On February 4th, 2015, Judy Cho, M.D. discussed IBD in Ashkenazi Jewish populations in a presentation titled “Common and rare variation in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD): studies in Ashkenazi Jewish populations” at the Five Point Lecture Series of New York Genome Center. Dr. Cho expounded on the evolution of the Ashkenazi Jewish susceptibility to IBD and what the future holds for identifying the genetic markers of this susceptibility. She hypothesized that that the rare genetic variation predominantly observed in Jewish populations will provide key pathophysiologic insight for IBD.

The Five Points Lecture Series, held every week, brings both local and distant scientists to discuss their work in technical detail. The speakers offer intriguing findings and thoughtful perspectives in full scientific depth. The talks, which last approximately 45 minutes, generally frame about five key points, aptly earning the title “Five Points Lecture.”  More information regarding the lecture series and the New York Genome Center can be found on the center’s website.