Inflammatory Bowel Disease Team

Wallace Crandall, MD
Dr. Crandall serves as Director of the Center for Pediatric and Adolescent Inflammatory Bowel Disease at Nationwide Children's Hospital and is an expert in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease(IBD) and celiac disease. Dr. Crandall is an Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. He has a number of active research projects in IBD. An active member of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America(CCFA), Dr. Crandall has served at both the regional and national levels of CCFA as Chair of the CCFA Chapter Medical Advisory Committee of central Ohio and as a member of national CCFA working groups. He is an advisor to the national Pediatric IBD Network for Research and Improvement. Dr. Crandall is named among the “Best Doctors in America".

Benedict Nwomeh, MD, is the surgical director of the IBD Center at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and an assistant professor of surgery at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. He also serves as director of surgical education at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Dr. Nwomeh is an expert in pediatric minimally invasive surgery. He is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Royal College of Surgeons of England. Dr. Nwomeh is an investigator with the Office of Clinical Sciences at Nationwide Children’s with primary interest in clinical outcomes of operative procedures for IBD in children.

Ryan S. Carvalho, MD is an attending physician in the Division of Gastroenterology and Nutrition at Nationwide Children's Hospital and an Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. His clinical interest is in the management of children with inflammatory bowel disease, with a specific focus on nutritional therapy. His research interests include understanding drug metabolism to improve the efficacy and prevent toxicity of medications used to treat Crohn’s disease and colitis. For his research he has received a Distinguished Recognition Award at the 2006 North American College of Gastroenterology Fellows conference, and a Young Investor Award at the 2004 World Congress of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition. Dr. Carvalho is named among the “Best Doctors in America".

Brendan Boyle, MD, MPH, joined the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at Nationwide Children's Hospital in July 2010 as an attending physician. Dr. Boyle has a BS Degree from the University of Dayton and an MD Degree from the Ohio State University College of Medicine. He completed his Pediatric Residency at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

Laura Mackner, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist, an investigator in the Center for Biobehavioral Health at The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and an assistant professor of pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. Her clinical specialty area is IBD, including adjustment to chronic illness, pain management, school absence/avoidance, medication adherence, and anxiety and depression in children and adolescents with IBD. Dr. Mackner is conducting several research projects investigating biopsychosocial issues in pediatric IBD and has published a number of articles in this area. She is active regionally and nationally in the CCFA, including the national Psychosocial Issues and Development Task Force.

Amy Donegan, RN, MS, CPNP, holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing from The Ohio State University. She is a member of the Association of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition Nurses and the CCFA. Donegan has many years of pediatric nursing experience, including working as a nurse practitioner. Her clinical interest and expertise is in caring for patients with inflammatory bowel disease. She has worked as a certified pediatric nurse practitioner in the gastroenterology department for six years.

Barb Heimann, RN, is the pediatric nurse coordinator for the IBD Center at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. She graduated from The Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing and began at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in 1984. Heiman started working with gastroenterology patients in 1988 and faciliated a patient/parent IBD support group for several years. Currently she coordinates the education program for all patients diagnosed with IBD and their families. Heiman served on the steering committee for the Central Ohio Chapter of the CCFA, where she has served as president, vice-president and has chaired three committees.

Lynn Gutches, MSW, LISW, graduated from Hanover College and completed her master’s degree from The Ohio State University. She is the social worker for the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and is licensed at the independent therapy practitioner level. She has worked extensively with gastroenterology patients and families to provide counseling and coping skills in dealing with chronic disease, behavior modification, community and education issues, funding assistance and coordination of care needs, resources and funding for obtaining medications. She has served on the board and various committees for the CCFA central Ohio Chapter.

Michelle Ross, RD, LD, is a graduate of The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, School of Allied Health, in the field of clinical dietetics. She is a registered dietitian, a member of the American Dietetic Association and a member of the Pediatric Dietetic Practice Group. She has a particular interest in inflammatory bowel disease.

Jen Smith, MS, RD, LD, received her undergraduate and master’s degrees from The Ohio State University. She is a registered dietitian and an active member of the local and national American Dietetic Associations and the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition. She has been working at Nationwide Children’s Hospital with an emphasis in nutrition in gastroenterology since 2003. In 2004, she established and implemented a nutrition education program for all newly diagnosed IBD patients, and has continued to expand nutrition services to patients with IBD. She has been invited to lecture on nutrition and IBD and is a member of the CCFA Central Ohio Chapter.

Beth Skaggs, CCRC, Beth has over 10 years experience as a clinical research coordinator and has been with the GI Division for three years. She has received certification as a research coordinator through the Association of Clinical Research Professionals and is the lead coordinator for motility research conducted in the GI Division.

Sarah Bistrick has been a devoted employee of Nationwide Children’s Hospital for nearly ten years.  She looks forward to graduating from Ohio Dominican University in the spring with a degree in Business Management.  Sarah will also be completing her Bachelor’s degree in Nursing and aspires to fly with MedFlight.  Sarah is now working with the IBD Center to ensure quality of data for current research initiatives.