Newswise — Carlo Di Lorenzo, MD, chief of the Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology has been appointed President-elect of the North American Society for Pediatrics Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (NASPGHAN), the largest society in the world dedicated to serving pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition communities.

Dr. Di Lorenzo began his term as President-elect in October 2012 and will become President in October 2014 with a two-year term. In this role, he will lead more than 1,400 pediatric gastroenterologists in the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Mexico and eight provinces in Canada.

Founded in 1972, NASPGHAN was established to improve quality of care and health outcomes for children with disorders of the gastrointestinal tract and liver. This is to be accomplished by supporting research that advances understanding of these disorders, fostering the translation and dissemination of this knowledge into practice through scientific meetings, professional and public education, and policy development, and by serving as an effective voice for children, their families, and pediatric gastroenterologists throughout the world.

Dr. Di Lorenzo is also professor of Clinical Pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. He is one of the world’s most respected experts in the field of gastrointestinal motility and functional disorders in children. He has pioneered the use of manometry techniques in pediatrics and has been instrumental in the development of several novel therapeutic interventions for the treatment of children with motility disorders. He has also co-authored the only book on pediatric gastrointestinal motility and has published more than 170 peer-reviewed original articles and 80 chapters, invited reviews and editorials. Dr. Di Lorenzo has served on the Editorial Boards of the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition and the Journal of Neurogastroenterology and Motility. He has also functioned as a grant reviewer for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and as abstract reviewer for the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA).

As one of the “Best Doctors in America,” Dr. Di Lorenzo currently serves on the Council of the American Neurogastroenterology and Motility Society (ANMS) and is the Chair of the Growth, Development & Child Health (GDCH) Section of AGA. He has been a member of the Subboard of Pediatric Gastroenterology of the American Board of Pediatrics and a member of the Functional GI Disorders and Motility Disorders Working Group of the National Commission on Digestive Diseases (NCDD). Dr. Di Lorenzo chairs the IFFGD-sponsored Children’s GI Research Network, the only pediatric consortium aimed at studying functional gastrointestinal disorders in children. He has chaired the Rome III Child-Adolescent committee and currently chairs the Rome IV Child-Adolescent committee. He was awarded the Master Award in Gastroenterology for Basic or Clinical research in Gastroenterology by the AGA Institute. He is also a member of U.S.News & World Report’s digestive disorders working group for American’s Best Children’s Hospitals.

Ranked consistently as a top 10 digestive disorders program by U.S.News & World Report, the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at Nationwide Children’s Hospital provides comprehensive patient care for a broad range of gastrointestinal, liver and nutritional problems. Striving for excellence in research, teaching and clinical care, this team of physician-scientists is committed to the creation of new knowledge in the discipline. Each physician specializes in a particular area of the digestive tract, providing patients with in-depth knowledge and understanding of their conditions. These physicians work as a team with pediatric nurse practitioners to diagnose and treat gastrointestinal diseases and disorders, while collaborating with other specialists, such as dietitians and behavioral and developmental psychologists, to provide comprehensive, coordinated care for each child.