Dr. Eamonn M. M. Quigley, past president of the American College of Gastroenterology and the World Gastroenterology Organization, joined the faculty at Houston Methodist Hospital as head of its Gastroenterology and Hepatology division in 2013.

Prior to his move to Houston, Quigley was professor of medicine and human physiology and a principal investigator at the Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre at the National University of Ireland in Cork. He is internationally known for his research on gastrointestinal motility disorders, primarily irritable bowel syndrome (IBS); gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD); neurogastroenterology (the relationship between the central nervous system and the gut); the gut microbiome and probiotics in health and disease. A highlight of his ongoing research includes how bacteria in the digestive tract play a major role in pulling nutrients from food to nourish the body, as well as participating in protecting the body from disease.

IBS is the most common, chronic medical condition in the United States. Approximately 40 percent of those with IBS have symptoms severe or frequent enough to disrupt their daily lives. While the cause of IBS has not been clearly identified, Quigley’s clinical research suggests that an alteration of the normal gut bacteria flora may be a cause. His research team is working toward developing new biomarkers for IBS which would eventually lead to the development of new treatments. Quigley’s clinical interests focus on the use of probiotics for the treatment of IBS.

He has published more than 800 peer-reviewed articles, reviews, editorials, book chapters and case reports, mostly in the areas of gut motility, functional gastrointestinal disorders, and GERD. Quigley has received numerous international honors and awards. He served as Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of Gastroenterology from 1997 to 2003.

Quigley received his medical degree from  University College Cork in Cork, Ireland; completed internal medicine residency in Glasgow, Scotland; and did GI fellowship training at the Mayo Clinic and the University of Manchester in England.  He served as the Chief of Gastroenterology at the University of Nebraska from 1991 to 1998 and as Dean of the Medical School in Cork, Ireland from 2000 to 2007.

Some of his pioneering research over the past several decades has included how the function of the gut is affected in a variety of diseases and conditions, including chronic liver disease, high-dose chemoradiotherapy, intestinal failure and transplantation, and Parkinson’s disease.