Very Early Onset Inflammatory Bowel Disease (VEOIBD) Program

About Us

Very early onset inflammatory bowel disease (VEOIBD) impacts children younger than six years of age. As one of the fastest-growing age demographics to be affected by inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which includes Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis and indeterminate colitis. VEOIBD is often aggressive and requires a multidisciplinary approach to the evaluation and management of the condition.

While the exact cause of VEOIBD is often unknown, there may be multiple factors that contribute to the emergence of the condition, including:

• Genetics
• Environment, such as food, medication exposures and geography
• Microbiome, including gut bacteria and organisms
• Immune system dynamics

During your child’s evaluation, it may be possible to uncover some factors that have contributed to their condition, including single gene mutations or immune system defects. Our team of experts uses precision medicine to create individualized treatment plans that allow kids to be kids while living well with their VEOIBD.

Why Choose Weill Cornell Medicine

With the only VEOIBD center in the state of New York, Weill Cornell Medicine is the area’s leading institution for the precision care of children living well with VEOIBD. 

Weill Cornell Medicine’s VEOIBD program offers a multidisciplinary approach to care and is made up of a team of physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, social workers, dietitians and researchers. 

We partner with the pioneering Englander Institute for Precision Medicine to bring targeted, individualized therapies to our most vulnerable patients while utilizing research innovations and technologies that help us to better understand VEOIBD. It is a state-of-the-art “bench to bedside” approach to your child’s care.

Services We Offer

Testing

Our specialists review medical history and perform thorough physical exams before making recommendations for testing to determine if a child may have VEOIBD. Testing may include: 

• Lab work (blood tests, stool samples)
• Imaging (intestinal ultrasound, MRI)
• Endoscopy and/or colonoscopy 
• Immunologic evaluation
• Genetic testing

Treatment

Your child’s care team will develop a personalized treatment plan tailored to their specific VEOIBD needs, which may include a holistic approach to management, such as injectable or infused medications, oral medications, nutrition therapy, mental health support and potentially surgery. 

Although there is currently no known cure for VEOIBD, this condition can be effectively managed through a comprehensive treatment approach, including regular visits with your child’s care team and careful monitoring, enabling children living with VEOIBD to lead full and healthy lives. 

Make an Appointment 

This practice sees patients with referrals from the following Weill Cornell Medicine pediatric subspecialty divisions: 

• Adolescent Medicine
• Cardiology
• Child Development
• Critical Care Medicine
• Endocrinology
• Gastroenterology and Nutrition
• Genetics
• Pediatric Outpatient Care
• Hematology/Oncology
• Pediatric Hospital Medicine
• Allergy and Immunology
• Infectious Diseases
• Medical Genetics
• Neonatology
• Nephrology
• Neurology
• Psychology
• Pulmonology
• Radiology
• Social Work
• Surgery

If you are interested in seeing a provider, please let your medical team know so they can place a referral. Once the referral is placed, a scheduler will contact you, or you can call (646) 962-3869 directly to schedule an appointment. New visits are conducted in person. We offer both virtual and in-person follow-up appointments.

Our Providers

Our experts work with immunologists, geneticists, dietitians, patient navigators, social workers, psychologists, research coordinators and other pediatric subspecialists to ensure excellence in patient care and comprehensive treatment of complex gastrointestinal disorders.

How to Prepare for Your Appointment

What to Expect From Testing

Testing can be time-intensive but helpful to comprehensively evaluate your child. This usually involves:

• Blood work, which can be done on-site
• Stool studies, which can be completed on-site or at a local laboratory
• Imaging studies, which are scheduled following your appointment
• Endoscopic evaluation, such as upper endoscopy and colonoscopy

Your child’s gastroenterologist will spend time with you reviewing the results from the recommended evaluation. This will help you to better understand your child’s condition and allow for the development of your child’s unique treatment plan.

What to Bring to Your Appointment

To ensure the most comprehensive evaluation, please bring your child and their complete medical records, including growth charts and imaging and results from any tests performed with other providers.