Principal Investigator: Livia Guadagnoli, PhD, Research Assistant Professor of Medicine (Gastroenterology and Hepatology), Northwestern Medicine, Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine

Co-Principal Investigators: Kathryn Tomasino, PhD; Anjali Pandit, PhD; Sara Hoffman-Marchese, PhD

The interplay between the brain and gut is becoming more and more apparent. Individuals with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) often experience depression and/or anxiety due to the chronic stress of living with their condition. If left untreated, mental health problems can worsen IBD symptoms, increase health care visits, and greatly reduce quality of life. Most IBD providers, though, lack the resources or training to effectively address their patients’ mental health needs.

The Northwestern Medicine Digestive Health Institute (DHI) recently took a major step to integrate mental  wellness into general IBD care management. In January 2025, DHI launched a new online screening tool via the electronic medical record system to automatically assess the emotional well-being of new IBD patients before their first visit. Awarded this year’s DHF grant, the researchers plan to evaluate the effectiveness of this innovative project before expanding it to a wider population of returning and hospitalized patients. The award will also fund a brief training video for IBD providers to assist them in discussing mental health issues with patients and fostering a safe and supportive environment. Research results could provide unprecedented tangible data on the occurrence of mental health conditions among the IBD patient population and offer hope for managing the impact of mental wellness on quality of life.