Gerard Honig, PhD

Dr. Gerard Honig is Director of Research Innovation at the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, a patient advocacy organization and leading funder of research in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). He launched and currently manages a venture philanthropy fund, IBD Ventures, focused on investing in investigational products with potential to address the critical unmet needs of patients with IBD. He also is responsible for advancing biomarkers and precision medicine solutions in the IBD field through internal and external research programs and consortium activities, including serving as co-chair for the Mucosal Healing project team of the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) Biomarkers Consortium and leading the development of a prognostic test for pediatric Crohn’s in partnership with LifeArc.

Gerard received his PhD in neuroscience at the University of California San Francisco as a fellow of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and subsequently trained in immunology and microbiome research. In 2013, Gerard developed and implemented a novel clinical-stage therapeutic modality for the treatment of C. difficile infection; he subsequently launched a biotechnology company focused on the development of novel drug delivery systems for gastrointestinal diseases. Gerard serves on numerous boards and committees, including the board of directors and scientific advisory committee of the Peggy Lillis Foundation; the steering committee for the AGA Fecal Microbiota Transplantation National Registry; the Health Research Alliance Program Committee and the mentorship committee for Entrepreneurship Lab NYC. In his spare time, Gerard enjoys Japanese martial arts, kayaking, and cooking.