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R. Balfour Sartor, MD, is the Midgette Distinguished Professor of Medicine, Microbiology & Immunology, and Co-Director of the UNC Multidisciplinary Center for IBD Research and Treatment. He is a nationally and internationally recognized authority on mucosal immunology and inflammatory bowel disease. His research focuses on better defining mechanisms of chronic intestinal inflammation, mucosal homeostasis and identifying new areas for therapeutic intervention for patients with inflammatory bowel disease. His lab investigates the ability of specific components of the intestinal microbiota to induce chronic T-cell mediated inflammation in genetically susceptible hosts as compared to a protective mucosal immune response in normal hosts. Additional studies explore the ability for dietary products to modify the composition and function of intestinal microbiota. Recent work has extended these microbial-host interactions to analysis of human samples, comparing healthy subjects to both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis patients. Dr. Sator is currently the Chief Medical Advisor to the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA).