SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 15, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — uBiome, the leader in microbial genomics, announces the addition of Steven Medwell, MD, board certified in colorectal surgery, to its Medical Advisory Board. Joining the board of leading scientists and doctors from around the world, Dr. Medwell will bring to uBiome his deep expertise in the surgical treatments of ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. The appointment will help uBiome continue its advancement in human microbiome research.

“For decades, Dr. Medwell has been the one of Seattle’s most recognized surgeons for inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), cancers of the colon and rectum, and more,” Dr. Jessica Richman, PhD, co-founder and CEO of uBiome, said. “His medical expertise is invaluable, and we are fortunate to have him as part of uBiome’s Medical Advisory Board.”

Dr. Medwell has dedicated his career to patient care and has over 40 years of experience in colorectal surgery. He was the first surgeon in the Pacific Northwest to perform the J-pouch procedure for patients with ulcerative colitis. After receiving his MD from Indiana University School of Medicine, Dr. Medwell completed a Clinical Surgical Research Fellowship for the American Cancer Society, a General Surgery Residency at The Swedish Hospital Medical Center in Seattle, WA, and a Colorectal Fellowship at the Ferguson Clinic in Michigan. Honors include “Top Cancer Doctors in the US” (2015) by Newsweek, “Seattle’s Top Doctors” (2000-2018) by Seattle Magazine, and “Top Doctor Hall of Fame” (2013) by Seattle Magazine, among others.

About joining uBiome’s Medical Advisory Board, Dr. Medwell said, “The current state of microbiology is like looking into a volcano: energy is bubbling and building and–with the help of uBiome–it is bound to explode. The sky is the limit when considering the microbiome and all sorts of disease processes, and I am thrilled to be a part of this movement as one of uBiome’s medical advisors.”
In addition to Dr. Medwell, the uBiome Advisory Board also includes Dr. Joseph DeRisi (MacArthur Genius and UCSF professor), Dr. Atul Butte (head of the Institute for Computational Health Sciences at UCSF), Dr. Katherine Pollard (Director, Gladstone Institute for Data Science and Biotechnology), Dr. Joel Palefsky (UCSF School of Medicine professor), Dr. George Church (leading geneticist at Harvard University), Dr. Liz Lipski (Academic Director of Nutrition and Integrative Health Programs at Maryland University of Integrative Health), Dr. Elaine Hsiao, PhD (UCLA), and other leading scientists. The company’s Medical Advisory Board includes Dr. Alan Green (Society for Participatory Medicine), Dr. Leo Treyzon (Cedars-Sinai Medical Center), Dr. Cynthia Geyer (Medical Director of Canyon Ranch, Lenox), Dr. Robynne Chutkan (Georgetown University Hospital), Michael Docktor (Boston Children’s Hospital), Dr. Tiffany Lester (Medical Director of Parsley Health in San Francisco), Dr. Joel Kahn (Founder of of the Kahn Center for Cardiac Longevity), as well as other accomplished clinicians.

About uBiome
Founded in 2012, uBiome is the leader in microbial genomics. The Company’s mission is to advance the science of the microbiome and make it useful to people. uBiome combines its patented proprietary precision sequencing™ with machine learning and artificial intelligence to develop wellness products, clinical tests, and therapeutic targets.

uBiome’s commercial products include SmartGut™, the world’s first sequencing-based clinical microbiome test, which identifies microbes in the gut for patients with chronic gut conditions such as IBD, IBS, Crohn’s Disease, and ulcerative colitis; SmartJane™, the first sequencing-based women’s health screening test, which genotypes all 19 clinically relevant strains of HPV, identifies four common STDs, and surveys more than 20 vaginal microbes associated with bacterial vaginosis and other conditions; and Explorer™, a health and wellness product to understand the role that food and lifestyle can play in wellness.

uBiome’s platform has been used by hundreds of thousands of consumers, patients, and doctors and more than 200 research institutions around the world, including the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC), US National Institutes of Health (NIH), Harvard University, Stanford University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), University of California, San Francisco, Oxford University, and the University of Sydney.

Since its launch, the company has received widespread recognition including CNN 10: Startups to Watch, the IVY Technology Award, CNN Future 30, and was named one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies in Healthcare in 2016 and in Data Science in 2018, as well as a Technology Pioneer from the World Economic Forum in 2018. For more information, visit http://www.uBiome.com.

SOURCE Ubiome