2025 Sherman Prize Recipient Oriana Damas advances equity and innovation in IBD care

Oriana M. Damas, MD, MSCTI, embodies the physician-scientist model at the heart of modern gastroenterology — integrating rigorous research, compassionate clinical care, and a deep commitment to equity in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). An associate professor of medicine in the Division of Digestive Health and Liver Diseases at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Dr. Damas currently serves as interim director of the Crohn’s and Colitis Center and Director of Translational Studies, where she leads efforts to bring discovery directly to patient care.

A Miami native, Dr. Damas completed her medical degree, internal medicine residency, and gastroenterology fellowship at the University of Miami. During fellowship, she pursued a dedicated research track focused on IBD genetics, supported by a UCB and IBD Working Group Fellowship grant, and was elected Chief Fellow for her clinical excellence and leadership. Mentored by Dr. Maria Abreu, she quickly recognized a critical gap in understanding IBD among Hispanic and Spanish-speaking populations in South Florida — an insight that shaped her career.

Dr. Damas has since become a national leader in defining the epidemiology, phenotype, and genetic risk factors of IBD in Hispanic patients, including pivotal work demonstrating the relevance of NUDT15 testing in this population. Her current NIH-funded research explores diet and metabolic health as therapeutic strategies, including a culturally tailored anti-inflammatory South Florida diet for ulcerative colitis. Her work has been recognized with numerous honors, including the 2025 Sherman Emerging Leader Prize, reflecting a career driven not only by discovery, but by service, mentorship, and trust.

Congratulations on receiving the Sherman Prize. What does this recognition mean to you at this stage of your career?

Dr. Damas: It means the world to me. I think the Sherman Prize is the most important recognition you can receive as an IBD physician, and it is the biggest honor of my career. This award validates the work we're doing — not just in the lab or clinic, but in asking the difficult questions about why our Hispanic and Latino patients experience IBD differently, why diet matters so much, but we haven't been able to precisely define how, and how we can move toward truly personalized IBD care. At this point in my career, as I'm building our research programs and mentoring the next generation, this recognition reinforces that we're on the right path. It energizes me to keep pushing forward with our work on environmental determinants, dietary interventions, and ensuring that underserved populations are included in IBD research. This isn't just about my accomplishments; it's about the team, the patients who trust us with their care and participation in our studies, and the critical work that still needs to be done.

Your work has been instrumental in helping define IBD in Hispanic immigrant populations. What first led you to focus your research on this community, and what are the most important insights you’ve uncovered so far?

Dr. Damas: I noticed early in my career that we were seeing numerous Hispanic patients with IBD in our clinic, but there was virtually no data describing their disease phenotype or outcomes. Together with my mentors, I decided to create a registry that has now become one of the largest databases of Hispanic patients with IBD in the U.S.

What we've discovered has been transformative. Our environmental and genetic studies revealed that environmental factors matter more than genetics in determining when IBD presents in this population. We found that duration of exposure to a Western environment is a critical factor for age of IBD diagnosis — we've examined this across patients in Colombia, foreign-born patients in the U.S., and U.S.-born patients of Hispanic heritage. Remarkably, within just one generation of being U.S.-born, the disease phenotype becomes similar to other U.S.-born patients, demonstrating how powerfully environmental factors shape IBD risk and presentation.

We've also made important pharmacogenomic discoveries — our work showed that the NUDT15 variant is crucial to check in Hispanic patients because it significantly increases leukopenia risk with thiopurine therapy. And through detailed dietary analyses, we've identified specific foods in traditional Hispanic diets that are associated with better outcomes for patients with IBD.

All of these discoveries have led us to dig deeper into environmental determinants and to develop several pivotal dietary intervention trials, including a large clinical trial for UC patients. I genuinely believe this work will change outcomes for Hispanic patients and for all patients with IBD broadly, because understanding how environment and diet modify disease gives us powerful tools for personalized, precision medicine approaches that can benefit everyone.

Much of your recent research explores the interplay between genetic and environmental risk factors — especially diet — in IBD. What emerging patterns or hypotheses are you most excited about?

Dr. Damas: I am most excited about personalizing diets based on genetics and microbiome composition—that is the future of IBD care. We have already identified key genetic variants that shape how nutrients influence inflammation. We plan to study these interactions in animal models and in a human clinical trial. Our current clinical trials also collect genetic and stool microbiome samples, which will help us learn how to personalize dietary interventions for individual patients.

How do you currently see the landscape of IBD care evolving for underrepresented or immigrant communities, and where do you believe the biggest gaps still exist?

Dr. Damas: The biggest issue is access to care, and that will only worsen in the coming years as many people lose medical coverage in the U.S. This will broadly affect everyone, but I suspect it will disproportionately impact underrepresented minorities, especially immigrants. That deeply concerns me. As physicians, we have to advocate for our patients. I encourage everyone to get involved with foundations and advocacy efforts because this is where I see the greatest challenge in the foreseeable future.

Beyond policy and access to care, another critical issue is patient education and IBD-related counseling. We need to do a better job teaching our patients everything related to their care —from disease prognosis to medication monitoring to health maintenance. This gap is magnified in minority populations, especially those facing English language barriers.

How did your  experience with the AGA FORWARD program influence your professional trajectory or leadership approach?

Dr. Damas: The experience taught me critical leadership skills and grantsmanship, but most importantly, I found a community of talented researchers and physicians who look like me and share the same drive to pursue excellence in patient care. That sense of community is incredibly special, and the bonds you form are priceless.

What advances in IBD research or clinical practice do you believe will have the greatest impact in the next five years?

Dr. Damas: I believe prevention will be one of the most transformative areas in IBD over the next ten years. We're finally understanding the environmental determinants that trigger IBD, and this knowledge points to modifiable risk factors we can actually intervene on. For example, our work is showing how Western environmental exposure accelerates IBD onset in immigrant populations — with U.S.-born Colombians diagnosed 14 years earlier than Colombian-born counterparts — demonstrates that environment matters more than genetics. Within one generation, the disease phenotype shifts completely. This tells us there's a critical window where we could potentially delay or even prevent IBD onset in high-risk individuals. Early and childhood exposures are key; we see this over and over, including in our own diverse cohort. If we can identify these high-risk populations early and modify their environmental exposures early, we could fundamentally change the trajectory of this disease.

Personalized nutrition is on the horizon, though it's still in its early stages in IBD. Our group and other study groups are trying to understand how individual genetics and microbiome composition determine which foods help or harm specific patients. We've already identified key genetic variants that shape how nutrients influence inflammation, but we would like more validation of these findings and to test this in a rigorous clinical trial. I'm confident that soon, we'll be able to increasingly offer patients personalized dietary prescriptions based on their genetic and microbiome profiles. This isn't just about managing symptoms—it's about using diet as precision medicine to modify disease course and improve long-term outcomes for all IBD patients.

As someone deeply invested in both scientific discovery and patient-centered care, how do you balance research, clinical duties, and mentorship at the University of Miami?

Dr. Damas: As best I can! And by focusing on one item at a time. I’ve learned there is no such thing as multitasking if you want to do things right. Each item requires focus. Some more than others. Every week, the priorities change, and I always try to tackle at least once those non-urgent but essential things that keep me happy in my career (e.g. research or mentoring)

What advice would you give to early-career gastroenterologists — especially those interested in health disparities research or immigrant health?

Dr. Damas: Find the area that interests you most and where you want to make a difference. Couple that with identifying research priorities and areas of unmet need. Together, that's the secret sauce: need + what you're good at + what you love.

On a personal note, what keeps you motivated outside the lab and clinic? Are there hobbies or routines that help you recharge?

Dr. Damas: Yes, for me it's about balancing career demands with family life. When I can make it to my kid's game or cook a great dinner — normal mom and family life things — I feel complete and recharged. The occasional spa massage also helps. I also love to travel and spend time thinking about the next place we will be going. I like to plan the whole thing myself.

Looking ahead, what are the next big questions you hope to answer in your research on IBD in Hispanic populations?

Dr. Damas: Based on our team’s work, there are differences in genetic risk among Hispanic patients compared to non-Hispanic Whites. We do not know whether these differences in genetic risk translate into differences in response to medical therapy (due to the genetic mechanisms that led to the development of the medications). Our next step is to determine whether this is important.

Lightening Round

Tell us about a mentor and what you learned from them?

Maria Abreu. She taught me that you have to do research you love — that passion transforms the work.

Who inspires you and why?

My kids inspire me to be better and to make a better place for them.

What are you excited about working on right now?

I’m currently working on many, many projects, and they all excite me in their own way! Diet clinical trials, gene-diet interactions, environmental factors contributing to IBD in Latin America, and the list goes on!

Best piece of advice you’ve given or received?

If you are upset about something, don’t react immediately. Take time, let emotions cool, and act the next day.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

Negotiate your worth!

Favorite quote or words to live by?

"Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life."  

What topic could you give a 30-minute speech on with no preparation? 

Diet in IBD for sure. 

What’s your secret talent?

I bring energy and passion to the things I love doing.

What would you be if you weren’t a GI?

A chef.

What is your favorite GI organ and why?

The ileum! That’s not an organ, but I love the villi and how beautiful it looks when you get in.

Biggest misconception about your career?

That I wanted to pursue a career in research from the beginning.

Favorite way to spend a day off?

Getting a massage, followed by my hair, and then dinner with family.

Best way to unwind after work?

I wish I knew how better! Hot bath followed by new face cream or face mask and then tea and a book.

Favorite AGA memory?

The 2024 Southeast Florida Women in GI’s Conference, of course.

If you could have dinner with anyone, who would it be and why?

It would be with Shakira and with Carlos Vives because they are my favorite singers.

What do you want to learn more about?

I would love to learn Italian this year.

What’s a recent breakthrough or technology in the field you’re excited about?

Incorporating what we have learned from environmental studies and applying that to a prevention study.

Best book you have read recently and why you enjoyed it?

I have been reading “The Look” by Michelle Obama, and I am fascinated by how much thought goes into dress and fashion.