Scientific Advisory Board

Salvatore Alesci, MD, PhD, Beyond Celiac Chief Scientist and Strategy Officer (CSSO) and executive chair of the Scientific Advisory Council

As Executive Chair of the Beyond Celiac Scientific Advisory Council, Dr. Alesci will lead the organization’s science team and oversee the design and implementation of the scientific strategy and plan, with a particular focus on deepening partnerships with scientists, key opinion leaders, policymakers and influencers across pharmaceutical companies and academic and government institutions.

Ken Kilgore, PhD, MBA, Beyond Celiac Chief Scientific Investment Officer (CSIO)

Kilgore will identify and develop innovative funding models and administer the Beyond Celiac scientific grants program.

Bob Beall, PhD, Ad Hoc Advisory Member, Beyond Celiac board member and former president and CEO of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

Under Beall’s 21 years of leadership, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation applied innovative approaches to bring new therapies to patients. The life expectancy of those with cystic fibrosis rose dramatically and nearly 30 drugs were in development to treat all aspects of the disease, including its underlying cause.

Shayna Coburn, Ph.D., licensed psychologist in the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition at Children’s National Hospital and assistant professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences

Coburn is in charge of psychosocial services in the Celiac Disease Program, which offers consultations and empirically supported interventions to help families navigate the challenges of diagnosis and management of the gluten-free diet. She is also contributing to the local and national celiac disease community through her development of support and coping skills groups, educational programming, advocacy and research. Her areas of expertise include coping and resilience in families with chronic illness, improving dietary adherence and promoting positive and constructive doctor-patient communication.

Benjamin Lebwohl, MD, is director of clinical research at the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University

Lebwohl is an assistant professor of medicine and epidemiology and a practicing gastroenterologist at Columbia where he received his medical degree and was a fellow in digestive and liver disease, during which time he obtained a masters in patient-oriented research. He has published numerous studies related to celiac disease and currently serves as president of the Society for the Study of Celiac Disease.

Daniel Leffler, MD, director of research, Celiac Center at Beth Israel Deaconess, associate professor of medicine, Harvard Medical School, and medical director, Takeda Pharmaceuticals

Leffler is a practicing gastroenterologist and celiac disease expert. He has published numerous articles about celiac disease and participates in clinical and translational research. He has been the recipient of a career development grant from the NIH, as well as multiple foundation and industry-sponsored grants. He lectures nationally and internationally and co-authored the book Real Life with Celiac Disease. Troubleshooting and Thriving Gluten-Free.

Edwin Liu, MD, director of the Colorado Center for Celiac Disease at Children’s Hospital Colorado and professor of pediatrics, gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition, University of Colorado School of medicine

Liu is a practicing pediatric gastroenterologist at Children’s Hospital Colorado and a lead researcher of celiac disease in children. He recently published a study that showed an increase in prevalence in celiac disease in children and helped further understanding of celiac disease screening. Liu also studies the link between celiac disease and other autoimmune diseases, such as Type 1 diabetes.

Stephen Miller, PhD, director of the interdepartmental immunobiology center at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and research professor of microbiology-immunology

Miller is internationally recognized for his research on pathogenesis and regulation of autoimmune diseases. His work has enhanced understanding of the immune inflammatory processes underlying chronic autoimmune disease such as multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, and celiac disease and could lead to potential treatments for these and other autoimmune diseases.

Joseph Murray, MD, professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic and a gastroenterologist in the division of gastroenterology and hepatology, department of internal medicine

Murray is a practicing gastroenterologist and leading authority in celiac disease, having published more than 100 research articles. He focuses on clinical epidemiology of celiac disease, the role of genetics in predicting disease, the development of animal models for the disease and dermatitis herpetiformis. Murray also studies the complications of celiac disease, including small bowel cancer. His research has been funded by the NIH.

Kari Nadeau, MD, professor of pediatric food allergy, immunology and asthma and director of the Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy and Asthma Research, Stanford University

Nadeau is an expert in adult and pediatric allergy and asthma. Her research focuses on understanding the increased prevalence of allergies and asthma, improving diagnostics and the immunological mechanisms underlying these diseases. She was the first to successfully desensitize individuals to more than one allergy at a time using multi-allergen oral immunotherapy. She does clinical research to provide safe and effective therapeutic options for those with allergies and asthma.