Crohn's & Colitis UK and Coeliac UK unite to fund epidemiology research

Crohn’s & Colitis UK and Coeliac UK are excited to announce the awardees of the jointly funded 2026 epidemiology grant.

Dr Mohamed Shiha and Dr Martha Elwenspoek have been awarded £106.5k for their work in determining the most up-to-date information possible about the rates of Inflammatory Bowel Disease and coeliac disease here in the UK. 

Following a rigorous expert peer review process in strong field of applicants, funding was awarded to the joint team from the Universities of Bristol and Sheffield. The research project commenced at the start of July and is due to be completed in 16 months. It will measure the incidence (the diagnosis of new cases) and prevalence (the number of cases in the population) of Crohn's Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, Microscopic Colitis, IBD indeterminate, coeliac disease, gluten ataxia and dermatitis herpetiformis.

The research team will use the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD), which holds millions of anonymous patient records, to investigate how many people are living with these conditions and how many are newly diagnosed each year. By further analysing the data, the team will examine how diagnosis rates vary across different population groups and explore potential missed opportunities for earlier diagnosis.

We are really looking forward to the results of this project, which will support our mission to improve awareness and help guide future support and care for everyone in the IBD community.