09/13/2023
Dr. Thad Stappenbeck awarded Sherman Prize for contributions to IBD research and patient care
Thad Stappenbeck, MD, PhD, has been awarded the prestigious Sherman Prize in recognition of his exceptional and pioneering contributions to transform medical care for people with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, also known as Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). The Sherman Prize is awarded to three individuals annually by The Bruce and Cynthia Sherman Charitable Foundation.
“I’m extremely thankful to be recognized by the Sherman Charitable Foundation for research that integrates both patient-facing and lab-facing approaches toward improving the health and well-being of IBD patients,” says Dr. Stappenbeck, Chair of the Department of Inflammation & Immunity at Cleveland Clinic’s Lerner Research Institute. “Our goal is to transform laboratory discoveries into new diagnostic testing, therapies and prevention measures for millions of patients suffering from inflammatory intestinal disease.”
“We are proud to honor Dr. Stappenbeck with a Sherman Prize for his groundbreaking work to discover underlying causes of IBD and unlocking new treatment approaches” said Claudia Kahn, Director of the Sherman Prize. “Dr. Stappenbeck has built bridges and collaborated with colleagues across the fields of medicine, biology and technology fostering scientific breakthroughs, pushing the boundaries of science and medicine that are leading to more effective treatments and improving the quality of life of people living with IBD.”
Dr. Stappenbeck’s research focuses on determining the root causes of chronic inflammatory and infectious diseases with the goal of developing new therapies and prevention strategies for susceptible individuals. He has developed predictive diagnostics and early-stage therapeutics for inflammatory bowel disease and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. He has also determined mechanisms for the effects of intestinal microbes on repair and prevention of infection, discovered microbes that inhibit proper regeneration and created a cell culture system for human intestinal stem cells that is used by labs around the world.
Dr. Stappenbeck joined Cleveland Clinic in 2019. He is the founder of Mobius Care, Inc., a company that is devoted to developing personized care for inflammatory bowel disease.
Dr. Stappenbeck serves on scientific advisory boards for Science Immunology and Gastroenterology, as well as several companies focused on inflammatory bowel diseases. He has published over 170 articles in high impact journals, while successfully training numerous physician-scientists and scientists and encouraging them to study inflammatory and infectious disease.
Dr. Stappenbeck received his B.A as a member of the Integrated Science Program at Northwestern University, as well as his MD and PhD from Northwestern University Medical School.
