International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders

Educational Organizations

Canadian Society of Intestinal Research (CSiR): The Canadian Society of Intestinal Research (CSiR) is a registered non-profit organization. Established on October 18, 1976, CSiR is dedicated to increasing public awareness, providing patient educational materials, spearheading patient advocacy, and funding medical research regarding all areas of the gastrointestinal tract – from reflux disease, to inflammatory bowel disease, to irritable bowel syndrome, to hemorrhoids, and more.

Cochrane Summaries: The Cochrane Collaboration is an international not-for-profit organization involved in preparing, maintaining and promoting the accessibility of systematic reviews of the effects of health care. Their new website, Cochrane Summaries offers numerous plain language, layperson-oriented summaries from Cochrane systematic reviews relating to a variety of functional gastrointestinal disorders.

Community for Accredited Online Schools: Approximately half of all adults in the US are affected by chronic conditions. The Community for Accredited Online Schools, a not-for-profit organization, provides resources for students with chronic health conditions, including IBS and others. Their guidebook for completing an education with a chronic health condition includes resources and scholarships, information on how to manage college with a chronic health condition, and offers tips and pointers on how to stay healthy in a college setting. Take a look.

Mayo Clinic: Health and medical information and resources are available from the Mayo Clinic.

National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD): The National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) is a unique federation of voluntary health organizations dedicated to helping people with rare “orphan” diseases and assisting the organizations that serve them. NORD is committed to the identification, treatment, and cure of rare disorders through programs of education, advocacy, research, and service.

UCLA Center for Neurovisceral Sciences & Women’s Health: The UCLA Center for Neurovisceral Sciences & Women’s Health is an NIH-funded, interdisciplinary basic and translational research program focused on various aspects of mind brain body interactions in health and disease. The Center seeks better understanding of such common gastrointestinal disorders as irritable bowel syndrome, functional dyspepsia, and common urological disorders such as irritable bladder syndrome (interstitial cystitis).

University of North Carolina (UNC) Center for Functional GI & Motility Disorders: The University of North Carolina (UNC) Center for Functional GI & Motility Disorders is a multidisciplinary facility dedicated to advancing the understanding and care of patients with functional disorders. Their web site offers up-to-date information on Functional GI and Motility Disorders for both the professional and the patient, and provides information on the Center and its research, training, patient education and clinical treatment.