Today, May 19^th, and every day, our focus at Janssen Immunology remains on advancing the science and understanding of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) with patients at the forefront.

As a gastroenterologist who practiced for more than 25 years, I had the privilege of working with many people living with IBD and have seen firsthand the challenges they face daily.  This was a deeply moving experience that continues to motivate me and drives me and our team to make meaningful contributions to the lives of patients and their families.

Having worked at Janssen Immunology for more than four years, I’m truly inspired by our team’s passion and dedication to developing transformational breakthroughs for the five million people and counting that live with IBD – Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis – worldwide. 

We challenge ourselves to think differently to develop solutions that may intercept, prevent and cure IBD in our lifetime.  We listen to patients, and in fact assembled a Patient Scientific Advisory Board, and hear their desire for therapies that are convenient, safe and fundamentally alter the course of their disease.  We are taking deeper dives into our research to increase our understanding of genetic risks, the microbiome and the immune system.  We are constantly assessing how best to conduct clinical trials and use real world evidence to develop better health outcomes.  We are looking at every piece of the puzzle that goes into better treating, preventing and curing IBD. 

At Janssen Immunology, patients and their needs come first. However, we acknowledge that we alone cannot satisfy the glaring unmet needs that exist for so many.  Science is advancing at rapid speeds and to stay ahead, we have developed strong relationships with academic scientists and innovative biotech companies. Some of the best in the world are collaborating with us to help create next generation breakthroughs for patients. I have no doubt that together we will win.

This World IBD Day, I am proud to be part of a passionate team dedicated to addressing these complex diseases for the millions of people around the world whose lives have changed because of a diagnosis of IBD.  Today and every day we are dedicated to creating a world free from immune diseases.