top of page
About ESsCD
Our mission
The ESsCD is a non-for-profit organization endorsing research in Celiac Disease within Europe. For this purpose, it supports celiac research groups in their networking efforts, organizes meetings and courses on Celiac Disease and helps advancing celiac research to alleviate the disease´s burden.
The ESsCD Board
Michael Schumann
President of ESsCD. Attending physician and chief of celiac clinic at the Dept for Gastroenterology, Charité in Berlin, Germany. Has a focus on mucosal barrier in Celiac Disease and on Refractory Celiac Disease.
Jorunn Stamnaes
Senior Researcher at the Department of Clinical Medicine at the University of Oslo, Norway, and a project leader at the Norwegian Coeliac Disease Research Centre. Trained as a pharmacist, earned her PhD in Immunology with Ludvig M. Sollid on biochemistry and biology of TG2 in Celiac Disease. Currently, she utilizes clinical patient samples to elucidate disease pathogenesis and to develop novel molecular diagnostic tools.
Luca Elli
Chief of the Center for the Prevention and Diagnosis of Celiac Disease, Fondazione IRCCS Cà Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milano, Italy. Is specialized in Gastroenterology and Digestive Endoscopy and received a PhD in Gastrointestinal Sciences. The major clinical focus is small bowel endoscopy (videocapsule and double balloon enteroscopy), the basic science includes research on molecular patterns in Celiac Disease.
Knut Lundin
Professor and Head of clinical education at Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo and as Senior consultant gastroenterologist at the Endoscopy Unit, Dept of Gastroenterology, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet. Clinical expertise includes advanced GI endoscopy as well as celiac disease, wheat sensitivity, IBD and others. Main research interest focusses on T cell biology of celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity.
Abdul Al-toma
Works currently at the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, St. Antonius Ziekenhuis, the Netherlands. Abdulbaqi does research in Coeliac disease and Small bowel enteroscopy (DBE, SBE, VCE and Motorized Spiral). He is coordinator and first author of the European Society for the Study of Coeliac Disease (ESsCD) guideline for coeliac disease.
Hugo Penny
MBBS, MRCP, PhD. NIHR Clinical Lecturer in Gastroenterology at the School of Medicine and Population Health and Royal Hallamshire Hospital Sheffield, UK. Has a focus of his work on the no biopsy approach for celiac diagnosis in adults and on Refractory Celiac Disease.
Nick Trott
Obtained an honours degree in Nutrition and Dietetics from Cardiff Metropolitan University. Currently, Nick works as a Gastroenterology Dietitian, covering the Specialist Coeliac Clinic at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield, UK. His areas of particular clinical interest include coeliac disease, gluten ataxia, non-coeliac wheat sensitivity and the Low FODMAP approach to Disorders of Gut Brain Interaction.
Valentina Discepolo
Professor for pediatric gastroenterology, Department of Translational Medical Science and European Laboratory for the Investigation of Food Induced Diseases, University of Naples Federico II, Italy. Specializes in celiac disease and mucosal immunology. Was trained in Chicago and completed a fellowship in Melbourne, advancing clinical trials and immune-based therapies for gluten-related disorders.
Carmen Gianfrani
Mucosal immunologist and head of the Laboratory of Mucosal Immunology and Immune Nutrition at the University of Naples, Italy. Has experience in food-related immune disorders, in particular celiac disease. Has contributed to the characterization of gluten T cell epitopes and to the reinduction of oral tolerance to gluten, as well as of enzymatic strategies to detoxify gluten proteins, that are currently in clinical trials.
Alina Popp
Works at the Dept of Pediatrics, University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Carol Davila" in Bucharest, Romania, with a focus on Celiac Disease. Was trained in Tampere, Finland, on GI pathology, specifically small bowel histology.
bottom of page