Perianal Crohn's Disease: Challenges, Treatments, and Hope

Featuring: Benjamin McDonald, MD, PhD, University of Chicago MedicinePerianal Crohn's disease is one of the most complex and challenging forms of inflammatory bowel disease. In this episode, Benjamin McDonald, MD, gastroenterologist and IBD specialist at UChicago Medicine, discusses how perianal Crohn's disease affects patients, the challenges of diagnosis and treatment, and the latest advances in care.Dr. McDonald also shares how intestinal ultrasound—a noninvasive, real-time imaging technology supported in part by the GI Research Foundation—is helping clinicians better monitor Crohn's disease and make more informed treatment decisions. From innovative imaging tools to emerging therapies, this conversation highlights how research is improving outcomes and offering new hope for patients living with Crohn's disease.To access other episodes of Visceral: Listen to Your Gut and learn more about the GI Research Foundation's support of clinical and laboratory research to treat, prevent, and cure digestive diseases, please visit www.giresearchfoundation.org. Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and everywhere else you listen.

Featuring: Tenzin Choden, MD, University of Chicago MedicineThe GI Research Foundation produced this podcast with a sponsorship from Metro Infusion Center.As we age, we naturally lose muscle mass — a condition known as sarcopenia. But for people living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), muscle loss can be more severe and may even impact treatment outcomes.In this episode, we sit down with Tenzin Choden, MD, board-certified gastroenterologist and clinical researcher at UChicago Medicine, to explore the connection between sarcopenia and IBD. We discuss why muscle health matters in digestive disease and whether a promising, noninvasive technology — intestinal ultrasound, funded by the GI Research Foundation — could help clinicians better measure and monitor sarcopenia in patients.Could this approach transform how we care for people living with IBD? Tune in to learn more.To access other episodes of Visceral: Listen to Your Gut and learn more about the GI Research Foundation’s support of clinical and laboratory research to treat, prevent, and cure digestive diseases, please visit https://www.giresearchfoundation.org/.Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and everywhere else you listen.

Featuring: Tenzin Choden, MD, University of Chicago Medicine The GI Research Foundation was able to produce this podcast with a sponsorship from Metro Infusion Center. In this episode, Tenzin Choden, MD, a board-certified gastroenterologist and clinical researcher at UChicago Medicine, shares her 2025 Annual Grant Cycle Award study investigating how IBD uniquely impacts older adults, who represent 30% of the overall IBD population and 10-15% of new diagnoses. To access other episodes of Visceral: Listen to Your Gut and learn more about the GI Research Foundation’s support of clinical and laboratory research to treat, prevent, and cure digestive diseases, please visit https://www.giresearchfoundation.org/. Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and everywhere else you listen.

Featuring: Emma Levine, MD, University of Chicago MedicineThe GI Research Foundation was able to produce this podcast with a sponsorship from Metro Infusion Center.In this episode, Dr. Levine, a current fellow with The University of Chicago Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition Fellowship training program, shares her 2025 GI Research Foundation Young Investigator Awards study on the reciprocal relationship between sleep and inflammation in IBD. We talk about why poor sleep is so common in people with IBD and how it can worsen disease activity—even when symptoms seem under control. Dr. Levine explains how her team is using metabolomics to uncover biomarkers that link sleep and inflammation, and why mindfulness-based approaches like yoga nidra and gut-directed hypnotherapy could be game-changers. It’s a fascinating look at how improving sleep might become a safe, non-drug strategy to help manage IBD.To access other episodes of Visceral: Listen to Your Gut and learn more about the GI Research Foundation’s support of clinical and laboratory research to treat, prevent, and cure digestive diseases, please visit https://www.giresearchfoundation.org/.Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and everywhere else you listen.

Featuring: Candace Cham, PhD, University of Chicago MedicineThe GI Research Foundation was able to produce this podcast with sponsorships from Metro Infusion Center.Dr. Cham is an immunologist and chief investigator for the Chang Lab at the University of Chicago. She received a 2025 Annual Grant Cycle award from the GI Research Foundation for a study testing whether adding a fiber supplement called inulin can improve gut health—even while eating a typical Western diet—by restoring healthy gut bacteria and tracking changes using a new gut health scoring tool.To access other episodes of Visceral: Listen to Your Gut and learn more about the GI Research Foundation’s support of clinical and laboratory research to treat, prevent, and cure digestive diseases, please visit https://www.giresearchfoundation.org/.Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and everywhere else you listen.

Featuring: David T. Rubin, MD, University of Chicago MedicineThe GI Research Foundation was able to produce this podcast with sponsorships from Metro Infusion Center.David T. Rubin, MD, Joseph B. Kirsner Professor of Medicine and Chief of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at the University of Chicago Medicine, explores the top ten challenges faced by people with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. He shares how health care providers and researchers are working to overcome these obstacles and improve patients’ lives.To access other episodes of Visceral: Listen to Your Gut and learn more about the GI Research Foundation’s support of clinical and laboratory research to treat, prevent, and cure digestive diseases, please visit https://www.giresearchfoundation.org/.Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and everywhere else you listen.

Featuring: David T. Rubin, MD, University of Chicago MedicineThe GI Research Foundation was able to produce this podcast with sponsorships from Metro Infusion Center.David T. Rubin, MD, Joseph B. Kirsner Professor of Medicine and Chief of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at the University of Chicago Medicine, explores the top ten challenges faced by people with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. He shares how health care providers and researchers are working to overcome these obstacles and improve patients’ lives.To access other episodes of Visceral: Listen to Your Gut and learn more about the GI Research Foundation’s support of clinical and laboratory research to treat, prevent, and cure digestive diseases, please visit https://www.giresearchfoundation.org/.Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and everywhere else you listen.

Featuring: David T. Rubin, MD, University of Chicago Medicine The GI Research Foundation was able to produce this podcast with sponsorships from Metro Infusion Center. David T. Rubin, MD, Joseph B. Kirsner Professor of Medicine and Chief of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at the University of Chicago Medicine, explores challenges 6-10 of the top ten faced by people with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. He explains how providers and researchers are working to overcome these challenges and improve care for patients. To access other episodes of Visceral: Listen to Your Gut and learn more about the GI Research Foundation’s support of clinical and laboratory research to treat, prevent, and cure digestive diseases, please visit https://www.giresearchfoundation.org/. Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and everywhere else you listen.

Featuring: David T. Rubin, MD, University of Chicago Medicine The GI Research Foundation was able to produce this podcast with sponsorships from Metro Infusion Center. David T. Rubin, MD, Joseph B. Kirsner Professor of Medicine and Chief of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at the University of Chicago Medicine, explores challenges 1–5 of the top ten faced by people with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. He shares how health care providers and researchers are working to overcome these obstacles and improve patients’ lives. To access other episodes of Visceral: Listen to Your Gut and learn more about the GI Research Foundation’s support of clinical and laboratory research to treat, prevent, and cure digestive diseases, please visit https://www.giresearchfoundation.org/. Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and everywhere else you listen.

Featuring: Jeffrey Nathanson, M.D., Comprehensive Gastrointestinal HealthThe GI Research Foundation was able to produce this podcast with sponsorships from AbbVie and Metro Infusion Center.In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Jeffrey Nathanson, partner and gastroenterologist at Comprehensive Gastrointestinal Health in Northbrook, Illinois. We explore bowel frequency—what is “normal” and when it may be time to consult a physician. To access other episodes of Visceral: Listen to Your Gut and learn more about the GI Research Foundation’s support of clinical and laboratory research to treat, prevent, and cure digestive diseases, please visit https://www.giresearchfoundation.org/. Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and everywhere else you listen.