UNC pediatrician honored with prestigious prize for work to improve treatment of inflammatory bowel disease in children

Michael Kappelman, MD, MPH, professor of pediatrics and epidemiology at the UNC School of Medicine, received a $100,000 Sherman Prize for his groundbreaking work to optimize care and treatment for children with IBD and define the burden of these diseases.

The UNC School of Medicine is pleased to announce that Michael Kappelman, MD, MPH, professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Adjunct Professor of Epidemiology is among the recipients of the 10th annual Sherman Prize. The Bruce and Cynthia Sherman Charitable Foundation awards the prize each year to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) clinicians, surgeons, researchers, and/or academics. Each recipient is recognized for exceptional and pioneering contributions that transform the care of people with IBD.

Dr. Kappelman, who is also a member of UNC Children's Research Institute, has dedicated his career to answering some of the most pressing questions surrounding IBD such as: How can we advance standardized care? What treatments are most effective? Additionally, what is the true burden of the disease? He is an expert in probing real-world data and bringing collaborators together to pioneer solutions for children with IBD.

As the first to document widespread inter-center variation in pediatric IBD treatments, Dr. Kappelman joined others to standardize the use of best practices through ImproveCareNow, a pediatric IBD Quality Improvement Network comprised of more than 100 care centers across the country – all working to increase the number of children in remission.

A key area of Dr. Kappelman's research is addressing a critical knowledge gap: how medicines approved for adults can be used to optimize children's health. Dr. Kappelman helped to establish anti-TNF therapy as standard of care in pediatric Crohn's disease. Then, in the landmark COMBINE trial, the largest randomized trial ever conducted in pediatric IBD, he showed that adding methotrexate to certain anti-TNF therapy improved outcomes over monotherapy.

Currently, Dr. Kappelman is studying the efficacy and safety of newer biologics and advanced therapies that are used off-label in pediatric patients. His COMPARE-Pediatric IBD study aims to compare these medicines against each other in the most rigorous way possible.

In an effort to advance the understanding of IBD, Dr. Kappelman served as co-principal investigator for the most comprehensive assessment to date of pediatric and adult IBD. This CDC-funded epidemiology study revealed important information about the diversity of IBD and determinants of health inequity, with many implications for research and patient care.

The prevalence of pediatric IBD in the US is on the rise and ranks among the highest globally. Often diagnosed in childhood or early adulthood, individuals frequently face a lifetime of managing the disease through fluctuating periods of flare-ups and remission. Thankfully, under Dr. Kappelman's guidance and extensive research into the safety and efficacy of IBD treatments, many patients are now learning effective, sustainable strategies to manage their chronic condition safely.

Charlotte Ayers, one of Dr. Kappelman's patients, was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis at 7-years-old. Now 18-years-old, Charlotte has triumphed over the challenges of IBD as she begins freshman year at UNC-Chapel Hill.

"My healthcare journey has been so intertwined with my daily life, and I am thankful every day for having Dr. Kappelman as my doctor," Charlotte said. "I have never once felt anxious or nervous about my care, which has made dealing with chronic illness far less of a burden. Not only has he been a fantastic doctor, he has been an amazing presence in my life."

Looking ahead, Dr. Kappelman is focused on how to best use and position the tools that are available, whether those tools are medications or nutrition or surgery or diagnostic tests. His gift for collaboration, genuine compassion, and transformative research will continue to raise the standard of care and improve the quality of life for young patients and their families.

"We can only change the future of IBD if we work together—patients, clinicians, researchers, and families," said Kappelman. "The best part of my job is knowing that every study, every conversation, every connection might help children with IBD live healthier and happier."

Read more:
Sherman Prize announcement
Sherman Prize interview
Dr. Kappelman's bio at med.unc.edu