Uninhibited: Fostering Conversation Within the IBD Community

What does it mean to be Uninhibited? To Pfizer and the inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) community, it’s a mindset.

A willingness to share and be vulnerable. To work together to pave the way to a better future for all those impacted by IBD.

The spirit of Uninhibited was evident throughout Pfizer’s inaugural Global IBD Community Summit in June, a unique event gathering stakeholders from around the globe in Warsaw, Poland.

Forging an Uninhibited Future – Together

Over the course of two days, Pfizer brought together 150 delegates from 15 countries to discuss the urgent needs of people living with IBD. These delegates included people living with IBD, patient advocacy groups, gastroenterologists, specialist nurses, and policy experts. This entire community was focused on developing solutions that put equity at the forefront of IBD care, whether that was addressing challenges in delivering care to rural communities or highlighting the importance of caring for the ‘whole person’ with IBD – inclusive of age, diagnosis stage, and sexual orientation.

“It was humbling to be among so many experts in IBD care and to be able to facilitate such important discussions focused on the many unmet needs and challenges,” said Maria Rigoroso-Brandt, Global and US Patient Engagement Lead for Inflammation and Immunology at Pfizer. “Our team came away from the Uninhibited Summit with a renewed sense of purpose and commitment to raise the standard of care and standard of caring for those with IBD.”

Underscoring Pfizer’s Community Commitment

Beyond discussions, the summit fostered new community relationships and strengthened existing ties between leaders in the IBD field. For people living with IBD, having a voice and being in the room when discussions are happening about community care is essential.

“So often, conversations about how to address and provide care for individuals impacted by IBD are had without representation from those who live with the condition daily,” said Melodie Narain-Blackwell, Founder of the advocacy group Color of Gastrointestinal Illnesses, Inc. and co-host of the Global IBD Community Summit. “Bringing together our community and having the opportunity to actively participate in these discussions was invaluable. Knowing our voices and perspectives are being heard reaffirms our commitment to advocacy for our community both now and for the future.”

Uninhibited was a powerful way to come together in support for the IBD community, but the conversations and ideas exchanged are not finished. Energized and equipped with inspiration, the Uninhibited story continues, one collaboration at a time.