Professor David C. Whitcomb MD, PhD is a pioneer in the use of mathematics, genetics, neurosciences, immunology, epidemiology and clinical sciences to study complex inflammation disorders and cancer risks of the digestive system, He is among the most-cited authors in the field of pancreatic diseases with multiple landmark papers.

He co-founded the Center for Genomic Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh (now part of the Genomics and Proteomics Core Laboratory), and served as Director of the Nutrition Support Service and Director of Gastroenterology for the Pittsburgh VA Healthcare System. He served as Chief, Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh from 1999 to 2016, building it into one of the top Gastroenterology programs in the world.

With over 25 years of continuous NIH funding, he served as principal investigator on multiple National Institutes of Health-sponsored studies, building one of the top human genetics programs for complex digestive diseases. He has published over 400 peer reviewed papers, reviews and book chapters, edited 8 books, with ~25,000 citations, and h-index over 75 and i10index of ~250. His research, education and organizational innovations in precision medicine continue to be studied and emulated by other leading programs throughout the world.

Dr. Whitcomb completed a doctorate in physiology (PhD, 1983) and a medical degree (MD, 1985) at Ohio State University. Postdoctoral training at Duke University included medical residency, gastroenterology fellowship and postdoctoral training under Ian Taylor MD PhD. Dr. Whitcomb joined the faculty of the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC as a physician-scientist in 1991. He holds the Giant Eagle Foundation Professor of Cancer Genetics (endowed chair), Professor of Medicine (with tenure), Professor of Cell Biology & Molecular Physiology, and Professor of Human Genetics. He is also Adjunct Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA.

A member of many professional and scientific societies, Professor Whitcomb is Editor-in-Chief of Clinical and Translational Gastroenterology, an official journal of the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG), and Section Editor for Pancreas, UpToDate. Dr. Whitcomb has served as president of the American Pancreatic Association (APA) and Chairman of the Pancreatic Disorders Section of the American Gastroenterology Association (AGA). He founded and leads the Midwest Multicenter Pancreatic Study Group, the North American Pancreatic Study Group (NAPS2) and the Collaborative Alliance for Pancreatic Education and Research (CAPER). He started and directs PancreasFest, an annual international translational meeting every July in Pittsburgh.

Dr. Whitcomb has received dozens of honors and awards, including 4 life-time achievement awards for research and mentoring. He was voted by his peers as a Best Doctor in America, selected one of ASG Review’s Top 75 Gastroenterologists in America (November 2010), and named by Becker’s ACS Review as one of the 20 Great Physicians in Pennsylvania (May 26, 2011).