Gregory F. Sonnenberg, PhD Appointed Director of the UCLA Center for Research in Inflammatory Bowel Disease
It is with great enthusiasm that we announce that Gregory F. Sonnenberg, PhD, has accepted the appointment as director of the UCLA Center for Research in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) within the UCLA Department of Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine. The center will be housed within the UCLA Vatche & Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases and will serve as a hub for innovative research aimed at advancing our understanding of inflammatory bowel disease and related immune-mediated disorders.
“It is a tremendous honor to join UCLA’s distinguished department of medicine and the Vatche & Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases. As director of the UCLA Center for Research in IBD, I look forward to building a unique, world-class, collaborative and highly innovative research enterprise that advances fundamental discoveries in mucosal immunology, the gut microbiota, gastrointestinal health and the treatment of related diseases,” states Dr. Sonnenberg.
Dr. Sonnenberg joins the department of medicine from Weill Cornell Medicine, where he serves as the Henry R. Erle, MD Roberts Family Professor of Medicine, associate vice chair for research in medicine, head of basic research in the division of gastroenterology and hepatology, and interim director of the Jill Roberts Institute for Research in Inflammatory Bowel Disease. He completed his doctoral research training at the University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine.
A leading authority in mucosal immunology and inflammatory bowel disease research, Dr. Sonnenberg has made pioneering contributions to understanding how the immune system interacts with the microbiome to maintain intestinal health and prevent disease. His laboratory has been at the forefront of defining the cellular and molecular pathways that regulate immune tolerance, inflammation and tissue repair in the gastrointestinal tract. His discoveries have fundamentally advanced our understanding of inflammatory bowel disease, host-microbe interactions, cancer immunology and mucosal immunity, resulting in landmark publications in Nature, Science, Cell, Immunity and other leading scientific journals.
In addition to his scientific accomplishments, Dr. Sonnenberg is widely recognized for his commitment to collaboration, mentorship and scientific leadership. His research program has received sustained support from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and major foundations and he has been honored with numerous prestigious awards, including the NIH Director's Early Independence Award, the Searle Scholars Award, the Society for Mucosal Immunology Young Investigator Award, the American Association of Immunologists BD Biosciences Investigator Award and an NIH MERIT Award.
“I am pleased to welcome Dr. Sonnenberg to this important role in the UCLA Division of Digestive Diseases and the UCLA Department of Medicine. As a leading clinical program in inflammatory bowel disorders, we are committed to pairing clinical excellence with an exceptional research enterprise focused on advancing fundamental and applied research that will advance our understanding of IBD pathogenesis. Dr. Sonnenberg’s innovative approach will undoubtedly place us at the forefront of mucosal immunology research and provide a hub for training the next generation of investigators in this area,” shares E. Dale Abel, MD, PhD, chair and executive medical director, UCLA Department of Medicine.
As director of the UCLA Center for Research in Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Dr. Sonnenberg will lead efforts to expand interdisciplinary collaboration across basic, translational and clinical research programs. The center will bring together investigators from across UCLA to accelerate discoveries in immunology, microbiome science and digestive diseases while fostering innovative approaches to the prevention and treatment of inflammatory bowel disease.
“Dr. Sonnenberg’s arrival will mark a new milestone for research in inflammatory bowel diseases and basic science research in digestive diseases at UCLA. Combined with our growing clinical IBD program, led by Dr. Jenny Sauk and other colleagues, we are building an integrated enterprise that combines basic science, translational and clinical research. The simultaneous recruitment of Dr. David Artis in a scientific leadership role further strengthens our vision and establishes a strong foundation for the future of immunology and digestive disease research at UCLA and the California Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy (CIII),” adds Eric Esrailian, MD, chief of the Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases, co-founder and president of the California Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy (CIII).
Dr. Sonnenberg's recruitment represents a major investment in the department of medicine’s growing strengths in immunology, microbiome science and digestive diseases research. We look forward to the leadership, innovation and scientific excellence he will bring to UCLA and to the many discoveries that will emerge from this new chapter.
Please join us in welcoming Dr. Sonnenberg to the UCLA Department of Medicine.
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