Olga Sherrod, MD will be honored at the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation’s 35th Annual Torch Gala on February 7 as the Premier Pediatric Healthcare Professional of the Year for her dedication to Atlanta’s IBD community, specifically children with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Dr. Sherrod is a board-certified pediatric gastroenterologist at GI Care for Kids.
The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation’s Georgia Chapter will host its 35th Annual Torch Gala at the InterContinental Buckhead Atlanta. The goal: to raise $850,000 through the Gala, with proceeds going toward funding critical research, to better diagnose and ultimately cure, IBD. The Torch Gala is the Foundation’s premier fundraiser of the year. It attracts Atlanta’s finest and most generous philanthropists.
Torch Gala honorees also include Diane Benatar, Citizen of the Year, and Nitin Gupta, MD, AGAF, FCAG, Premier Adult Healthcare Professional of the Year.
Dr. Sherrod grew up in the Dominican Republic, where she later attended medical school, graduating magna cum laude. It was there that she learned to treat patients and where she realized that she wanted to work in pediatrics.
“While I was doing my pediatric rotation in the Dominican Republic, as a medical student, I was assigned three consecutive beds in the pediatric ward,” said Dr. Sherrod. “One little girl in the last bed was sweet and quiet; she had been there a while and I had never heard her utter a word. I asked the nurses about her, and they said that she doesn’t speak much.”
Dr. Sherrod continued, “The last day of my rotation came, and I went over to the little girl. I squatted down and said, ‘It’s been wonderful taking care of you, and good news – you’ll be going home soon. Can I give you a hug?’ The little girl cried, ‘Please don’t leave!’ This melted my heart and showed me that this is where my heart is – pediatrics.”
Dr. Sherrod came to the U.S. for her residency training in Richmond, VA, at the Medical College of Virginia, where her outstanding dedication to her patients was recognized with the Emily Gardner Memorial Award. During her fellowship training, her research on intestinal motility was funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It was during that time that Dr. Sherrod met Dr. Wallace Berman, the head of the pediatric GI department, and he quickly became her mentor.
Dr. Sherrod’s involvement with the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation spans more than two decades.
"What I truly value about the Foundation is its unique mission to educate," she shares. "The Foundation provides invaluable resources—not only for physicians through national conferences but also for patients and families with support groups, summer camps and an extensive educational website. These resources are essential for those caring for children with IBD."
The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation’s Georgia Chapter will host its 35th Annual Torch Gala at the InterContinental Buckhead Atlanta.