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Leadership Development Council
Our Leadership Development Council consists of teens and young adults. We help them turn their ideas into projects that support the IBD community and become future leaders in the IBD space.
Adam Finkelstein
Council Member
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This coming month Adam Finkelstein will be graduating medical school at the Penn State College of Medicine and will be entering general surgery residency at VCU. He was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis at two years old and had his colon removed when he was twelve. He published a children's picture book about his experiences facing IBD with a positive attitude, mentored patients young and older about dealing with IBD, was a camp counselor at Camp Oasis, and have been on multiple IBD related podcasts.
Claudia Contreras
Council Member
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Claudia Contreras went to Cal State Northridge and has a BA in political science with a minor in women studies. Her boyfriend of 6 years has Crohns and she loves being involved with his annual golf tournaments pre-pandemic.
Hannah Würzburger
Council Member
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Hannah is currently a senior at the Abraham Joshua Heschel High School. She was diagnosed with Crohn's disease shortly after she turned seven and was treated with partial enteral nutrition (a special protocol involving a mostly liquid diet) for seven years. She is a hardworking student, and she hopes to pursue a career in medicine. She is currently an intern at Cathie Pfleger’s oncology lab at Mt. Sinai Hospital and recently participated in the High School Immersion Program at Lenox Hill Hospital. She is also co-editor-in-chief of her school paper, Helios, and co-founder of Helix, a science magazine and newsletter at her school, which combines her passions for science and journalism. In her free time, Hannah enjoys playing piano, writing, reading, and listening to music! She is excited to serve as a mentor to young people facing new diagnoses and to contribute to the IBD community.
Jack Mouch
Council Member
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Jack is a recent graduate of Williams College and is very passionate about mentoring IBD patients and IBD patient advocacy. Having been diagnosed with ulcerative colitis at age four, Jack enjoys mentoring young patients with IBD, and has co-facilitated multiple IBD support group meetings. In addition to mentoring IBD patients, Jack has helped plan IBD fundraising events and has served as a Counselor at Camp Oasis @ Home for the summers of 2022, 2023, and 2024.
Jaxon Honeycutt
Council Member
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Jax is a 9th grade caregiver for his Mom who was diagnosed with UC, had a total colectomy and has been rediagnosed with Crohn's. He is an activist, actor, and student. He has advocated to Congresspersons and Senators. He works with his mom on her non-profit group IBDMoms and he hopes to accomplish more on the council!
Josef Miller
Council Member
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Josef Miller is a second-year student at Washington University in St. Louis. Raised in a multicultural family, he has lived in Venezuela, Ecuador, Spain, Peru, Mexico, and the United States. Josef was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease during his junior year of high school, an experience that deeply shaped his perspective. Since then, he has turned to writing and sharing positive messages as a way to inspire and bring hope to others in the inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) community.
Lowell Dylan
Council Member
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Lowell Dylan lives in Los Angeles and was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at the age of two. Lowell’s mother Stacy is the co-founder of Connecting to Cure Crohn’s and Colitis. Through 20 years of experience dealing with endless complications of his disease, Stacy been a great advocate and caretaker for his health and the health of other IBD patients and families. Lowell has learned about patient advocacy along the way. Lowell is a musician and a basketball coach.
Neneh Bah
Council Member
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Neneh Bah goes to North Cobb High School, and hopes to become a gastroenterologist in the future to help others like her! She works at a bakery and hopes to make a cookbook one day!
Ritu Gaikwad
Council Member
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Ritu Gaikwad has been an IBD patient since age 13. She has been involved in C to C for a while now, around 2 years, and has really enjoyed contributing to IBD fundraising and awareness and support for the greater patient community! She is a recent graduate of UCLA, with a BS in Neuroscience and currently applying to medical school in the hopes of being a future GI! She believes that nutrition and diet are also super important, and has been working on a South Asian cookbook project with the team here in an effort to spread awareness to other IBD patients.
Simon Reyter
Council Member
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Simon Reyter is eighteen years old and currently studying at UCLA on the pre-medicine track. He is a dedicated student and an active member of his community. Simon’s connection to IBD comes from his experience with Ulcerative Colitis. He was diagnosed at a young age, and as his condition progressed, he ultimately underwent surgery to have his entire large intestine removed and his stomach reconstructed over multiple procedures. Today, he lives healthy and colitis-free. Grateful for the care and support he received during his illness, Simon is passionate about giving back and supporting others affected by Crohn’s and Colitis.
Talia Boren
Council Member
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Talia Boren is a senior at Crossroads School for Arts and Sciences, where she serves as co-editor-in-chief of the school newspaper and managing editor of the creative writing magazine. She is also the co-executive director of Published Points of View (PPoV), a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting media literacy among the next generation, reaching over 1,700 students. Diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease in 2023, Talia has turned her experience with chronic illness into advocacy, contributing to organizations like Positivity Beats IBD. In her free time, she enjoys reading, journaling, listening to music, running, playing soccer, and writing poetry, combining her passions for creativity, education, and storytelling.
Maya Scholder
Council Member
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Maya Scholder is from Chicago, Illinois, and now lives in Columbus, Ohio. Diagnosed with Crohn's disease in 2023, Maya has undergone four surgeries and lived with a temporary ostomy bag. Maya works in the marketing department at Nationwide Children's Hospital, where she received her diagnosis and initial treatment. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, baking, and attending concerts.
Jason Guo
Council Member
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Jason is a first-year student at Cornell University who plans to pursue a PhD and specialize in research pertaining to IBD. He was diagnosed with Crohn's at the young age of 14 and had to undergo a variety of different medical procedures in order to prevent his Crohn's from constantly flaring up. With the help of his gastroenterologist, he has slowly been able to resume the activities he loves to do, including school, traveling, sports, and music. At Connecting to Cure, he's been able to capture his experience with Crohn's through storytelling and visual art. He hopes to be able to continue and expand his advocacy work with CtoC!
Brandon Sikes
Council Member
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Brandon is an undergraduate student at Washington University in St. Louis, who plans to attend medical school. His father was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis as a teenager and has inspired Brandon’s focus on patient-centered treatment and advocacy. Brandon is excited to be involved with Connecting to Cure, where he can broaden his involvement with and support of the IBD community.
Priscilla Contreras
Council Member
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Priscilla is a senior at Notre Dame Academy. In the last few years, Priscilla has been involved in the IBD community as a member of the leadership council and is also the leader of the Positivity Beats IBD chapter at her school. She plans to pursue a career in healthcare and spends time volunteering at Cedars-Sinai Medical Hospital. She is a student athlete and enjoys playing soccer, golf, and baking in her free time.