Loren Laine, MD, professor of medicine (digestive diseases), has been named chief of the Department of Internal Medicine’s Section of Digestive Diseases.
“The Yale Section of Digestive Diseases has a long tradition of excellence in gastrointestinal and liver diseases. So I’m very excited to have the opportunity to work together with the members of our section to further enhance our efforts in clinical care, research, and education, while fostering an inclusive, respectful, and collegial environment,” said Laine.
Laine served as interim section chief since 2018, following the tenure of Michael Nathanson, MD. He joined the Yale School of Medicine (YSM) faculty in 2011 as professor of medicine (digestive diseases) and director of Clinical Research for YSM. Laine also works as an attending physician at the VA Connecticut Healthcare System.
“Loren is a proven leader, an excellent physician, and a distinguished researcher. I am pleased to have him in place officially as the section chief in Digestive Diseases,” said Department Chair Gary V. Desir, MD, Paul B. Beeson Professor of Medicine and Vice Provost for Faculty Development and Diversity. “Loren worked tirelessly as interim chief and I look forward to continued leadership and success from Loren and the section.”
Laine is a world-renowned expert on gastrointestinal bleeding and upper gastrointestinal tract injury. He is currently one of the leaders of the National Randomized Proton Pump Inhibitor De-prescribing Program (RaPPID), a research project through the Department of Veterans Affairs. RaPPID aims to de-prescribe proton pump inhibitors and share best practices. Laine also serves as a chair of the Fecal Microbiota Transplantation National Registry Steering Committee, a National Institutes of Health supported registry through the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA).
Prior to his time at Yale, Laine rose through the academic ranks at University of Southern California School (USC) of Medicine in Los Angeles, Calif. From 2009 to 2011, he worked as associate chair in the Department of Medicine there. Additionally, he was President of the Medical Faculty Assembly at USC and also served as chief of staff and president of the Medical Staff Association at the L.A. County + U.S.C. Healthcare Network.
Laine’s awards are numerous. In 2018, he won the AGA’s highest honor, the Julius Friedenwald Medal. The award is presented to a physician for their lifelong contributions to gastroenterology. As part of the presentation, the AGA wrote an extensive biography on Laine which was published in Gastroenterology. Laine has held a number of positions within the AGA over the span of two decades, including President in 2012-2013. He has served as a member of the American Board of Internal Medicine and the FDA Gastrointestinal Drug Advisory Committee. Laine is currently the Chair of Digestive Disease Week, an annual meeting of U.S. gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy, and surgery societies considered the premier digestive disease meeting in the world. He has presented at over 350 visiting professorships and invited lectures and has more than 300 peer-reviewed publications.
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