Gerard serves as Associate Director of Research Innovation at the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation. The Foundation is a leading patient advocacy and research funding organization dedicated to alleviating suffering caused by inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Gerard manages a startup-oriented funding mechanism, IBD Ventures, with the goal of accelerating the development of novel research-based products with the potential to address unmet needs of IBD patients. He also has responsibility for precision medicine projects and partnerships. Gerard received his PhD in neuroscience at the University of California San Francisco and subsequently trained in immunology and microbiome research at NYU and other academic institutions. From 2013 to 2017, Gerard led a biotechnology company focused on novel drug delivery technologies and therapeutic modalities for gastrointestinal infections. Gerard also serves as a trustee of the Peggy Lillis Foundation, a patient advocacy organization focused on combatting C. difficile infection, and on numerous boards, working groups and committees focused on innovative approaches to critical public health challenges.