Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition Research

Our research focus is on clinical and epidemiological studies tobetter understand the causes and courses of chronic gastrointestinal diseases in childhood. In collaboration with the group of Prof. Dr. Christoph R. Meier, University Hospital Basel and Boston Collaborative Drug Surveillance Program, Boston University School of Public Health, we examine different epidemiological questions regarding autistic children and children with inflammatory boweldisease (IBD).

In the latter group we are very much interested in exploring diagnosis and treatment of psychosocial sequelae of childhood IBD. An ongoing studies we are examining the effects of aerobic training on physical and psychological health in these patients. Multidisciplinarity is given with the collaboration of the University of Basel Psychiatric Clinics (UPK) and the University of Basel Department for Sports, Movement and Health (DSBG).

Gastro-intestinal motility and functional gastrointestinal disordersare another area of interest of our group. Functional abdominal pain and different therapeutic strategies are evaluated in randomized, placebo-controlled studies. We also are part of guidelines working group of ESPGHAN (European Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition).

We implement healthy nutritional pediatric feeding programs at our tertiary hospital for our in-patients in collaboration with our Dietician team. Further research collaborations and also multicenter studies are maintained with the University Hospital Freiburg, Germany, Kinderspital Aarau, Switzerland, Ospedale Bambino Gesu, Rome, Italy, Boston Children’s Hospital, USA and Sheffield Children’s, UK.