The Rome Foundation Douglas Drossman Award for Communication and Patient Centered Care in DGBI
The Rome Foundation Douglas Drossman Award for Communication and Patient-Centered Care in DGBI
This annual award of $7,500 will be given to a provider in the field of DGBI who has achieved excellence in communication skills and patient-centered care through clinical practice, teaching, and mentoring. This named award recognizes Dr. Drossman’s lifetime commitment to work in the area of communication.
Applicants can be nominated or can self-nominate and must meet the following criteria:
- Completed an MD/PhD/PsyD at least 10 years ago
- Active in clinical work and teaching (institutionally, clinical practice or externally within societies)
- Maintain active clinical work at least 30% of the time
- Achieved recognition locally, institutionally, regionally, or nationally for skills in teaching and communication skills.
Award will be given at Rome Foundation’s Annual Reception at DDW 2026.
Award Amount: $7,500
Application Opens: Sept 20, 2025
Closing date: January 31, 2026
If you have any questions, please contact Mauricio Rojas at mr****@***************on.org.
Olga Aroniadis, MD, MSc, FACG (2025 Award Winner)
Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology
Stony Brook University Hospital
Olga Aroniadis, MD, MSc, FACG, is Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Stony Brook University Hospital. She is also the Svetlane Koroleva Endowed Professor in Gastroenterology. Dr. Aroniadis’ clinical practice is largely centered around disorders of gut-brain interaction and gastrointestinal health as it relates to women. Her research interests include studying the influence of patient-perceived stigma on patient engagement and healthcare utilization among patients with disorders of gut-brain interaction; and the effects microbial therapeutics of gastrointestinal diseases, both irritable bowel syndrome and C. difficile infection. Dr. Aroniadis is a practicing clinician and educator in the Department of Medicine. As a clinician and educator, she strives to deliver exceptional patient care to patients with a variety of gastrointestinal diseases and is dedicated to teaching and mentoring medical students, residents and fellows.
Albena Halpert, MD ( 2024 Award Winner)
Harvard University, Health Services
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Adjunct Professor of Medicine
Boston University.
Dr. Halpert’s clinical practice consists primarily of patients with complicated functional bowel disorders. Her main research interests include studying the patient perspective, patient educational needs, and how to provide effective patient education, as well as the physician-patient relationship/ communication. Dr. Halpert has presented her research findings at national gastroenterology meetings and has published numerous manuscripts and several book chapters, and is the current co-chair of the Rome V Chapter on The Patient Perspective, Sex, Gender, Race, and Social Determinants of Health. She co-facilitates training on patient-physician communication with the Rome Foundation and Drossman Care. She has received several awards, among which is the American College of Gastroenterology Clinical Investigator Research Award, and is sought after as a speaker on the patient-provider relationship..
Lin Chang, MD (2023 Award Winner)
Professor of Medicine
Oppenheimer Center for Neurobiology of Stress
Division of Digestive Diseases
David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA, USA
Lin Chang, MD, is a Professor of Medicine and Vice-Chief of the Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases, Department of Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. She serves as the Co-Director of the G Oppenheimer Center for Neurobiology of Stress and Resilience (CNSR), Director of the Walter and Shirley Wang Center for Integrative Digestive Health, and Director of the Clinical Studies and Database Core of the Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center (GLMC) at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. The CNSR and GLMC are integrated centers that are interdisciplinary research and education organizations, dedicated to the study of brain-body interactions and the microbiome in health and disease. She is also Program Director of the UCLA Gastroenterology Fellowship Program. The Wang Center for Integrative Digestive Health is an interdisciplinary clinical and research program for patients with digestive disorders. Dr. Chang’s clinical expertise is in disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBI), specifically irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), chronic constipation and chronic abdominal pain. Her research focuses on brain-gut interactions underlying IBS and is funded by the NIH, foundation, industry, and philanthropy. Specifically, her research studies the pathophysiology of IBS related to stress, early-life adversity, sex differences, genetic and epigenetic factors, the gut microbiome, and IBS treatment.
Dr. Chang is the recipient of the Janssen Award in Gastroenterology for Basic or Clinical Research, the AGA Distinguished Clinician Award, AGA Distinguished Educator Award, AGA Neurogastroenterology Section Research Mentor Award. She is the Past-President of the American Neurogastroenterology and Motility Society (ANMS). She serves on the Rome V Editorial Board as well as the liaison for three Rome IV committees: 1) Bowel Disorders, 2) Patient experience, Gender, Age, and Social Determinants of Health; and 3) Treatment Trials committees. Dr. Chang is a fellow of the American Gastroenterological Association and American College of Gastroenterology. She serves as Associate Editor of Gastroenterology. Dr. Chang is a member of the FDA Gl Drug Advisory Committee. She has authored more than 200 original research articles, 75 review articles, and 30 book chapters on her specialty interests.
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