Chief, Peds Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition. Vice Chair, Peds Ambulatory Strategy
UChicago Medicine
Ritu Verma, MD is the Chief of the Section of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Vice Chair of Pediatric Ambulatory Strategy, and Medical director of the Celiac Disease Center. She also serves as the Co-Chief of the Chicagoland Children’s Health Alliance, a strategic, innovative alliance formed between the University of Chicago Medicine, Advocate Healthcare, and Endeavor Health. Dr. Verma is a Professor of Pediatrics at UChicago Medicine. She is board certified in Pediatric Gastroenterology and is a word renown expert in Celiac Disease. Dr. Verma completed her medical education at the University of Zambia and her residency at NYU Bellevue Hospital where she served as Chief Resident. Additionally, she completed a Pediatric Gastroenterology fellowship at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), where she continued on to serve for 16 years and eventually serving as the Section Chief of Pediatric Gastroenterology. At CHOP, Dr. Verma founded the Celiac Diseases Center. In 2020, Dr. Verma received the honor of the Bucksbaum Institute’s Master Clinician, a recognition only one senior physician receives within the entire University of Chicago Medicine health system. As a part of her mission for advancement of junior faculty, Dr. Verma founded the Bucksbaum Institute Assistant Professor Mentorship program, which has grown tremendously. She serves as the current President of the Society for the Study of Celiac Disease in addition to her responsibilities as an active member on the Board of Directors for Beyond Celiac, and the Medical Advisory Board of the Celiac Disease Foundation.
Dr. Verma is committed to patient care that treats the family as a whole and ensures pediatric patients have a seamless continuum of care and a coordinated transition from pediatric to adult programs. She established the InTransit program for teens at the Celiac Disease Center, offering specialized support for 13-17-year-olds with celiac disease. Her research interests center on basic science research (pediatric and adult) in celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and food allergies with the goal of providing patients with the latest therapies and access to innovative treatments.
She has had over 30 scholarly manuscripts which are inclusive of peer-reviewed journals including The American Journal of Gastroenterology, The Journal of Pediatrics, The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Gastroenterology, Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Pediatric Diabetes, and Nature Genetics. Dr. Verma’s overall scholarship spans over 100 works, which include peer-reviewed publications, posters, abstracts, oral presentations, case studies, etc. She has lead her organizations to obtain numerous funding awards consisting of gifts and clinical trials, which have supported the advancement of clinical care and research throughout her career.
Dr. Verma has received many awards and accolades throughout her career, of which include being a recipient of the University of Chicago Samuel Spector Award for Mentorship, University of Chicago Bucksbaum Institute Master Clinician 2020, National Foundation for Celiac Awareness Physician Advocate of the Year in 2007 and 2011, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Master Clinician 2009 and Clinician of the Year 2007, and many other accolades globally as top physician, female doctor, etc. Dr. Verma’s interests outside of clinical care and research include mentorship of clinical, research, and administrative staff as she truly believes the development of the future healthcare generation is the solution and light in shaping the future of our healthcare landscape in the future.
Offsite, On Target: Growth Strategies That Meet Patients Where They Are
Wednesday, March 4, 2026
9:30am - 10:30am CT