Mount Sinai’s Jean-Frédéric Colombel, MD, to Deliver the 31st Anatomy Lesson in Amsterdam, Highlighting Global Efforts to Prevent and Cure Crohn’s Disease
In a high honor, Jean-Frédéric Colombel, MD, a leading inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) expert at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, will deliver the 31st Anatomy Lesson on Thursday, November 20, at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. His lecture, “Tackling the Growing Problem of Immune Diseases—Crohn’s Disease as an Example,” will explore Mount Sinai’s pioneering work in the early detection, prevention, and treatment of IBD.
The Anatomy Lesson, an annual public lecture organized by Amsterdam UMC, invites leading international physicians and researchers to reflect on medicine’s evolving relationship with society. Dr. Colombel’s presentation will highlight how Mount Sinai and international collaborators are moving closer to the long-sought goal of preventing immune diseases before they begin.
Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis—debilitating inflammatory bowel disorders that often strike people in their 20s and 30s—can upend young lives just as careers, families, and relationships begin to form. Dr. Colombel has dedicated nearly five decades to restoring quality of life for these patients while pursuing the goal of discovering the cause of Crohn’s disease and, ultimately, a cure.
Dr. Colombel is Professor of Medicine (Gastroenterology) and Director of the Susan and Leonard Feinstein Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinical Center at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He is internationally recognized for his discoveries that have reshaped how clinicians understand and diagnose IBD. His research has revealed early disease biomarkers such as the ASCA blood test, identified genetic drivers including the NOD2 mutation, and characterized disease-associated gut bacteria. These findings allow physicians to identify patients at increased risk of IBD—even before symptoms develop—and to intervene earlier with personalized care strategies.
“The earlier we can detect inflammation and intervene, the greater our chances of altering the course of disease and preserving a patient’s life plans,” said Dr. Colombel. “At Mount Sinai, we are driven by one mission: to give our patients their lives back—not just through medication or surgery, but by finding and addressing the root causes of IBD.”
Dr. Colombel’s current collaborations include INTERCEPT, a large European study on the early prediction and prevention of Crohn’s disease, and work with the U.S. Department of Defense Serum Repository, which houses more than 80 million blood samples. These studies aim to identify biological “signatures” years before clinical onset—potentially transforming how autoimmune and inflammatory diseases such as IBD, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis are managed.
“Jean-Frédéric Colombel has advanced the field of gastroenterology through relentless curiosity and compassion for his patients,” said Bruce E. Sands, MD, MS, Chief of the Dr. Henry D. Janowitz Division of Gastroenterology at Mount Sinai. “His leadership in early detection, precision medicine, and translational research continues to shape our understanding of Crohn’s disease and drives innovation across our entire digestive health enterprise.”
Mount Sinai’s Feinstein IBD Center, one of the largest and most comprehensive programs of its kind, has become a global hub for IBD research, patient care, and clinical innovation. The Center’s multidisciplinary teams integrate advanced genomics, microbiome analysis, and digital health data to develop personalized treatment approaches that improve remission rates and long-term outcomes.
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Mount Sinai Health System is one of the largest academic medical systems in the New York metro area, with 48,000 employees working across seven hospitals, more than 400 outpatient practices, more than 600 research and clinical labs, a school of nursing, and a leading school of medicine and graduate education. Mount Sinai advances health for all people, everywhere, by taking on the most complex health care challenges of our time—discovering and applying new scientific learning and knowledge; developing safer, more effective treatments; educating the next generation of medical leaders and innovators; and supporting local communities by delivering high-quality care to all who need it.
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