Meet the ECCO News Editorial Team

More details on the 2022–2025 ECCO News editorial team are provided below.

Alessandro Armuzzi, Chief Editor

Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Humanitas University, Milan, Italy

Alessandro Armuzzi © Alessandro Armuzzi

Alessandro leads the Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Center at the IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital in Milan, Italy. He earned his MD from the University of Bologna and his PhD from the Tor Vergata University of Rome and completed his internal medicine and gastroenterology training at the Catholic University of Rome, all in Italy. Alessandro also conducted advanced research and underwent clinical training in IBD at the John Radcliffe Hospital – Oxford University Hospitals in Oxford, UK. Up until 2021 he led the IBD Center at the Fondazione Policlinico A. Gemelli IRCCS, Catholic University in Rome, Italy.

Alessandro’s research interests focus on the design of real-life trials and observational studies in IBD, clinical/biological prediction and outcomes in IBD and immune-mediated diseases, diagnostic modalities to assess disease activity in IBD and advanced therapies in IBD

He serves as a member of several gastroenterology associations, including the Italian Group for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IG-IBD, Chair 2018–2019, EduCom Chair 2020–2021), the Scientific Committee of the Italian Society of Gastroenterology (SIGE, 2014–2017) and the European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation (ECCO, ClinCom Chair 2015–2017, Internal Auditor 2019–2020, Secretary 2021–2024). Additionally, he has authored many peer-reviewed publications in the field of IBD.

Nuha Yassin, Associate Editor

Consultant, Colorectal Surgeon, NIHR Clinical Research Scholar, West Midlands, United Kingdom

Nuha Yassin © Nuha Yassin

Nuha graduated from the University of Manchester, UK, where she undertook her junior doctor intern year. Her basic surgical training was in Yorkshire, where she gained her postgraduate Master’s degree. Nuha’s senior training years were in Birmingham and in the West Midlands region. She took time out of training to focus on research and spent 3 years at St Mark’s Hospital in London, gaining her PhD in Crohn’s Disease from Imperial College. Her work resulted in several international presentations, a number of publications and won many awards. Nuha was awarded the prestigious Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCSEng) research fellowship, the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland (ACPGBI) travelling fellowship, the Richard Cobb Travelling Fellowship and the European Society of Coloproctology (ESCP) short fellowship. Nuha is a robotic and minimally invasive consultant colorectal surgeon with specialist clinical and research interests in IBD, based in the UK. She is the lead for robotic colorectal surgery at her trust. She is also an NIHR research scholar and a Council member at the Royal College of Surgeons of England, amongst other positions of responsibility. She is part of the ESSAT collaborative surgical team at UEG.

The ACPGBI travelling fellowship enabled Nuha to spend valuable time at the AMC with Willem Bemelman. The Richard Cobb Travelling Fellowship led to time with Antonino Spinelli at Humanitas in Milan, and the ESCP short fellowship offered an opportunity to work with Eloy Espín at Vall D’ Hebron in Barcelona.

Nuha has been a member of ECCO since 2012. She contributed widely to Y-ECCO and ECCO Activities and was awarded the Y-ECCO Best Abstract Award. She was a Y-ECCO Committee member and ws the first surgeon to chair the committee. She then took up the role of ECCO News Associate Editor, which she thoroughly enjoys. Nuha is looking forward to working with the fantastic new additions to the team.

Ignacio Catalán-Serra, Associate Editor

Gastroenterology Consultant, Levanger Hospital. Senior Researcher, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway

I. Catalán-Serra © I. Catalán-Serra

Ignacio is a specialist in Gastroenterology with a special interest in IBD. He obtained his medical degree from the Universidad de Valencia (Spain) and undertook his fellowship in Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the Arnau de Vilanova Hospital, where he started the Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Clinical Unit in 2010 and worked as Head of IBD. He completed his clinical training in IBD at Mount Sinai Hospital (N.Y., USA) at the Dr. Henry D. Janowitz Division of Gastroenterology (IBD), mentored by David B. Sachar.

Ignacio obtained his PhD from the University of Valencia for his work on the role of gammadelta T cells in Crohn’s Disease and has a post-doc in precision medicine in IBD from NTNU, Trondheim, Norway. Currently, he combines work as a consultant in Gastroenterology at Levanger University Hospital (Norway) with a senior research position in the IBD Research Group at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).

Ignacio is a board member of the Scientific Committee of the Norwegian IBD Study Group (NISG) and has been actively involved with the European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation (ECCO) in different projects. Since 2019, he has served as Associate Editor of its official journal, ECCO News. Ignacio is a board member of the United European Gastroenterology (UEG) Education Committee, where he is involved in the e-learning team, providing high-quality virtual education content with a focus on IBD and lower GI disorders. He is also co-director of the UEG Summer School (IBD) and a member of the UEG equity and diversity task force. His work has led to several international publications and research grants.

Ignacio’s main goal is to understand the causes leading to IBD in order to find better treatments, to contribute to high-quality education in the field and to improve the quality of life of patients and families suffering from IBD.

Brigida Barberio, Associate Editor

Gastroenterology Consultant, University Hospital of Padova, Italy

Brigida Barberio © Brigida Barberio

Brigida is a Gastroenterology Consultant and a PhD student in Clinical and Experimental Oncology and Immunology at University Hospital of Padova, Italy. Her main scientific interest has always been IBD, and her PhD project aims to identify potential non-invasive and early biomarkers, including micro-RNAs, for IBD-related colorectal cancer.

During her clinical research fellowship at NHS Teaching Hospital, University of Leeds (UK), she evaluated the epidemiology, prognosis and risk factors of different disorders associated with IBD through the implementation of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Also, she evaluated the effectiveness and safety of different therapeutic approaches in these patients through network meta-analyses. This research background has led to several international publications in journals with high impact factors.

During her clinical research fellowship at NHS Teaching Hospital, University of Leeds (UK), she evaluated the 

Spyros Siakavellas, Associate Editor

Consultant, Gastroenterology Department, University of Edinburgh, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Spyros Siakavellas © Spyros Siakavellas

Spyros trained in medicine and completed his PhD thesis on “The role of the TL1A/DcR3 axis in IBD” at the Medical School of Athens University. He trained in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology in the UK and in Greece, obtaining his Gastroenterology specialty certificate in 2019.

In 2018 he joined the United European Gastroenterology as a web editor in the e-learning team and as a member of the Educational Committee. He has authored over 40 peer-reviewed publications in the field of Gastroenterology. His research interests include IBD, chronic liver disease and medical education. Follow Spyros on Twitter: @SSiakavellas.

Spyros trained in medicine and completed his PhD thesis on “The role of the TL1A/DcR3 axis in IBD” at the Medical School of Athens University. He trained in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology in the UK and in Greece, obtaining his Gastroenterology specialty certificate in 2019.

All the best,

The ECCO News Editorial Team