Our Team
Our Center brings together a team of talented individuals from clinical research, laboratory research, basic science and the community to propel our mission.
Center Faculty and Instructors
Ruben Colman, MD, PhD
Instructor, Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition
Dr. Ruben Colman is an instructor of Pediatrics in the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at the Stanford Medicine Children’s Health Center for IBD and Celiac Disease. As a physician-scientist he specializes in the care of children with chronic inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and further studies how to improve care and disease outcomes for these patients. Dr. Colman’s research seeks to understand person-specific factors that impact the efficacy of novel therapeutics, and identify new ways to use this information to positively impact the effect and durability of medication. He concurrently completed a PhD specializing in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics titled: “Precision Dosing and Personalized Medicine in Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease” which he will defend at the University of Amsterdam in June 2023. Clinically, with his passion to innovate care for children with IBD through personalized medicine, Dr. Colman is pioneering the implementation of point-of-care intestinal ultrasound during routine clinic visits at Stanford/Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital. The opportunity to utilize these ultrasound exams will further advance state of the art care and accelerate the ability to make treatment decisions in an efficient, minimally invasive, and patient-oriented manner.
Babajide Ojo, PhD
Instructor, Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition
Dr. Babajide (Jide) Ojo completed his Ph.D. in 2019 at Oklahoma State University under the supervision of Dr. Edralin Lucas. His Ph.D. investigated the interplay between diet and the gut microbiota in shaping metabolic and transcriptomic outcomes in diet-induced obesity and comorbidities. Dr. Ojo commenced his Postdoctoral training at Cincinnati Children's Hospital in 2020 before moving to Stanford Medicine in 2021 to further his training in the Rosen Lab. In December 2023, he received a promotion to Instructor. His current work aims to understand how biopsy-derived colon organoids may recapitulate the metabolic and epigenetic anomalies in the epithelia of pediatric ulcerative colitis patients.
Center Staff
Ashley Dunn, MPH
Program Director, Stanford Medicine Children’s Health Center for IBD and Celiac Disease
Ashley Dunn brings more than 10 years of experience working with diverse stakeholders to advance racial, social, and health equity in communities across the United States. In her current role as Program Director, she develops and implements strategies for activating the Stanford University research community to address fundamental problems relevant to pediatric IBD and Celiac disease. Ms. Dunn has extensive experience in strategic planning, program design and evaluation for mission-oriented organizations and communities to deliver equitable, accessible, evidence-based, person-centered programs that improve patient health outcomes. She has led evaluations and provided technical assistance for community-based, national non-profit, and academic organizations. She has additional expertise in mixed methods and qualitative research designs, employing participatory and inductive approaches to develop practical solutions, tools, and resources that create measurable impact.
Alexandra Lauzardo, BA
Executive Assistant
Alexandra Lauzardo joined as an Executive Assistant for the Stanford Medicine Children’s Health Center for IBD and Celiac Disease in October 2021. In her role, Ms. Lauzardo provides high-level administrative support to the Center’s Director, Dr. Michael Rosen, and supports and coordinates Center initiatives including events, research administration, and staff and faculty recruitment. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of California, Davis. Her interests include travel, spending time with family, and planning for her upcoming wedding.