Dr. Maria Abreu is an internationally renowned gastroenterologist and physician scientist specializing in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), with more than 20 years of leadership experience. She completed her medical degree at the University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine; postdoctoral training at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA; and a clinical and research fellowship in gastroenterology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She was an Associate Professor of Medicine with Mount Sinai School of Medicine, NYC and head of the IBD Center. She is currently Professor of Medicine and Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, and the Director of the Crohn’s and Colitis Center at the University of Miami Health System. Dr. Abreu was honored in 2018 with election to the Association of American Physicians (AAP), and prior to that the American Society for Clinical Investigation. In April 2018, Dr. Abreu received the Provost’s Award for Scholarly Activity. She was appointed in June 2018 to serve as the Vice Chair of Research for the Department of Medicine.
Dr. Abreu has held key positions in the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute, including Chair of the AGA Institute Council. Her most recent appointment: Chairperson of the
International Organization for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IOIBD), where she will serve from 2019-2022. Also, in 2019, she was elected as a new Councillor-at-Large of the AGA Governing Board for a term of three years.
Dr. Abreu’s research has focused on understanding how the immune system of the gut recognizes bacteria and the implications of this in IBD. She has led or actively participated in clinical trials, investigator-initiated studies, and genetic research in IBD. As a result of her interest in the emergence of IBD in Hispanic immigrants, the Abreu laboratory now studies diet and the impact on IBD, developing ways to improve adherence to diet in patients. Dr. Abreu received the 2016 Minority Digestive Health Care Award and the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation (CCF) Honorary Book of Hope Award in 2018.
Dr. Abreu speaks (in English and Spanish) at CME-accredited seminars and symposia on basic science and clinical topics all over the world. She has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed articles, books, chapters and reviews. Additionally, she has served as an editorial board member for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases and Gastroenterology & Hepatology News; former editor for the Journal of Immunology; former Associate Editor of the Journal of Crohn’s & Colitis; and a frequent reviewer for several other prestigious journals.
In 2019, Dr. Abreu received the Sherman Prize for Excellence in Crohn’s and Colitis.
