The International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders (IFFGD) is pleased to announce the 2026 Recipient of the IFFGD Research Grant:
Congratulations Xaio Jing (Iris) Wang, M.D., FACG
About Dr. Xaio Jing (Iris) Wang
Dr. Xiao Jing (Iris) Wang, MD, FACG, is an Associate Professor in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology in the Consultative/General GI group at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. Dr. Wang completed medical school at New York University School of Medicine and her residency at Emory University’s, J Willis Hurst Internal Medicine Residency Program where she also served as chief resident. She moved to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN for GI fellowship training where she served as chief fellow and subsequently joined staff after graduation. During fellowship training, Dr. Wang worked under the mentorship of Dr. Michael Camilleri, taking part in multiple NIH- and industry-funded studies evaluating the impact of various drugs on gastrointestinal motility and pelvic floor disorders.
Dr. Wang is currently the Associate Program Director of the GI fellowship as well as chair of the GIH Division’s Wellbeing Committee. She is an Associate Member of the Mayo Clinic Academy of Educational Excellence as well as rotation director for the subspecialty visiting medical school program. Dr. Wang has an active research program which has received funding from benefactors, divisional support, foundational support, as well an R01 Grant from the NIH NIDDK. She is an active member of multiple GI societies, including IFFGD’s junior academician program, and speaks nationally in the CME space. She is also the proud author of a children’s book, “Boo Can’t Poo”, aimed at increasing constipation awareness and prevention among children and their parents.
Research Interests
Dr. Wang’s research is focused on the pathophysiology of Disorders of Gut Brain Interaction (DGBI), testing of pharmaceutical and nonpharmaceutical therapies including hypnotherapy, digital therapy, and extended reality therapeutics.
One of the major limitations in the care of DGBI patients is the lack of objective biomarkers for disease diagnosis. Symptom based diagnoses are difficult as they can incorporate heterogenous disorders under the same label, which limits the ability to target treatments at a root problem. This current research proposal seeks to validate a biomarker for diagnosis of small bowel hypersensitivity utilizing noninvasive techniques that have been clinically used in radiology to enhance small bowel visualization. Utilizing cross-disciplinary techniques, this project aims to develop normative values for a test that can then be validated in patients with DGBIs including irritable bowel syndrome and functional dyspepsia, both of which have suspected components of small bowel hypersensitivity. Development of this diagnostic tool will allow patients to better understand the driver of their symptoms and serve as a potential target to benchmark the success of future therapies.
In both the research and clinical study of patients with DGBI there are limitations of traditional pharmacologic therapies given side effect profiles in patients with central sensitization disorders, commonly part of DGBI pathology. Another aspect of Dr. Wang’s research portfolio focuses on the development and understanding of non-pharmacologic, noninvasive therapies to provide effective and tolerable treatment of these chronic disease conditions. In this space, Dr. Wang has developed, in conjunction with collaborators in psychogastroenterology, a new, digitally delivered hypnotherapy protocol for the treatment of symptomatically bloating. The success of this protocol was studied in a pilot trial supported by an internal grant with a prospective randomized trial currently underway. This work has also branched out to include utilization of brain gut behavior therapies for esophageal DGBIs.
Taken together, Dr. Wang’s research program seeks to advance the understanding of DGBIs through development of diagnostic tools, and improve the treatment of these conditions utilizing techniques that are accessible with minimal side effects.
Learn more about the IFFGD Nancy and Bill Norton Research Program