Gail A. Hecht, MD, is professor of medicine and microbiology/immunology; chief of gastroenterology and nutrition; and GI residency program director at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. She has served in a number of roles in the American Gastroenterological Association, including chair of the Intestinal Disorders Section of the AGA Council, Basic Research Councilor to the Governing Board and finally, president of the AGA.
Dr. Hecht is the editor-in-chief of Gut Microbes and a scientific advisory board member for the AGA Center for Microbiome Research and Education. Her work has been published in numerous professional journals, including Infection and Immunity and Cellular Microbiology. Her research interests include the interaction of enteric bacterial pathogens with host intestinal epithelial cells and the mechanisms.
Dr. Hecht earned her medical degree at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago and completed her residency at University of Minnesota Hospital and Clinics in Minneapolis. She completed her fellowship in gastroenterology at Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School in Boston.