International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders

Our goals include raising awareness among the public and professionals about chronic digestive disorders in adults and children, supporting research, and facilitating meaningful action to improve life for all who are affected.

We provide online tools and print publications aimed at educating the public and improving outcomes for patients and families. We participate in professional conferences to raise awareness. We maintain a presence with government agencies that support research or regulate treatments to ensure that the needs of our patient community are addressed. We raise money to directly fund research aimed at improving care and treatment.

We maintain a family of 10 websites aimed at education and patient empowerment, have an active social media presence, and a presence with legislative and regulatory offices.

Since we began in 1991, we have seen a growing awareness about and support for patients with functional GI and motility disorders among the public and health care providers. Research is beginning to better understand these complex conditions, which lack obvious structural markers, yet can range in severity from mild to debilitating to life-threatening. The few effective treatments that are now available and do not work for everyone. Efforts must continue to build on what has been learned to understand the conditions, to find more effective treatments, and to be able to target treatments more directly to patient subgroups.