Professor of Medicine and Surgery, Director—Northwestern Neurogastromotility and Interdisciplinary Bowel Dysfunction Programs, Northwestern University—Feinberg School of Medicine
Dr. Brenner is a Professor of Medicine and Surgery in the Division of Gastroenterology at Northwestern University and serves as Director of the Neurogastromotility and Interdisciplinary Bowel Dysfunction programs. He has published more than 175 articles, abstracts, and book chapters on disorders of gut brain interactions and is a member of the board of directors for the International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders, on the Rome Foundation committee on clinical trial design, and serves or has served on multiple AGA and ACG committees including research, education, and digital publications and communications. He is the current ACG Governor for the State of Illinois. Dr. Brenner is a fellow of the American College of Gastroenterology, American Gastroenterological Association, and Rome Foundations. He has been appointed to the peer perspective board of Helio Gastroenterology and has been named to the Healio 200 top innovators in gastroenterology and hepatology and Best Doctors in America lists. In his free time, Dr. Brenner is an avid practitioner of Shotokan karate and holds a 3rd degree black belt in this art.
Christopher V. Almario, MD, MSHPM
Assistant Professor of Medicine and Health Services Research Scientist in the Karsh Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology and Division of Health Services Research at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA.
Dr. Almario earned his MD at Jefferson Medical College and then completed his internal medicine and gastroenterology training at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and UCLA, respectively. During his fellowship training, he also earned an MS in Health Policy and Management through the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health.
Dr. Almario’s research is focused on developing and validating innovative, scalable, evidence-based technologies that support patients and clinicians in making shared decisions that improve health and reduce costs. He has also conducted studies that examined racial/ethnic disparities in colorectal cancer screening as well as the epidemiology and burden of illness of functional gastrointestinal disorders (e.g., irritable bowel syndrome, chronic idiopathic constipation, functional heartburn). Dr. Almario’s work has been published in high-impact journals such as Gastroenterology, American Journal of Gastroenterology, Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology, and Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. He has also received funding from the National Institutes of Health, American College of Gastroenterology, American Gastroenterological Association, and Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, among others.
Bojana Jankovic Weatherly MD FACP MSc IFMCP
Founder and CEO BOJANA MD
Dr. Bojana Jankovic Weatherly is an award-winning physician, double board certified in internal and integrative medicine, a Fellow of American College of Physicians and certified in Functional Medicine by the Institute of Functional Medicine. Her medical practice serves patients in New York, California, Connecticut, New Jersey and Florida, via telehealth and in office visits in NYC. After completing internal medicine residency, she practiced primary care and did a fellowship in integrative medicine, trained in functional medicine, nutrition and mindfulness.
Her approach is rooted in evidence-based medicine that is personalized to each individual she works with. She partners with her patients to discover and address the root causes of their conditions and develops individualized plans to support and empower each unique individual to achieve her or his health goals. Some of the common conditions she encounters in her practice are IBS and SIBO. She consults startup companies in the health and wellness space, teaches at the University of Arizona Integrative Medicine Fellowship Program and mentors physicians. As part of her mission to deliver accessible, evidence-based health and wellness information, she created her website, drbojana.com, that features her videos, webinars, articles and recipes.
Anthony Hobson MPhil PhD
Clinical Director – The Functional Gut Clinic – UK / Founder – Tummy MOT
Anthony is an internationally renowned Clinical GI Scientist. He did his initial training at the University of Manchester, graduating in 1999 with an MPhil in Clinical Physiology and subsequently with a PhD in 2003.
Since then, he has built wide-ranging experience across the NHS and private healthcare sectors, as well as in academia and the pharmaceutical industry, assessing gut function from top to bottom. This spans conditions such as gastro-oesophageal reflux disease, gastroparesis, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and pelvic floor disorders.
Anthony’s industry experience includes designing and implementing clinical trials to test experimental approaches and innovative treatments in conditions such gastro-oesophageal reflux disease and IBS, areas in which he has a particular interest.
His vision is that the highest-quality gastrointestinal physiology testing should be available to all patients. That’s why in addition to three static clinics in London, Cambridge and Manchester he has pioneered the use of mobile physiology services now supporting over 20 NHS hospitals around the UK.
