Trust Pharmacy is a doctor and patient-powered community whose goal is to improve the lives of people affected by chronic diseases like Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis.
Why We’re Here to Help Patients
There is an endless amount of medical information online today, yet it is incredibly hard for patients with chronic diseases to find detailed, trustworthy information to answer their questions. It is this lack of quality information online that causes doctors to steer patients away from “Dr. Google”, yet, patients still go online in search of answers because they don’t have enough time with their doctors or because questions arise when they aren’t with their doctors. Something needs to change.
Trust Pharmacy was started in June 2014 by a passionate patient with ulcerative colitis and a passionate internationally recognized Crohn’s and colitis specialist. Both believe that patients deserve a better source of information to help them manage their health. They saw a huge need for a website that gastroenterologists and other doctors could recommend to their patients, one that provides the level of detail that today’s savvy patients want.
We are here to empower patients and improve their health.
At Trusted Therapies, we are bringing together passionate international experts and patients to build an online community housing all of the information patients are looking for – an online community that doctors can now refer their patients to.
Founding Team
Darren Bounds (Co-founder)
As someone having the lifelong autoimmune disease, ulcerative colitis, Darren was inspired to co-found Trusted Therapies to give fellow patients access to expert doctors so that patients can get detailed, accurate information about their diseases and the therapies available.
A 10-year career in the pharmaceutical industry enabled him to work with world-renowned doctors on educational programs for other doctors. It was at these programs on Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis that Darren saw the wealth of information that they had access to. He wished his fellow patients could also have the privilege of tapping into the minds of the experts.
His wish came true when he partnered with Dr. Brian Bressler and left his career in the pharmaceutical industry to start Trusted Therapies.
Darren studied molecular biology and biochemistry at Simon Fraser University.
Dr. Brian Bressler (Co-founder)
Dr. Bressler is a caring doctor that has risen to the rank of international expert on Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). Following advanced training at Harvard Medical School, he has been very active in both inflammatory bowel disease research and in educating and treating his patients. He is also kept busy by speaking at educational programs for fellow gastroenterologists and by speaking at patient education events.
He is passionate about Trust Pharmacy because it will enable expert doctors to share their knowledge with a much larger audience of patients with IBD.
Dr. Bressler is the Director of the Advanced IBD training program at the University of British Columbia. He is also a member of the GI Research Institute in Vancouver, one of the most active gastroenterology research centres in North America.
Team of Experts
Dr. Yvette Leung
Dr. Yvette Leung completed her Gastroenterology Fellowship at the University of Calgary and an Advanced IBD Fellowship at the University of Chicago prior to becoming faculty as an Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of Calgary. She was inspired to focus her clinical and research work in the area of IBD and pregnancy as she found early on in her practice that there were a lot of misconceptions and gaps in research in this important area. She is dedicated to educating patients and other physicians on pregnancy and IBD. She is a member of the University of Calgary IBD Group one of the largest IBD centers in the world. She is co-chair of the Maternofetal Outcomes and Research Canadian Registry – IBD (MORe CaRe).
Dr. Greg Rosenfeld
Dr. Greg Rosenfeld completed his undergraduate training in Science and Medicine at the University of British Columbia in 1992. He began his career in Medicine as a family physician and Clinical Assistant Professor in the department of Family Practice at UBC. He returned to Internal Medicine Residency and Gastroenterology Fellowship in 2008 at UBC and completed an Advanced Fellowship in Inflammatory Bowel Disease at St. Paul’s hospital in June of 2014. He has joined the Pacific Gastroenterology Associates group at St. Paul’s Hospital with a clinical practice focus in IBD. He is currently enrolled in the MHSc Program in Clinical Epidemiology at UBC. His research interests are in diagnostic techniques for IBD.
Dr. Nancy Fu
Dr. Nancy Fu recently completed Advanced Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) fellowship at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in 2014. After undergraduate study in pharmaceutical sciences, she entered medicine and finished her GI fellowship in 2013 at the University of British Columbia. Her specific interests are IBD adolescent transition, and infections in IBD patients. Currently in her last year of Master in Health Sciences (Clinical Epidemiology), she plans to use tools she learned to continue advocating for IBD patients through clinical practice and research.
Ashley Charlebois, RD
Ashley is a Registered Dietitian who specializes in gastrointestinal health. She completed her B.Sc. in Dietetics at McGill University, and later completed an M.Sc. in Experimental Medicine (Exercise Physiology and Nutrition) at the University of British Columbia. Ashley has ample experience developing nutrition plans for patients with various digestive health disorders – aiding patients minimize symptoms, meet energy and nutrient requirements, and achieve their health-related goals. She currently works at an interdisciplinary health clinic where she devotes a lot of her attention to patients with IBD, whether that be through individual diet consultations, group programs combining nutrition & exercise, or nutrition workshops. She works closely with gastroenterologists around Vancouver, both with research and patient care. Ashley’s passion for helping individuals with digestive health disorders stems from her own background with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and successfully managing it through dietary modifications & an active lifestyle.
Dr. Ahmer Karimuddin
Dr. Ahmer Karimuddin is a Colorectal Surgeon working at St. Paul’s Hospital, Associate Director of the General Surgery Residency Training Program and a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia.
Dr. Karimuddin completed medical school at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario 2001. He completed general surgery training at the University of Saskatchewan in 2007, with a year completing a Masters in Adult Education, focused on surgical education and CanMEDS. In 2007, he moved to Toronto to train as a subspecialist in Colorectal Surgery.
After completing his fellowship, Dr. Karimuddin began practice in Victoria, BC where he established himself as a Colorectal Surgeon. While in Victoria, he established an Enhanced Recovery Colon Surgery Pathway, which has received much acclaim. In 2012, he was recruited to join the group at St. Paul’s Hospital and Providence Health.
Dr. Gil Kaplan
Dr. Kaplan is a gastroenterologist and epidemiologist with a clinical and research interest in the inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Dr. Kaplan is an Associate Professor and a clinician-scientist in the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary.
Dr. Kaplan sits on the Scientific and Medical Advisory Committee of Crohn’s and Colitis Canada. Dr. Kaplan distinctions include: Avenue Magazine’s Calgary Top 40 Under 40; the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology Young Investigator Award; and the Killam Emerging Research Leader Award.
The overarching themes of his research program are: 1) to study the environmental determinants of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis; and 2) to improve the delivery of care to patients with IBD. Dr. Kaplan’s research has been highlighted in international media including the Reuters, the New York Times, and Scientific American.
Dr. Peter Higgins
Dr. Peter Higgins is the director of the IBD program at the University of Michigan. He received his bachelor’s degree and medical degrees from Duke University, and completed a Ph.D. in molecular cancer biology at Duke. He completed his fellowship in gastroenterology at the University of Michigan in 2004, completed an M.Sc. in Clinical Research Design and Statistical Analysis at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, and joined the University of Michigan faculty the same year.
Dr. Higgins currently serves as the IBD editor for the American Journal of Gastroenterology. His research focuses on inflammatory bowel disease, which includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. He is interested in the molecular mechanisms of intestinal fibrosis, which leads to intestinal blockages and surgery. Dr. Higgins studies the use of ultrasound and MRI to measure intestinal scarring, the use of blood biomarkers to detect early scarring, and measurement of markers of early inflammation. His clinical research includes studies on patient-reported outcomes in IBD, medication holidays after long-term remission in IBD, and biomarker-guided therapy in IBD.
Dr. Higgins’ research interests are complemented by his clinical interest in improving the quality of care of patients with IBD. He is a member of the AGA IBD Quality Measures Committee, and has participated in the development of national guidelines for high quality IBD care. Dr. Higgins has received many honors and awards, including the AGA IBD Clinical Research Excellence Award.
Editorial Independence
Trusted Therapies has full control over the content on the site. We are very grateful to have received sponsorship from the following companies, who did so with the understanding that they have no influence on the content we create for the site.
Friends
- CDHF: CDHF
- GI Society: www.badgut.org
- Crohn’s and Colitis Canada: www.crohnsandcolitis.ca