With more than a decade of support from Bishop-Parker Foundation, UF Health is turning complex diagnoses into stories of recovery and belonging.
Community means everything to University of Florida junior Celeste Harrell. As a sixth grader, knowing she had a built-in community of family and friends made moving from Tampa to the Bradenton-Sarasota area a little easier.
While in high school, Harrell knew something wasn’t quite right with her health. She experienced more frequent gastrointestinal distress that became challenging to manage. She eventually needed to be hospitalized for C. Diff., or Clostridioides difficile, a serious abdominal infection that can lead to dramatic weight loss and other complications requiring antibiotic treatment.
Following that episode, Harrell remained symptom-free through graduation until the beginning of freshman year at UF. Then, the symptoms returned. Between frequent and unpredictable bathroom visits, severe cramps and several other disruptive symptoms, Harrell found it increasingly difficult to manage her condition while trying to enjoy her new environment.
She wondered if the stress of being a new architecture student was leading to more frequent flare-ups, which could indicate irritable bowel syndrome. After appointments at the UF Student Health Care Center and with other primary care providers, Harrell was referred to UF Health gastroenterologist Angela Pham, M.D.
“Dr. Pham was my saving grace,” Harrell said. “I finally found out at that point that it was more than just a head and gut sort of thing, and that I did actually have inflammation.”
Pham is director of the UF Inflammatory Bowel and Celiac Disease Program, where patients receive personalized specialty care for gastrointestinal disorders, and researchers seek optimal treatments and, potentially, cures.
Much of the program’s progress can be traced to funding by Bishop-Parker Foundation. The foundation is a longtime philanthropic partner whose support has helped advance knowledge and care in celiac disease and irritable bowel syndrome.
“It’s humbling when organizations share your vision and support your work,” Pham said. “Bishop-Parker Foundation has been crucial in our efforts. We are immensely grateful for their ongoing partnership and could not have built the program as it is today without them.”
Over the last decade, notable milestones include:
· Unlocked key pathways that are used by bacteria to keep the gut healthy.
· Published 200-plus scientific papers
· Began two community outreach initiatives serving vulnerable populations: Project ECHO, and the Crohn’s and Colitis Care Consortium (C4)
Researchers found that celiac disease and IBD patients, especially college students, face unique challenges given their new environment and lifestyle during a critical period of emotional and physical growth. Now, there is growing evidence that discussing this experience with peers offers numerous benefits in disease management.
At UF, outreach and community-building have been particularly successful initiatives for student patients. Once Harrell was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, she was introduced to a variety of available resources.
“I don’t think this diagnosis would have been as easy to navigate if it wasn’t for the type of programs they have here at UF,” she said.
As a patient in the UF IBD Clinic, Harrell can take advantage of the UF IBD Health Liaison Program. Patients are connected with peers who have personal experience with celiac disease and IBD and help navigate the health care system and provide support. She was paired with another UF student who was a bit further along in her own IBD journey. Through casual coffee meets and occasional check-ins, Harrell built a meaningful connection with a trusted liaison with whom she keeps in touch to this day.
“It was amazing because it was great to already be on campus and meet, chat and just hang out for a bit,” she said. “It was something that I would have never thought would be an option.”
With graduation on the horizon, Harrell is thankful to be in remission and managing her condition well. The treatment and support she has received at UF has enabled her to live a full and less stressful collegiate life, enriching her experience and allowing her to focus on her studies and other opportunities. Her outcome is what Pham and others hope all patients achieve.
“Working with Celeste to help her manage her condition is the gratifying part of my job,” Pham said. “Patients like her are the reason we work so hard to understand the root causes of their ailments and bring therapies that will bring them relief.”
For Harrell, finding a clinical community has made all the difference in her well-being.