born and raised in Mexico City where he completed his medical education at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico. He moved to the U.S. in 1981 for his pediatric residency at Boston City hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, and later completed his fellowship in pediatric gastroenterology at Boston Children's Hospital. After his fellowship, he returned to Mexico for 5 years and worked at the Hospital Infantil de Mexico, devoting his efforts to developing effective and affordable treatments for children with severe malnutrition and diarrhea. In 1993 he returned to Boston and created the Motility Center which provides state of the art evaluation and care of children with motility and functional gastrointestinal disorders, offering innovative techniques and multidisciplinary approaches for diagnosis and treatment.

Dr. Nurko is a recognized leader in the field and has distinguished himself during his tenure as an academic, NIH-funded clinical researcher, teacher, and mentor. He has a long-standing interest, and dedication to patient-oriented research and has written more than 250 manuscripts, reviews and book chapters. Dr Nurko has made major contributions to the understanding of motility and functional GI disorders in children, as well as on the effect of other inflammatory or allergic conditions on the GI tract. His clinical and research interests have focused in understanding the pathophysiology and establishing the best approach and treatments for these disorders, and he has been a pioneer in the development and validation of new techniques to their study. He has participated in many National and International Committees and Task Forces to establish standards for motility procedures and training in motility. He has participated in the development of International based guidelines for the treatment of constipation in children. He was chair of the Rome IV neonatal and toddler functional gastrointestinal disorders committee and now is part of the Rome Board of Directors.. He was Associate Editor of the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, and founder of the Neurogastroenterology Committee of NASPGHAN. He has been recipient of the Senior Investigator Award from IFFGD as well as the Research Mentor Award from the AGA. Recently he was portrayed in the Major Motion Picture: "Miracles from Heaven".

Dr. Nurko has been very active in providing care and fostering education in Latin America. He works closely with minority premed students. He's been formally recognized by the Hispanic community and received the Milagors para Ninos award for clinical excellence, and recognition from the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and the City of Boston for his service to the Latin community.

SPEAKER DISCLOSURES:

Honorarium/Advisory Board: Innovative Health Solutions, Inc.
Grants/Research: Allergan

MIGUEL SAPS, MD

The George E. Batchelor Chair in Pediatrics
Professor of Pediatrics, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine
Chief of the Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition
Miami, Florida

BIOGRAPHY:

Dr. Saps is the Chief of Division Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Director of Pediatric Neurogastroenterology and Motility at Holtz Children's Hospital of Miami, The George E. Bachelor Chair in Pediatrics and Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Miami. Dr. Saps is Member of the Advisory Board and Chairman of the International Ambassadors Program of the IFFGD, Member of the Gastrointestinal Advisory Drug Committee of the FDA, Co-Chair of the Pediatric Rome Committee, Co-Chair of the Pediatric Rome V Committee for Functional Abdominal Pain Disorders and Defecation Disorders, Member of the Rome V Questionnaire Committee and Member of the Rome V Assessment and Outcomes Working Team and Rome V Overlap in Disorders of Gut-Brain Interaction Committee.

SPEAKER DISCLOSURES:

Honorarium/Consultant: Innovative Health Solutions, Inc., Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.