Axel Dignass MD

Axel Dignass is the President of United European Gastroenterology. He graduated with an MD from the University of Bochum in 1989 and went on to earn his Ph.D. from the same university. Since then he has held numerous positions, including being a research fellow at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA, USA, and fellow, faculty member, and lecturer at the University of Essen in Germany. From 1998 to 2005 Professor Dignass was an attending physician and professor at Charité Medical School – Campus Virchow in Berlin, Germany, and was also Director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Centre at the same institution.

Professor Dignass’s research interests focus on: IBD; anti-inflammatory, immunosuppressive, and biologic therapy in IBD; anemia in IBD; molecular mechanisms of intestinal wound healing and cell migration; medical guidelines; and medical education. He has led or participated in more than 330 clinical trials of pharmaceutical or medical products.

Professor Dignass is a member of the International Organization for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IOIBD) and an honorary member of the European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation (ECCO). He was treasurer and governing board member of the German gastrointestinal society DGVS from 2011 to 2019 and is the current President of United European Gastroenterology (UEG). He has published widely, with more than 250 academic articles, is a member of the editorial board of Journal of Crohn's and Colitis, and acts as a reviewer for several journals and societies.