1994 - 2004
The UNC Center for Functional GI & Motility Disorders is a multidisciplinary patient care, research, training, and public education initiative dedicated to the understanding and treatment of patients with functional GI and motility disorders (FGID). The Center was established in 1994 by its co-directors, Dr. Douglas A. Drossman, MD, and Dr. William E. Whitehead, PhD. It is a center of excellence within the Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology , School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The integration of patient care by gastroenterologists and psychologists in our Functional GI Clinic with a state-of-the-art Motility Lab places the Center at the forefront of patient evaluation and treatment for functional GI and motility disorders. The Center functions as a tertiary treatment center and receives referrals from gastroenterologists throughout the United States.
The Center's unique research program provides opportunities for Center faculty, investigators and collaborators to develop and pursue new areas of research in the field of FGID. Center associates have developed innovative technologies, such as Internet-based questionnaire research and a network of collaborators at other institutions across the United States and around the world. Through their leadership roles and activities in other organizations - such as The Rome Foundation, Functional Brain-Gut Research Group (FBG), International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders (IFFGD), and AGA Motility Nerve-Gut Interactions Section - the Center's co-directors play a significant role in defining the research agenda for the whole field of functional GI and motility disorders.
The Center has an excellent program for training postdoctoral fellows as well as a unique program for individualized and highly specific learning opportunities for advanced scholars, physicians and scientists who visit the Center for a couple of days, a week or two, or even longer periods of time. Drs. Whitehead and Drossman have also created a preceptorship for pharmaceutical representatives (primarily medical liaisons), to provide a thorough grounding in the epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of FGIDs, as well as training in the interpersonal aspects of working with patients and communicating with physicians.
Finally, the Center's education programs target patients and their family and friends, health care professionals at all levels, and the public at large. The Center promotes increased awareness and understanding of FGIDs through symposia, printed materials, videos, and its website www.med.unc.edu/ibs.
The UNC Center for Functional GI & Motility Disorders is a multidisciplinary patient care, research, training, and public education initiative dedicated to the understanding and treatment of patients with functional GI and motility disorders (FGID). The Center was established in 1994 by its co-directors, Dr. Douglas A. Drossman, MD, and Dr. William E. Whitehead, PhD. It is a center of excellence within the Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology , School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The integration of patient care by gastroenterologists and psychologists in our Functional GI Clinic with a state-of-the-art Motility Lab places the Center at the forefront of patient evaluation and treatment for functional GI and motility disorders. The Center functions as a tertiary treatment center and receives referrals from gastroenterologists throughout the United States.
The Center's unique research program provides opportunities for Center faculty, investigators and collaborators to develop and pursue new areas of research in the field of FGID. Center associates have developed innovative technologies, such as Internet-based questionnaire research and a network of collaborators at other institutions across the United States and around the world. Through their leadership roles and activities in other organizations - such as The Rome Foundation, Functional Brain-Gut Research Group (FBG), International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders (IFFGD), and AGA Motility Nerve-Gut Interactions Section - the Center's co-directors play a significant role in defining the research agenda for the whole field of functional GI and motility disorders.
The Center has an excellent program for training postdoctoral fellows as well as a unique program for individualized and highly specific learning opportunities for advanced scholars, physicians and scientists who visit the Center for a couple of days, a week or two, or even longer periods of time. Drs. Whitehead and Drossman have also created a preceptorship for pharmaceutical representatives (primarily medical liaisons), to provide a thorough grounding in the epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of FGIDs, as well as training in the interpersonal aspects of working with patients and communicating with physicians.
Finally, the Center's education programs target patients and their family and friends, health care professionals at all levels, and the public at large. The Center promotes increased awareness and understanding of FGIDs through symposia, printed materials, videos, and its website www.med.unc.edu/ibs.
