Yasmin Nasser
Assistant Professor
FRCPC - Internal Medicine, Gastroenterology
MD
PhD - Neuroscience
Contact information
Location
Research
Clinical/Research Interests
My laboratory is interested in the role of the microbiome in chronic visceral and somatic pain. This pertains to disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Over twenty percent of patients with IBD continue to experience chronic abdominal pain despite achieving mucosal healing on endoscopy. Chronic abdominal pain is a devastating symptom, resulting in high levels of anxiety, depression and poor quality of life in IBD patients. Unfortunately, effective treatments for chronic pain are limited. At present, it is estimated that 5-25% of IBD outpatients are on chronic narcotic therapy, which is not only ineffectual but can worsen abdominal pain and increase the risk of death. Our overall goal is to develop innovative approaches to the treatment of chronic pain in IBD, thus improving quality of life and preventing the use of chronic narcotic therapy.
Biography
Dr. Yasmin Nasser is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine and a clinician-scientist in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. As a clinician-scientist, she is a member of the Gastrointestinal Research Group and an associate member of the Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases. She completed her MD/PhD (Enteric Neurobiology) in 2008, medical residency at the University of British Columbia, and gastroenterology fellowship training at the University of Calgary. Thereafter, she went on to complete both an advanced fellowship in Clinical GI Motility, as well as a postdoctoral fellowship under the supervision of Dr. Stephen Vanner at Queen’s University where she studied basic mechanisms of visceral pain and hypersensitivity. She has been the recipient of several prestigious awards, including a CAG/CIHR/CCC Fellowship, the John Alexander Stewart Fellowship, and a Young Investigator Award from the American Neurogastroenterology & Motility Society. She is an expert in the management of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and upper/lower GI motility disorders. She is also co-lead for the High Risk Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) clinic, which sees undifferentiated patients with diarrhea and abdominal pain, many of whom are newly diagnosed with IBD. Dr. Nasser’s laboratory is focused on the role of the microbiome in chronic pain, which pertains to disorders such as IBD and IBS. The overall goal is to develop innovative approaches to the treatment of chronic pain, thus improving quality of life and preventing the use of chronic narcotic therapy in these disorders.
Publications
In the Lab
Maria Arzamendi (Co-supervisor: Dr. Markus Geuking)
MSc Student
maria.arzamendi@ucalgary.ca
Adam Shute
Postdoctoral Fellow
adam.shute@ucalgary.ca
Ron Chan
Lab Manager
chanr@ucalgary.ca
Administrative Assistant
Pauline Nkathazo
HRIC 4AC70
pauline.nkathazo@ucalgary.ca
403.220-3719