The Penn State Approach to Inflammatory Bowel Disease

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The Carlino Family Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center (IBD Center) is a nationally-recognized facility dedicated solely to the diagnosis, treatment and eventual cure of patients suffering with inflammatory bowel diseases including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

We at Penn State Health believe that IBD patients have unique and specialized needs. This demands a multi-specialty approach to provide the best care for this disease. Accordingly, we have organized and staffed our Penn State IBD Center with dedicated IBD medical experts from multiple specialties, all highly-trained and well experienced in the treatment of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

We believe that this multi-specialty approach enables the Carlino Family IBD Center to offer multiple concurrent services in a single setting – an unequaled level of service currently available only at the Carlino Family IBD Center.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease team
Anne Bobb, BSN, RN has been named Employee of the Month for February 2024. Anne has been with Penn State Health IBD Center for over 9 years. She helps coordinate the majority of the IBD patients seen by Gastroenterology and Colorectal Surgery. We are very lucky to have such a dedicated individual in our program.
Left to right: Walter Koltun, MD, Anne Bobb, BSN, RN, Mona Miliner, Don McKenna

Support Groups

Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis Support Group

The Crohn’s and Colitis Support Group provides information, support and resources for patients and families with the goal of building a group that allows the...

The Crohn’s and Colitis Support Group provides information, support and resources for patients and families with the goal of building a group that allows the Carlino Family Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center patients and their family members to develop connections with and receive support from other patients and care providers. Our scheduled speakers provide practical and up-to-date information on various aspects of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).

The meetings are free and take place quarterly from 6-8 p.m.

For more information, contact Rachael Wentzel, IBD support group facilitator at [email protected].

Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease Support Group

The Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease Support Group provides adolescent pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients age 12-18 years and their parents with helpful information and the...

The Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease Support Group provides adolescent pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients age 12-18 years and their parents with helpful information and the chance to meet others living with IBD.

The meetings take place quarterly at Penn State Health Children’s Hospital, rooms P1100/P1100A, and feature a brief presentation on educational topics, followed by discussion for the parents and an activity for the adolescents. 

Please call 717-531-1043 for more information..

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Experts in Care

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Why Choose Penn State Health

Most advanced treatment options available

We routinely provide advanced diagnostic and treatment techniques that are not widely available elsewhere. These include MR enterography, chromoendoscopy, and laparoscopy.

All services under one roof

Unlike other providers, all of our services are at one site. Gastroenterologists and colorectal surgeons share the same clinic, providing a single location for our patients who require multiple services during a single visit. 

If x-rays, blood work, enterstomal therapy, dermatology, or other ancillary services are required during a patient visit, these services and medical professionals are all located within our IBD clinic site.

Long history of research

Our IBD team leads the nation with our long-standing commitment to cutting-edge IBD research, including the establishment of the nation's largest IBD BioBank and registry of IBD patients including DNA, blood, and tissue samples from multiple generations of IBD patients.

In addition, we have pioneered research in the field of personalized medicine, and have completed over 50 research studies and published over 100 nationally recognized IBD-specific research papers.

Highest quality patient experience

The Carlino Family IBD Center offers the services of a dedicated personalized IBD nurse navigator whose primary responsibility is to navigate our patients through our health system in an optimal and efficient manner. 

Our navigator is available by phone to answer questions, direct patients to services, and assist with scheduling.  Our IBD service model immediately puts patients in direct contact with a trained IBD medical nurse navigator who understands their concerns and needs. 

Exceptional ongoing patient support and education

Our IBD Center provides extensive community outreach and education programs, including IBD patient symposiums and multiple ongoing patient support groups that meet monthly. 

We’ve partnered with Crohn's Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) to raise public awareness of IBD by sponsoring CCFA "Take Steps" walks throughout Pennsylvania, as well as performing newsletter and website collaboration.

Specialized pediatric IBD experts and services

We offer specialized care for pediatric IBD patients, including a pediatric transition clinic for pediatric patients about to transition to adult IBD care. We also participate in national pediatric IBD quality improvement initiatives, including ImproveCareNow and PROKIIDS.

Internationally recognized IBD experts

Our doctors and surgeons are all leaders in the field of inflammatory bowel disease, having been awarded top honors including Castle Connolly's list of America's Top Doctors.