Dr. Vivian Huang MSc MD FRCPC is an Associate Professor and Clinician investigator in the Division of Gastroenterology at Mount Sinai Hospital and the University of Toronto. Dr. Huang completed medical school and Internal Medicine residency at Queen’s University, followed by a gastroenterology fellowship at the University of Toronto, and an Advanced IBD fellowship at the University of Alberta. She practices P4 (predictive, preventive, personalized, participatory) medicine to optimize maternal, fetal and neonatal outcomes in IBD through clinical innovations in patient and physician education, and e-health strategies. She developed the Northern Alberta Preconception and Pregnancy in IBD clinical research program and the Mount Sinai Hospital Preconception and Pregnancy in IBD clinical research program in Ontario. She also created the Multidisciplinary Care in IBD (MCIBD) CME program for clinicians who care for people with IBD. She received the Crohn’s and Colitis Canada and Pfizer Canada Women in IBD: Emerging Researchers Award in 2020 and the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology Young Scholar in Quality Innovation Award in 2023 for her work in Pregnancy and IBD management and education. She is lead author or co-author of over 60 research articles and 2 book chapters, and is one of 2 Canadian committee members of the upcoming Global Consensus Conference: Pregnancy and IBD.
Dr. Cynthia Maxwell MD FRCSC DABOM (Obesity Medicine) is a Maternal Fetal Medicine Specialist and Division Head at Mount Sinai Hospital and Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at University of Toronto. Her clinical and research interests center on medical disorders of pregnancy, with a focus on pregnancy affected by Inflammatory bowel disease and gastrointestinal conditions. Dr. Maxwell is a member of the Provincial Council on Maternal and Child Health – serving on the Maternal and Neonatal Committee (MNC – MFM Lead) and the Maternal-Child Transport Advisory Committee (M-CTAC – MFM ex officio member). She serves as a Member of the Executive Committee of the Southern Ontario Obstetrical Network (SOON), representing Sinai Health System.
More information about the Special Pregnancy Program at Mount Sinai Hospital can be found at http://womensandinfantshealth.ca/
Dr. Parul Tandon MD, PhD, FRCPC is a staff gastroenterologist and inflammatory bowel diseases specialist at the University Health Network. He completed his internal medicine training at the University of Ottawa and adult gastroenterology residency at the University of Toronto. Dr. Tandon is a Clinician Scientist and Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto. His research interests include the care of IBD in racial and ethnic minorities as well as access to care for women with IBD during preconception and pregnancy, and for infants born to women with IBD in the first years of life.
@ptandonGI
Katie O’Connor is the program’s research assistant. She completed her Masters of Science with a focus on nutrition at University of Guelph before joining the PregIBD team and keeping the research studies running.
Varun Srikanth is the program’s part time research assistant.
Gajuna Mathiyalagan is the program’s casual part time research assistant. She completed her Masters of Science in Nutrition at the University of Guelph and is now pursuing further education in public health with an interest in disease prevention. Joining the PregIBD team in 2021, Gajuna is supporting ongoing studies within the research program.
Dr. Richard You Wu is a Gastroenterology resident at the University of Toronto. He previously completed MD/PhD training at University of Toronto where he studied the effects of prebiotics on intestinal microbiota and the intestinal barrier function in animal models of IBD and NEC. He is currently studying neonatal outcomes of active disease flare-up in women with IBD. His recent abstract was awarded ePoster of Distinction at CDDW, and he was previously a Vanier scholar. Dr. Wu is studying breast milk composition in women with IBD.
@RichardYouWu2
Sarah House is a resident at the University of Toronto. She is investigating the impact of J-pouch surgery on pregnancy outcomes in women with IBD.
Serena Perera is one of the program’s student researchers. She is currently a resident at the University of Toronto.
Dr. Grace Wang is a Gastroenterology resident the University of Toronto. She is interested in improving patient education, shared decision-making, and quality of life for reproductive-aged women with inflammatory bowel diseases. She is also examining the impact of a multidisciplinary care clinic for preconception and pregnant women with IBD.
@gracewang_ca
Rohit Jogendran is a medical student at the University of Toronto.
Derek Nguyen is a student who has joined to help the team with the research studies. His study looks at gestational weight gain in pregnancy in women with IBD.
