Dr. Wershil’s website
Dr. Wershil is the Director of the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago,
a Professor of Pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and Co-Director of the EGID Program at Lurie Children’s. He graduated
with Honors from Washington University in St. Louis, and matriculated at Washington University School of Medicine. He then began a Clinical and Research
fellowship in the Combined Program in Pediatric Gastroenterology at Harvard Medical School led by Dr. W. Allan Walker. As a research fellow, he worked
under the mentorship of Dr. Stephen Galli, where he developed a novel in vivo system to analyze mast cell function. After completion of his fellowship, he
joined the faculty at Harvard Medical School. His research focused on mast cell and eosinophil participation in inflammatory and allergy reactions in the
gastrointestinal tract. He moved to become the Vice Chairman of Pediatrics for Research and Education at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, where
he led the growth of the research enterprise for the Department of Pediatrics. He then became the Director of the Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology at
The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore and Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He is now the Director of the Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology,
Hepatology, and Nutrition at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago and Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University. He is
also the Co-Director of the Eosinophilic Esophagitis Program at the Hospital and Co-Director of the Pediatric GI Fellowship at the Medical School. He has
helped to build the Division into a leading clinical research program, which is now ranked in the top 10 Pediatric GI programs in the country.
Dr. Wershil’s laboratory focuses on mast cell/nerve interactions in the gut, and the pathogenesis of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). This group has
developed specific and novel animal models for the analysis of mast cell function in experimental gastrointestinal inflammatory and allergic reactions.
He is also active in clinical research investigating biomarkers of EoE, as well as new drugs and dietary approaches to treat the disease. Dr. Wershil is an
elected member of the Society of Pediatric Research. He has over 90 original publications. He has served on various review panels for journals and grant
agencies including the NIH, CCFA, NASPGHAN, and APFED. He has been an Associate Editor of the Journal of Immunology, World Journal of Gastroenterology, and
the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition. He is one of the original members of the International Gastrointestinal Eosinophil Researchers
(TIGERs). His research has been supported by the NIH, Glaxo Smith Kline, and the American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders (APFED). He has trained
both clinical and research investigators in his laboratory and through the training programs at the institutions where he has served as a leader.