Gail Hecht MD

Biographical Sketch:

Dr. Gail Hecht earned her medical degree from Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. She completed her residency in internal medicine at the University of Minnesota–Minneapolis, and received fellowship training in gastroenterology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. Most of her career was spent at the College of Medicine at the University of Illinois–Chicago, where she rose to the rank of Professor of Medicine and Microbiology/Immunology and Chief of Digestive Diseases and Nutrition. She was recruited to Loyola University Chicago in 2013, where she is currently Professor of Medicine and Microbiology/Immunology and Assistant Dean for Medical Student Research.

The focus of Dr. Hecht’s research is host–pathogen interactions, with specific emphasis on enteropathogenic Escherichia coli and enterohemorrhagic E. coli. Her research is funded by both the NIH and the VA. She also has an interest in the gut microbiome and its impact on intestinal function and health.

Dr. Hecht serves as Editor-in-Chief of a new journal, Gut Microbes, published by Taylor&Francis. Dr. Hecht has been very active in the American Gastroenterological Association, functioning as Chair of the Intestinal Disorders Section of the AGA Council, Basic Research Councillor to the Governing Board, and, ultimately, serving as President from 2009 to 2010. She is a member of the AGA Microbiome Center for Research and Education.

Positions:

Professor of Medicine and Microbiology/Immunology; Assistant Dean for Medical Student Research, Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois

Degrees:

MS: Medical Microbiology, University of Missouri-Columbia, MO

MD: Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine

Postgraduate Training:

Fellowship (gastroenterology): Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts

Research Interests:

Host–pathogen interactions