2013 Recipient

The American Journal of Gastroenterology LecturersThe American Journal of Gastroenterology lecture was established in 2003 to provide aforum for the Editors of the College’s flagship scientific publication to select a key scientifictopic for debate based on their evaluation of key controversies in clinical gastroenterology.2013 LecturerStephen M. Collins, MBBSThe Emerging Role of the Microbiome in the Pathogenesis andManagement of Inflammatory Bowel DiseaseDr. Collins obtained his medical training at London Universityin England where he later specialized in internal medicine. Hetrained in gastroenterology at McMaster University in Canadabefore completing 3 years of research training in cell biologyat the Digestive Diseases Branch, National Institutes of Health(NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland. He has been on staff at McMasterUniversity since 1981 where he was the Director of the IntestinalDiseases Research Unit from 1983-1993, and Head of the Divisionof Gastroenterology from 1993-2006.He is past president of the Canadian Association ofGastroenterology. His areas of interest include: the impact ofinflammation on gut function, neuron-immune interactions, and the role of commensalbacteria in health and disease. He has over 200 publications including papers in NatureMedicine, Lancet, JCI, Gastroenterology and Gut. He has received continuous CIHR fundingfor over 20 years, has been a member of the MRC Science & Research Committee, andchaired the CIHR Experimental Medicine grants review committee for 5 years. He has alsobeen an advisor to the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America and Chaired the StrategicInitiatives Committee for the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada. He is currentlyAssociate Dean for Research at the Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University andholds the title of Distinguished University Professor – the highest rank awarded by theUniversity.14