About
Russell D. Cohen, MD, is a renowned gastroenterologist and Professor of Medicine at the University of Chicago. His clinical expertise focuses on inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Under his leadership, a multidisciplinary team provides comprehensive care for patients with these conditions. In addition to his clinical practice, Dr. Cohen is an active researcher, serving as principal investigator on several long-term studies testing the efficacy and safety of oral and intravenous drugs for IBD. He is also an editor of the textbook 'Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Diagnosis and Therapeutics' and serves as associate editor and ad-hoc reviewer for numerous medical journals, including The New England Journal of Medicine and The American Journal of Gastroenterology. Dr. Cohen is a dedicated educator and mentor, teaching medical students, residents, and fellows about endoscopy and gastroenterological pharmacology, and frequently delivering lectures at grand rounds and international conferences. He has been recognized as one of the 'Best Doctors in America' for over ten years and is consistently named one of Chicago's 'Top Doctors'.
Research topics
- Medicine
- Internal medicine
- Gastroenterology
- Surgery
- Family medicine
- Intensive care medicine
- Obstetrics
- Virology
Selected publications
Gastrointestinal Endoscopy · 2026-05-01
articleGastroenterology · 2026-05-01
articleSa1525 PROGNOSTIC VALUE OF EARLY ENDOSCOPIC FINDINGS IN ILEAL POUCH-ANAL ANASTAMOSIS OUTCOMES
Gastroenterology · 2026-05-01
articleSa1525 PROGNOSTIC VALUE OF EARLY ENDOSCOPIC FINDINGS IN ILEAL POUCH-ANAL ANASTAMOSIS OUTCOMES
Gastrointestinal Endoscopy · 2026-05-01
articleThe American Journal of Gastroenterology · 2025-10-01
articleIntroduction: Many patients with moderate-to-severe Crohn’s disease (CD) don’t respond or lose response to anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) agents, underscoring the need for alternative targeted treatment options. As the number of available medications for the treatment of CD has increased, treatment personalization can be more challenging. Clinicians may lack experience and require guidance on customizing novel treatments to patients’ needs. Methods: At an accredited 60-minute educational symposium held during Digestive Disease Week (DDW) 2024, 2 leading experts in inflammatory bowel disease presented the latest data and shared their clinical opinions about the roles of recently approved IL-23-targeted biologics and JAK inhibitors in personalizing the management of CD. The symposium was subsequently adapted as a 15-minute on-demand e-learning program. Pre- and post-test assessments were administered to determine the impact of the education on participants’ knowledge, competence, confidence, and intended behavior change. Results: US-based academic and community gastroenterologists attended the symposium in person (n = 103) or virtually (n = 96). As of March 2025, n = 3148 participated in the e-learning program. Aggregate data analysis from the on-demand program demonstrated 36% overall improvement from baseline in knowledge and competence. The greatest improvement was observed in relation to personalizing CD treatment. Notably, participants’ ability to outline personalized treatment strategies with novel targeted therapies increased by 61%. Following the education, 93% of participants reported an intention to change practice, especially with identifying patients who may benefit from novel targeted therapies. As participants reported treating 7-10 patients/week, it is estimated that these practice changes may impact >25,000 patient interactions. Similar trends were observed in the results from the DDW 2024 symposium. Conclusion: A live CME symposium and on-demand e-learning program were effective at significantly improving gastroenterologists’ ability to personalize the management of patients with moderate-to-severe CD. These outcomes suggest persisting educational needs among clinicians regarding optimal integration of novel targeted therapies in CD across diverse patient populations and complex clinical situations. These gaps can be targeted in future educational efforts.
Digestive Diseases and Sciences · 2025-03-06 · 15 citations
articleFood for Thought: EEN as Adjunct Bridge Therapy in Adult Crohn’s with Strictures
Digestive Diseases and Sciences · 2025-06-27
articleDigestive Diseases and Sciences · 2025-11-20 · 1 citations
articleOpen accessPURPOSE: Approximately 2% of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), and some require liver transplantation (LT). Managing IBD after LT is challenging given concomitant anti-rejection immunotherapies. We report our experience using upadacitinib (UPA) to treat patients with IBD after LT. METHODS: Retrospective, single-center observational study at a tertiary center, identifying patients after LT who received UPA. We assessed efficacy and safety of UPA. RESULTS: Four patients after LT (Crohn's disease n = 3; ulcerative colitis n = 1) received UPA for IBD control (n = 3) or as a steroid-sparing adjunct for anti-rejection (n = 1), alongside anti-rejection immunosuppression. Median follow-up from UPA initiation was 10.5 months (IQR 8.9-14.6); age 41.5 years (IQR 40-44); interval from LT 3.2 years (IQR 2.3-5.6). Two receiving prednisone for Crohn's control at baseline achieved steroid-free remission (Harvey-Bradshaw Index < 5). Three developed liver enzyme elevation: one stopped UPA at one month with subsequent normalization of alanine and aspartate aminotransferase; one underwent liver biopsy showing no rejection and continued UPA with 9-month follow-up; and one receiving UPA for potential anti-organ rejection plus vedolizumab ultimately discontinued UPA for suspected rejection after tapering steroids. One patient experienced mild COVID-19 that resolved without treatment change. No life-threatening adverse events were observed. CONCLUSION: In this small series, UPA controlled IBD activity in 2 of 4 patients after LT but was associated with liver-enzyme elevations in 3, prompting discontinuation in 2. These findings support cautious, closely monitored use and highlight the need for a larger multi-center study of UPA in patients with IBD after LT.
The American Journal of Gastroenterology · 2025-12-01
articleThe American Journal of Gastroenterology · 2025-10-01
articleIntroduction: Risankizumab (RZB) is an interleukin-23p19 inhibitor that was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in June 2024 for the treatment of moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis (UC). We report the real-world experience with RZB in UC in a large tertiary inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) center. Methods: This is a cohort study in which we prospectively recruited patients with UC at the UChicago IBD Center who were treated with RZB at standard labeled intravenous loading and maintenance dosing. We performed clinical assessments at baseline, weeks 2, 4, 8, 12, and 26, using the Simplified Clinical Colitis Activity Index (SCCAI) and fecal calprotectin (FCP). Clinical remission was defined as SCCAI ≤2 and/or FCP ≤150 µg/g. Steroid-free remission was defined as SCCAI ≤2 in the absence of steroid use. Adverse events were documented. Results were stratified based on prior exposure to ustekinumab (UST). Statistical analyses were performed using R v4.1.3. Results: Forty-nine patients were recruited, with 44 (90.0%) patients previously exposed to advanced therapies and 18 (36.7%) previously exposed to. Baseline median (interquartile range [IQR]) SCCAI and FCP were 3.0 (1.0-5.8) and 476.0 μg/g (105.2-1156.2), respectively. At week 8, median (IQR) SCCAI was 1.0 (0.0-2.0), with 31/41 (75.6%) in clinical remission and 29/41 (70.7%) in steroid-free remission. At week 26, the median (IQR) SCCAI was 1.0 (0.0-1.0), with 22/25 (88.0%) in clinical remission and 20/25 (80.0%) in steroid-free remission. Median (IQR) FCP over the study period (n = 29) was 109 μg/g (60-645), with 16/29 (55.2%) in biomarker remission, and similar in patients exposed to UST (n = 9, 79.9 μg/g [33.0-382.0]) and not exposed (n = 20, 114.5 μg/g [69.8-736.2]). Two (4.1%) patients were hospitalized for severe UC and no patients underwent colectomy. Four (8.2%) patients stopped RZB due to clinically active disease, and one (2.0%) patient stopped therapy due to a diffuse rash. Other adverse events included fatigue (n = 7, 14.3%), headache (n = 1, 2.0%), constipation (n = 1, 2.0%), and low-grade fever with the first infusion (n = 1, 2.0%). Conclusion: We present the largest real-world study of the effectiveness and safety of RZB in patients with UC, including patients previously exposed to UST. In this interim analysis, RZB is an effective and safe therapy for patients with moderately to severely active UC. Longer-term follow-up is ongoing.
Frequent coauthors
- 158 shared
David T. Rubin
- 94 shared
Sushila Dalal
University of Chicago
- 94 shared
Atsushi Sakuraba
Hokkaido University
- 84 shared
Joel Pekow
University of Chicago
- 38 shared
Jacob E. Ollech
University of Chicago
- 38 shared
William J. Sandborn
- 35 shared
Neil Hyman
University of Chicago
- 35 shared
Roger D. Hurst
Labs
Awards & honors
- Best Doctors in America (more than 10 years)
- Chicago's Top Doctors by Castle Connolly Medical Ltd
- Resume-aware match score
- Save to shortlist
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