About the contributor

• W.G. Paterson
• Raj K. Goyal
• Fortunée Irene Habib

W.G. Paterson

Dr Paterson obtained his M.D. degree from Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario Canada in 1979 and subsequently completed clinical training in internal medicine and gastroenterology at the University of Western Ontario and Queen's University. From 1984-86 he held a Medical Research Council of Canada Fellowship at Harvard University in the laboratory of Dr Raj Goyal, following which he returned to Queen's University where he is currently Professor of Medicine and Chair of the Division of Gastroenterology. His main research interest is in the physiology and pathophysiology of the esophagus. In addition to holding continuous research funding from Canadian Institutes of Health Research for the past 18 years, he has been recognized with the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology Research Excellence Award and the Janssen Award in Gastroenterology for basic or clinical research in Digestive Sciences. He currently holds a Queen's University Research Chair.

Raj K. Goyal

Dr Raj K. Goyal is Mallinckrodt Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and staff physician at the VA Boston Healthcare System (VABHS). He earned his M.B. B.S. from Amritsar Medical College, Panjab University, and his M.D. from Maulana Azad Medical College, University of Delhi, in India. Following postdoctoral training at Yale University, he joined Baylor College of Medicine in 1971 and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in 1973. In 1978, he became chair of the Division of Gastroenterology at the University of Texas in San Antonio. In 1981, he joined Harvard Medical School and became chair of the Division of Gastroenterology at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston. He was later recruited to the VABHS and served as Associate Chief of Staff for Research and Development at the VABHS from 1995 to 2005. Dr. Goyal is an eminent gastroenterologist and an investigator whose research has provided some of the important advances in our understanding of esophageal and gastric physiology and diseases including Barrett's esophagus, enteric neurotransmission and the physiology and pathophysiology of esophageal and gastric motility. He provided the first evidence for the existence of muscarinic receptor subtypes. His work forms the basis of many current concepts regarding the regulation of esophageal sphincters, esophageal peristalsis, esophageal nocioceptors, gastroparesis and Barrett's esophagus. Dr Goyal has served on numerous editorial boards and was editor-in-chief of Gastroenterology from 1986 to 1991. He was the Founder President of the American Motility Society and is the recipient of its Distinguished Achievement Award.

Fortunée Irene Habib

Dr Fortunée Irene Habib is Associate Professor of Gastroenterology at the Università di Roma 'La Sapienza', Rome, Italy. After receiving her medical degree, she received specialty training in radiology from the University of Siena and in gastroenterology from the University of Rome 'La Sapienza'. Her fields of research are in the areas of gastrointestinal hormones, studying the effect of gastrointestinal hormones and related peptides on gastrointestinal motility; the physiology and pathophysiology of sphincter of Oddi; the pathophysiology of pelvic floor and constipation; and the pathophysiology of deglutition, studying esophagopharyngeal reflux and deglutition on neurological disorders.