SUMMARY
Sunanda V. Kane, M.D., researches the two major types of inflammatory bowel disease: Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. She is particularly interested in adherence to medicine and gender issues.
Focus areas
- Clinical trials with investigational agents.
- Compliance with medicine recommendations and its effects on disease outcomes.
- Gender issues in inflammatory bowel disease, such as menstrual and fertility problems, pregnancy, nursing management, and cervical cancer.
Significance to patient care
Taking medicine as prescribed is important for people with inflammatory bowel disease because nonadherence is one of the main reasons for continued disease activity. Understanding the effects of nonadherent behavior is the first step in trying to educate individuals and improve their outcomes.
Dr. Kane's research demonstrates that once-daily therapy is possible and that nonadherence is associated with higher medical costs, more-frequent hospitalizations and more disease activity. While this seems self-evident, it was not previously quantified.
Dr. Kane looks into tools that are used in the clinic to help identify nonadherent behavior so that counseling can occur. She develops teaching modules and educational materials to help healthcare professionals identify people at high risk of nonadherence.
Professional highlights
- Section editor, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, 2020-present.
- Chief patient experience officer, Office of Mayo Clinic Experience, Mayo Clinic, 2024.
- Physician chair, Fellows Subcommittee, Mayo Clinic Quality Academy, Mayo Clinic, 2020-2024.
- Officer and member, board of trustees, American College of Gastroenterology, 2014-2021.
- Member and associate editor, inflammatory bowel disease section, NEJM Journal Watch, 2018-2020.
- President, American College of Gastroenterology, 2018-2019.
- Associate editor, first woman in that role, Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 2010-2015.
- Chair, Patient Education Committee, Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America, 2008-2011.
- Chair, Women's Committee, American College of Gastroenterology, 2005-2008.