Ellen M Zimmermann

Ellen M Zimmermann, M.D.

Associate Dean & Professor

Department: MD-GASTROENTEROLOGY
Business Phone: (352) 273-9400
Business Email: ezimmer2@ufl.edu

About Ellen M Zimmermann

I’m a board-certified gastroenterologist with over 25 years of experience treating patients for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, in addition to microscopic colitis and collagenous colitis. In addition to my clinical expertise, I am a professor in the University of Florida Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition. I’m also dedicated to advancing IBD treatments and run my own research lab. My lab focuses on researching new therapies and addressing the knowledge gap. We hone in on vulnerable populations who are at risk of falling through the crack of our health care system, including those who are uninsured, under-represented and transitioning from pediatric to adult care.

My training began at the University of Wisconsin, where I completed my medical degree and subsequently completed my internship and residency at UW Hospital and Clinics. During this time, I took interest in gastroenterology for its vast array of disease processes in the gastrointestinal tract. Thereafter, I completed a gastroenterology fellowship at University of Michigan Medical Center and a research fellowship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Here at UF, we thrive on teamwork to provide leading-edge clinical care using the latest tools and techniques. Patients benefit from comprehensive care, delivered by our array of specialized professionals, such as nurses, surgeons, radiologists, pathologists, nutritionists and pharmacists.

Additionally, I serve as the associate dean for faculty development and vice chair of academic affairs in the UF College of Medicine, where I foster an institutional climate of inclusion to create rewarding and satisfying careers. I have published over 100 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters, and I have spoken internationally on the natural history of Crohn’s disease and other topics. Throughout my career, I’ve also held active roles in the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) and received a Distinguished Service Award in 2007 for my contributions to the field.

In my free time, I enjoy traveling and anything nature-oriented, especially the flora and fauna of North Central Florida and coastlines.

Teaching Profile

Courses Taught
2020,2023
BMS6634 GI and Hepatology
2023
GMS5905 Special Topics in Biomedical Sciences

Board Certifications

  • Gastroenterology
    American Board of Internal Medicine
  • Internal Medicine
    American Board of Internal Medicine

Clinical Profile

Specialties
  • Gastroenterology
Areas of Interest
  • Crohn disease
  • Inflammatory bowel disease
  • Irritable bowel syndrome
  • Ulcerative colitis

Research Profile

Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID)

0000-0002-7966-2837

Publications

2023
Risk of preterm delivery and small for gestational age among women with inflammatory bowel disease using tumor necrosis factor alpha inhibitors during pregnancy.
American journal of obstetrics and gynecology. 228(4):474-476 [DOI] 10.1016/j.ajog.2022.12.303. [PMID] 36565900.
2022
PLA2-Triggered Activation of Cyclosporine-Phospholipid Prodrug as a Drug Targeting Approach in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Therapy.
Pharmaceutics. 14(3) [DOI] 10.3390/pharmaceutics14030675. [PMID] 35336048.
2022
Prodrug-Based Targeting Approach for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Therapy: Mechanistic Study of Phospholipid-Linker-Cyclosporine PLA2-Mediated Activation.
International journal of molecular sciences. 23(5) [DOI] 10.3390/ijms23052673. [PMID] 35269813.
2021
Lactococcus lactis Delivery of Surface Layer Protein A Protects Mice from Colitis by Re-Setting Host Immune Repertoire.
Biomedicines. 9(9) [DOI] 10.3390/biomedicines9091098. [PMID] 34572293.
2021
Newly Diagnosed Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: The Relationship Between Perceived Psychological Support, Health-Related Quality of Life, and Disease Activity.
Health equity. 5(1):42-48 [DOI] 10.1089/heq.2020.0053. [PMID] 33681688.
2020
Characteristics of Faculty at Risk of Leaving Their Medical Schools: An Analysis of the StandPoint™ Faculty Engagement Survey.
Journal of healthcare leadership. 12:1-10 [DOI] 10.2147/JHL.S225291. [PMID] 32021533.
2020
College Students with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Qualitative Study of Challenges Associated with College Transition and Self-Care.
Health equity. 4(1):190-197 [DOI] 10.1089/heq.2019.0053. [PMID] 32440616.
2020
Lipids and Lipid-Processing Pathways in Drug Delivery and Therapeutics.
International journal of molecular sciences. 21(9) [DOI] 10.3390/ijms21093248. [PMID] 32375338.
2020
Phospholipid Cyclosporine Prodrugs Targeted at Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Treatment: Design, Synthesis, and in Vitro Validation.
ChemMedChem. 15(17):1639-1644 [DOI] 10.1002/cmdc.202000317. [PMID] 32618133.
2019
How to Foster Academic Promotion and Career Advancement of Women in Gastroenterology.
Gastroenterology. 157(3):598-601 [DOI] 10.1053/j.gastro.2019.07.041. [PMID] 31374216.
2019
Lipidic prodrug approach for improved oral drug delivery and therapy.
Medicinal research reviews. 39(2):579-607 [DOI] 10.1002/med.21533. [PMID] 30320896.
2019
Molecular Modeling-Guided Design of Phospholipid-Based Prodrugs.
International journal of molecular sciences. 20(9) [DOI] 10.3390/ijms20092210. [PMID] 31060339.
2019
Phospholipid-Based Prodrugs for Colon-Targeted Drug Delivery: Experimental Study and In-Silico Simulations.
Pharmaceutics. 11(4) [DOI] 10.3390/pharmaceutics11040186. [PMID] 30995772.
2019
Pre-operative total parenteral nutrition improves post-operative outcomes in a subset of Crohn’s disease patients undergoing major abdominal surgery.
Gastroenterology report. 7(2):107-114 [DOI] 10.1093/gastro/goy033. [PMID] 30976423.
2019
Real-world Pattern of Biologic Use in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Treatment Persistence, Switching, and Importance of Concurrent Immunosuppressive Therapy.
Inflammatory bowel diseases. 25(8):1417-1427 [DOI] 10.1093/ibd/izz001. [PMID] 30839057.
2019
Small bowel stricture is associated with abnormal motility on the cine MRI sequence in patients with Crohn’s disease.
European journal of radiology. 118:264-270 [DOI] 10.1016/j.ejrad.2019.08.001. [PMID] 31439253.
2019
Solitary ascending colon ulcer diagnosed as gastrointestinal CMV disease.
BMJ case reports. 12(2) [DOI] 10.1136/bcr-2018-226355. [PMID] 30739086.
2019
The prospects of lipidic prodrugs: an old approach with an emerging future.
Future medicinal chemistry. 11(19):2563-2571 [DOI] 10.4155/fmc-2019-0155. [PMID] 31633401.
2018
Consensus Recommendations for Evaluation, Interpretation, and Utilization of Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Enterography in Patients With Small Bowel Crohn’s Disease.
Radiology. 286(3):776-799 [DOI] 10.1148/radiol.2018171737. [PMID] 29319414.
2018
Consensus Recommendations for Evaluation, Interpretation, and Utilization of Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Enterography in Patients With Small Bowel Crohn’s Disease.
Gastroenterology. 154(4):1172-1194 [DOI] 10.1053/j.gastro.2017.11.274. [PMID] 29329905.
2018
Effective communication of cross-sectional imaging findings in Crohn’s disease: comparing conventional EMR reporting to a published scoring system.
Abdominal radiology (New York). 43(7):1798-1806 [DOI] 10.1007/s00261-017-1368-0. [PMID] 29075825.
2018
Effects of Preoperative Use of Biologic Agents on Operative Outcomes in Crohn’s Disease Patients.
The American surgeon. 84(9):1526-1530 [PMID] 30268188.
2018
Perioperative Care of Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Focus on Nutritional Support.
Gastroenterology research and practice. 2018 [DOI] 10.1155/2018/7890161. [PMID] 30344603.
2018
Prospects and Challenges of Phospholipid-Based Prodrugs.
Pharmaceutics. 10(4) [DOI] 10.3390/pharmaceutics10040210. [PMID] 30388756.
2018
What a medical school chair wants from the dean.
Journal of healthcare leadership. 10:33-44 [DOI] 10.2147/JHL.S158937. [PMID] 29872359.
2017
A Fixed Stricture on Routine Cross-Sectional Imaging Predicts Disease-Related Complications and Adverse Outcomes in Patients With Crohn’s Disease
Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. 23(4):641-649 [DOI] 10.1097/MIB.0000000000001054.
2017
A Fixed Stricture on Routine Cross-sectional Imaging Predicts Disease-Related Complications and Adverse Outcomes in Patients with Crohn’s Disease.
Inflammatory bowel diseases. 23(4):641-649 [DOI] 10.1097/MIB.0000000000001054. [PMID] 28267043.
2017
Computational modeling and in-vitro/in-silico correlation of phospholipid-based prodrugs for targeted drug delivery in inflammatory bowel disease.
Journal of computer-aided molecular design. 31(11):1021-1028 [DOI] 10.1007/s10822-017-0079-5. [PMID] 29101519.
2017
Phospholipid-drug conjugates as a novel oral drug targeting approach for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease.
European journal of pharmaceutical sciences : official journal of the European Federation for Pharmaceutical Sciences. 108:78-85 [DOI] 10.1016/j.ejps.2017.06.022. [PMID] 28627471.
2016
Anti-TNFα alters the natural history of experimental Crohn’s disease in rats when begun early, but not late, in disease.
American journal of physiology. Gastrointestinal and liver physiology. 311(4):G688-G698 [DOI] 10.1152/ajpgi.00216.2015. [PMID] 27562059.
2016
Phospholipid-Based Prodrugs for Drug Targeting in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Computational Optimization and In-Vitro Correlation.
Current topics in medicinal chemistry. 16(23):2543-8 [PMID] 27086789.
2015
CT and MR enterography in Crohn’s disease: current and future applications.
Abdominal imaging. 40(5):965-74 [DOI] 10.1007/s00261-015-0360-9. [PMID] 25637127.
2014
Effects of inflammatory bowel disease on students’ adjustment to college.
Clinical gastroenterology and hepatology : the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association. 12(12):2055-62.e1 [DOI] 10.1016/j.cgh.2014.03.032. [PMID] 24726907.
2014
Magnetization transfer in lamellar liquid crystals.
Magnetic resonance in medicine. 72(5):1427-34 [DOI] 10.1002/mrm.25034. [PMID] 24258798.
2014
Modern prodrug design for targeted oral drug delivery.
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland). 19(10):16489-505 [DOI] 10.3390/molecules191016489. [PMID] 25317578.
2014
MR imaging of the small bowel in Crohn disease.
Magnetic resonance imaging clinics of North America. 22(1):13-22 [DOI] 10.1016/j.mric.2013.09.001. [PMID] 24238129.
2014
Zimmermann EM Effects of inflammatory bowel disease on students’ adjustment to college
Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. 12:2055-2062
2013
Anti-tumor necrosis factor α prevents bowel fibrosis assessed by messenger RNA, histology, and magnetization transfer MRI in rats with Crohn’s disease.
Inflammatory bowel diseases. 19(4):683-90 [DOI] 10.1097/MIB.0b013e3182802c32. [PMID] 23429466.
2013
Crohn’s disease complicated by strictures: a systematic review.
Gut. 62(7):1072-84 [DOI] 10.1136/gutjnl-2012-304353. [PMID] 23626373.
2013
Development of a peptidoglycan-polysaccharide murine model of Crohn’s disease: effect of genetic background.
Inflammatory bowel diseases. 19(6):1238-44 [DOI] 10.1097/MIB.0b013e31828132b4. [PMID] 23619717.
2013
Endothelial PAS domain protein 1 activates the inflammatory response in the intestinal epithelium to promote colitis in mice.
Gastroenterology. 145(4):831-41 [DOI] 10.1053/j.gastro.2013.07.010. [PMID] 23860500.
2013
The unfolded protein response and chemical chaperones reduce protein misfolding and colitis in mice.
Gastroenterology. 144(5):989-1000.e6 [DOI] 10.1053/j.gastro.2013.01.023. [PMID] 23336977.
2012
A new look at Crohn’s disease: novel imaging techniques.
Current opinion in gastroenterology. 28(4):334-40 [DOI] 10.1097/MOG.0b013e3283540705. [PMID] 22678451.
2012
Automatic vs semi-automatic global cardiac function assessment using 64-row CT.
The British journal of radiology. 85(1015):e243-53 [DOI] 10.1259/bjr/65747000. [PMID] 22045953.
2012
Computed tomography enterography findings correlate with tissue inflammation, not fibrosis in resected small bowel Crohn’s disease.
Inflammatory bowel diseases. 18(5):849-56 [DOI] 10.1002/ibd.21801. [PMID] 21710535.
2012
Hypoxia-inducible factor-2α activation promotes colorectal cancer progression by dysregulating iron homeostasis.
Cancer research. 72(9):2285-93 [DOI] 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-11-3836. [PMID] 22419665.
2012
Resveratrol causes cell cycle arrest, decreased collagen synthesis, and apoptosis in rat intestinal smooth muscle cells.
American journal of physiology. Gastrointestinal and liver physiology. 302(3):G326-35 [DOI] 10.1152/ajpgi.00083.2011. [PMID] 22052016.
2012
Resveratrol has antiinflammatory and antifibrotic effects in the peptidoglycan-polysaccharide rat model of Crohn’s disease.
Inflammatory bowel diseases. 18(4):613-23 [DOI] 10.1002/ibd.21843. [PMID] 22431488.
2011
Choosing the right cross-sectional imaging technique: trading image quality for radiation risk.
Inflammatory bowel diseases. 17(5):1089-91 [DOI] 10.1002/ibd.21536. [PMID] 21484960.
2011
Magnetization transfer helps detect intestinal fibrosis in an animal model of Crohn disease.
Radiology. 259(1):127-35 [DOI] 10.1148/radiol.10091648. [PMID] 21324841.
2011
MRI of the small bowel in patients with Crohn’s disease.
Current opinion in gastroenterology. 27(2):132-8 [DOI] 10.1097/MOG.0b013e3283438e5d. [PMID] 21297471.
2010
Adenoviral transduction of enterocytes and M-cells using in vitro models based on Caco-2 cells: the coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor (CAR) mediates both apical and basolateral transduction.
Molecular pharmaceutics. 7(3):619-29 [DOI] 10.1021/mp9001377. [PMID] 20235596.
2010
CT enterography of pediatric Crohn disease.
Pediatric radiology. 40(1):97-105 [DOI] 10.1007/s00247-009-1465-5. [PMID] 19936733.
2010
Detection of colonic inflammation with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy using a flexible silver halide fiber.
Biomedical optics express. 1(3):1014-1025 [PMID] 21258526.
2010
Drug targeting strategies for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease: a mechanistic update.
Expert review of clinical immunology. 6(4):543-50 [DOI] 10.1586/eci.10.30. [PMID] 20594127.
2008
College adjustment in University of Michigan students with Crohn’s and colitis.
Inflammatory bowel diseases. 14(9):1281-6 [DOI] 10.1002/ibd.20484. [PMID] 18512247.
2008
Identification of symptom domains in ulcerative colitis that occur frequently during flares and are responsive to changes in disease activity.
Health and quality of life outcomes. 6 [DOI] 10.1186/1477-7525-6-69. [PMID] 18803870.
2008
Transanal delivery of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor prevents colonic fibrosis in a mouse colitis model: development of a unique mode of treatment.
Surgery. 144(2):259-68 [DOI] 10.1016/j.surg.2008.03.043. [PMID] 18656634.
2007
Computed tomographic enterography adds information to clinical management in small bowel Crohn’s disease.
Inflammatory bowel diseases. 13(3):262-8 [PMID] 17206719.
2007
The quantitative validation of non-endoscopic disease activity indices in ulcerative colitis.
Alimentary pharmacology & therapeutics. 25(3):333-42 [PMID] 17269991.
2006
Restituting intestinal epithelial cells exhibit increased transducibility by adenoviral vectors.
The journal of gene medicine. 8(12):1379-92 [PMID] 17133338.
2005
Chimeric Ad5 vectors expressing the short fiber of Ad41 show reduced affinity for human intestinal epithelium
Molecular Pharmacology. 2(6):500-508
2005
Chimeric Ad5 vectors expressing the short fiber of Ad41 show reduced affinity for human intestinal epithelium.
Molecular pharmaceutics. 2(6):500-8 [PMID] 16323957.
2005
Increased transduction of human intestinal epithelial cells by adenoviral vectors in inflammatory bowel disease.
Inflammatory bowel diseases. 11(5):464-72 [PMID] 15867586.
2005
Is endoscopy necessary for the measurement of disease activity in ulcerative colitis?
The American journal of gastroenterology. 100(2):355-61 [PMID] 15667493.
2005
Is endoscopy necessary for the measurement of disease activity in ulcerative colitis?
. 100:355-361
2005
Liposomal formulations of inflammatory bowel disease drugs: local versus systemic drug delivery in a rat model.
Pharmaceutical research. 22(8):1320-30 [PMID] 16078142.
2005
Novel drug delivery strategies for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease.
Expert opinion on drug delivery. 2(3):451-63 [PMID] 16296767.
2005
Patient defined dichotomous end points for remission and clinical improvement in ulcerative colitis.
Gut. 54(6):782-8 [PMID] 15888785.
2004
IGF-I increases IGFBP-5 and collagen alpha1(I) mRNAs by the MAPK pathway in rat intestinal smooth muscle cells.
American journal of physiology. Gastrointestinal and liver physiology. 286(5):G777-83 [PMID] 15068962.
2003
Expression of NOD2 in Paneth cells: a possible link to Crohn’s ileitis.
Gut. 52(11):1591-7 [PMID] 14570728.
2001
IGF-I and IGFBP-5 in Crohn’s disease
American Journal of Physiology. 280:G1022-G1029
2001
IGF-I and procollagen 1(I) are co-expressed in a subset of mesenchymal cells in active Crohn’s disease
. 280:G1022-G1029
2001
Insulin-like growth factor I and insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 in Crohn’s disease.
American journal of physiology. Gastrointestinal and liver physiology. 280(5):G1022-9 [PMID] 11292612.
2000
Cell-specific localization of insulin-like growth factor binding protein mRNAs in rat liver.
American journal of physiology. Gastrointestinal and liver physiology. 278(3):G447-57 [PMID] 10712265.
2000
Cimetidine absorption and elimination in rat small intestine.
Drug metabolism and disposition: the biological fate of chemicals. 28(1):65-72 [PMID] 10611142.
2000
Cimetidine absorption and elimination in the small intestine
. 28:62-72
2000
IGF-I and procollagen alpha1(I) are coexpressed in a subset of mesenchymal cells in active Crohn’s disease.
American journal of physiology. Gastrointestinal and liver physiology. 279(6):G1307-22 [PMID] 11093955.
1999
Intestinal metabolism and transport of 5-Aminosalicylate (5ASA)
. 27:479-485
1999
Intestinal metabolism and transport of 5-aminosalicylate.
Drug metabolism and disposition: the biological fate of chemicals. 27(4):479-85 [PMID] 10101143.
1999
Regulation of paracellular absorption of cimetidine and 5-aminosalicylate in rat intestine.
Pharmaceutical research. 16(11):1781-5 [PMID] 10571287.
1998
Nonviral vector-mediated thymidine kinase gene transfer and ganciclovir treatment in leiomyoma cells.
Obstetrics and gynecology. 91(5 Pt 1):735-40 [PMID] 9572221.
1997
Cloning of a novel seven transmembrane receptor highly expressed in spleen and testes
Genomics. 42(3):462-466
1997
IGF-I induces collagen and IGFBP-5 mRNA in rat intestinal smooth muscle
. G875-G882
1997
IGF-I induces collagen and IGFBP-5 mRNA in rat intestinal smooth muscle.
The American journal of physiology. 273(4):G875-82 [DOI] 10.1152/ajpgi.1997.273.4.G875. [PMID] 9357830.
1997
Substance P as a mediator of colonic secretory reflexes
American Journal of Physiology. 272:G238-G245
1994
Expression of insulin-like growth factor binding protein-4 and -5 mRNAs in adult rat forebrain.
The Journal of comparative neurology. 339(1):91-105 [PMID] 7508953.
1994
Tissue interleukin 1 and interleukin-1 receptor antagonist expression in enterocolitis in resistant and susceptible rats.
Gastroenterology. 106(4):960-72 [PMID] 8144001.
1993
Enhanced growth of small bowel in transgenic mice overexpressing bovine growth hormone.
Gastroenterology. 104(4):973-80 [PMID] 7681797.
1993
Insulinlike growth factor I and interleukin 1 beta messenger RNA in a rat model of granulomatous enterocolitis and hepatitis.
Gastroenterology. 105(2):399-409 [PMID] 8335195.
1986
Demonstration of thyrotropin-releasing hormone immunoreactivity in neurons of the mouse spinal dorsal horn
The Journal of Neuroscience. 6:1194-1197
1982
Effect of immuno-therapy on immunoglobulin E and immunoglobulin G antibodies to ragweed antigens: a six year prospective study
Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 70:261-271
1981
[The excessive mortality of the male sex].
Medizinische Klinik. 76(26):729-33 [PMID] 7198715.
1981
Immuno-therapy with short ragweed fraction A:D-glutamic acid: D-lysine polymer in ragweed hayfever
Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 67:272-278
1981
Measurement of IgG blocking antibodies by interference in the radioallergosorbent test
Journal of Immunology. 126:575-579
1981
Preseasonal intranasal immunotherapy with nebulized short ragweed extract
Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 67:237-242
1980
Interference in ragweed pollen and honeybee venom radioallergosorbent tests
Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 66:386-393

Grants

Nov 2023 ACTIVE
Project RISC: Resolving Inequities in Shared Decision-Making in Crohn's and Colitis
Role: Co-Investigator
Funding: PFIZER INC
Apr 2021 ACTIVE
College-aged patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD); addressing unique needs and improving disease outcomes.
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding: ARENA PHARMACEUTICALS
Dec 2020 – Jun 2023
Project ECHO IBD
Role: Co-Project Director/Principal Investigator
Funding: PFIZER INC
May 2020 – Sep 2023
SBIR – A Novel Immunological Probiotic for Treating Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
Role: Co-Investigator
Funding: RISE THERAPEUTICS via NATL INST OF HLTH NIDDK
Apr 2019 – Jul 2021
A Novel Probiotic Engineered for Enhanced Immunological Function for Treating Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding: RISE THERAPEUTICS via NATL INST OF HLTH NIAID
Jul 2018 – Jun 2019
A Novel Immunological Probiotic for Treating Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding: RISE THERAPEUTICS via NATL INST OF HLTH NIDDK
Jan 2017 – Jun 2022
Drug targeting strategy for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease a novel prodrug approach
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding: US ISRAEL BINATIONAL SCI FOU
Jun 2016 – May 2018
College Students with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Supporting the Transition to Adult IBD care
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding: ABBVIE

Education

Research Fellowship
1992 · University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Fellowship
1990 · University of Michigan Medical Center
Residency
1987 · University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics
Internship
1985 · University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics
M.D.
1984 · University of Wisconsin

Contact Details

Phones:
Business:
(352) 273-9400
Emails:
Business:
ezimmer2@ufl.edu
Addresses:
Business Mailing:
PO Box 100214
GAINESVILLE FL 32610
Business Street:
1329 SW 16TH ST RM 5260
GAINESVILLE FL 32608