We are so happy to announce our amazing IBDMoms board. We are so excited to have such an incredible, diverse board that will help steer our programming.
Amy Bugwadia (she/her) is a disability and IBD advocate from California. Her lived experiences with ulcerative colitis, chronic migraine, and arthritis cultivated her passion for psychosocial support, research, and patient advocacy. This fueled her undergraduate endeavors in Political Science and Disability Studies at UCLA and master’s in Community Health and Prevention Research at Stanford University School of Medicine. Amy has formerly served as Co-Chair of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation’s National Council of College Leaders, and she is currently the Higher Education Coordinator and Student Support Network Facilitator at Health Advocacy Summit.
Dr. Aline Charabaty is the Assistant Clinical Director of the GI Division at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and Clinical Director of the Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD) Center at Johns Hopkins-Sibley Memorial Hospital. Dr. Charabaty was the Chair of the Greater Washington DC/Virginia Crohns and Colitis Foundation Mission Committee from 2012-2020 and served on the Foundation National Scientific Advisory Committee Patient Education and Physician Education Committees. She currently serve on the Foundation’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee. She was recognized for her work for the IBD community in 2020 when she received the Excellence in Medicine Award. She is the founder of @MondayNightIBD, a Twitter forum that brings clinicians and patients together to discuss the management of complex IBD cases and patients unmet needs. She received the Healio Gastroenterology Disruptive Innovator Award for that initiative at ACG 2019.
Dr. Cedric Pulliam is the Senior Advisor for the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy (OIDP) and a former HIV advisor at the CDC. He has 12 years of experience working in global health (HIV/AIDS, TB, Malaria), global LGBTQ and human rights policy, public policy, health equity, infectious diseases, and public health. He is a board certified health psychologist that commits non-work hours to community advocacy for HIV, IBD, and health equity within Georgia and Virginia.
Folasade (Fola) May, MD, PhD, MPhil, is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Director of Quality Improvement in the Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases, and a health services researcher at the UCLA Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Equity. Her research aims to improve population preventive health strategies, increase access to preventive services, and eliminate health disparities domestically and internationally. Dr. May has received numerous local and national awards for her research, community engagement and advocacy, including recognition and funding from the National Institutes of Health, American Cancer Society, American College of Gastroenterology, Tobacco Related Disease Research Program, National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable, the Broad Stem Cell Research Center, and Stand up to Cancer.
Gaylyn graduated from Benedict College, Cum Laude, with a BS in Biology and from the University of South Carolina, Magna Cum Laude, with a Masters of Public Health. She founded the organization Gutless and Glamorous, Inc. (501c3) with the mission of empowering those living with or contemplating ostomy surgery due to illness or injury and to erase the negative stigmas and misconceptions of having an ostomy. Gaylyn volunteers and serves on the IBD Social Circle and the Patient Advisory Board for Johnson and Johnson, Janssen Biotech, Inc. She serves as the Ostomy and Fashion Editor for Companion Magazine for IBD. She serves as the patient representative for the Stenosis Therapy and Anti-Fibrotic Research (STAR) Consortium. Gaylyn also served on the Inaugural Patient Advisory Committee and is a Social Influencer for the National Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation. She was awarded the first ever Catalyst for Online Community Engagement Award by the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation. Gaylyn suffered for a very long time because of the stigma associated with living with an ostomy. She doesn’t want others to suffer because of the fear of being stigmatized for having an ostomy. She actively seeks out opportunities to highlight and feature ostomy awareness. She was featured in the groundbreaking Aerie by American Eagle 2018 Fall bra campaign and is now a featured model for Aerie. Through the power of social media and her pioneering efforts Gaylyn is recognized as a leading public and social figure raising ostomy awareness. Through Gutless and Glamorous, she aims to encourage and empower women and men living with an ostomy to love themselves for all that they are. Her ultimate goal is to help erase the stigma of having an ostomy once and for all.
Kelly McKnight is a Doula, CLEC, Babywearing Educator and co-founder of Moms In Color. Having gone from a SAH mom, to working full time, and traveling all over the country she believes in supporting other mothers through the complex journey of balancing a career and family. She has dedicated her career to bringing other women of color to the table in the parenting world so the major challenges facing our communities can be brought to the surface and begin creating a positive impact for the future. She is passionate about green living, intentional choices, true feminism and self care. Kelly lives in Los Angeles with her husband and four young children.
Natalie (Sparacio) Hayden, 38, is a former TV news anchor and reporter living in the Midwest. Her mission is to be an advocate for those battling inflammatory bowel disease and to show that a chronic illness doesn’t have to dull your sparkle. Natalie was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in July 2005. She launched her blog, Lights, Camera, Crohn’s: An Unobstructed View July 23, 2016 (her 11th diagnosis anniversary), and has shared fresh content with readers every week since. As an IBD mom of 3, she enjoys sharing stories and guidance about family planning, pregnancy, and motherhood in hopes of comforting and empowering others.
Stacy Dylan, co-founder of Connecting to Cure Crohn’s and Colitis, is passionate in her support of patients with chronic medical conditions. As an advocate for her son Lowell, who was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at the age of two, she saw the need to create a community for families, caregivers, and individuals who face the challenges of coping with an Inflammatory Bowel Disease. C to C fills that need, providing a network of support while educating the public about the seriousness of these diseases, and fundraising for research that will lead to new treatments for both the pediatric and adult population. Lowell has undergone many serious surgeries, as well as periods of time when he could not eat solid food, countless procedures, medical tests, hospital stays, and doctor’s visits both in Los Angeles and out-of-state. He has been on many medications and has either lost response or had negative reactions. Stacy Dylan and Dana Zatulove met in 2010, when they joined Team Challenge, the endurance training and fundraising program of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation, and trained for the Napa-to-Sonoma half-marathon. The plan to start their own foundation was hatched during their long training runs. Stacy received her BA in Art History from Hampshire College in 1989, where she met her husband Sam, with whom she has two sons. She received her MA in clinical psychology in 1995 and has practiced as a licensed marriage and family therapist.
Jaime Holland is a health lifestyle writer, marketing consultant, and patient advocate living with multiple immune-mediated conditions including Crohn’s disease. Active in online patient communities, she uses her blog “Pretty Rotten Guts” and social media platforms to help support and educate fellow Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis patients. Jaime resides in Tampa Bay with her husband, daughter, and their Bluenose Staffie. They also enjoy long walks on the beach, but it’s usually too hot for that, so they stay inside where there is air conditioning and bad reality TV programming.
