Ghassan T Wahbeh, MD

Ghassan T Wahbeh, MD

Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center, Gastroenterology and Hepatology Research, Aerodigestive Program

On staff since August 2004

Children's Title: Clinical Medical Director, Gastroenterology and Hepatology Director, Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center

Academic Title: Professor

Research Center: Center for Clinical and Translational Research

"As a member of a unique center and care team, I feel that we owe our children and their families the best advanced, comprehensive and compassionate care they deserve. In a rapidly advancing field in the world of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Inflammatory Bowel Disease, I am proud to lead a team of passionate providers from different disciplines whose one goal is to make life better for our patients."

  • Biography

    Ghassan Wahbeh, MD, is the director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center at Seattle Children's Hospital. He is Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Gastroenterology at the University of Washington School of Medicine.

    Dr. Wahbeh's clinical focus is in advanced care for children with Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis, including advanced therapeutics and pre and post surgery IBD management. Dr. Wahbeh's research interests include advanced management of moderate and severe colitis in the outpatient and inpatient setting, managing complicated Crohn's disease including fistulizing and stricturing phenotyples, mucosal healing in IBD, navigating surgical options in IBD and novel therapies.
    Dr. Wahbeh is actively involved as teaching faculty in medical student education, resident training and fellow physician specialty training. He is the honored recipient of the Outstanding Teaching Faculty Award, as well as the Family Choice Award, and the Northwest Crohn's and Colitis Foundation service award. He continues to serve as a member of the National Professional Education Committee and the Northwest Medical Advisory Committee of the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America.

  • Patient Testimonials

    • Malak Everett 03.21.24

      In my 11-year journey since diagnosis, there's a singular figure who stands out among the rest—Dr. Wahbeh. It's been six years since he last treated me at Children's Hospital, yet the impact of his care remains indelible in my heart. From the age of 14, Dr. Wahbeh demonstrated an unparalleled dedication to ensuring not just my well-being, but also that of my family. In a world where invisible illnesses often go unnoticed, he possessed the rare gift of truly seeing and understanding my struggles. Dr. Wahbeh, you were more than a physician; you were a beacon of empathy during a time of so much uncertainty. You saw beyond the confines of my illness, making me feel valued and understood in ways words cannot express. Theressa, your unwavering support and kindness have been a lifeline during my toughest moments. From providing resources to offering a shoulder to cry on (many times), you were always there, a true angel by my side. Though our paths diverged six years ago, the gratitude I hold for Dr. Wahbeh and Theressa knows no bounds. Even now, as I follow their journey from afar, I am reminded of the impact they've had on my life. Thank you, Dr. Wahbeh and Theressa, for making me feel seen, heard, and validated in a way I'll never forget. Your kindness has left an everlasting imprint on my soul, and for that, I am eternally grateful. I hope to have the opportunity to see you both again soon.

    Recommend Ghassan T Wahbeh, MD

  • Awards and Honors

    Award Name Award Description Awarded By Award Date
    SEATTLE TOP DOCTOR - 2022 Seattle Magazine 2022
    Seattle Top Doctor - 2019 Seattle Magazine 2019
    SEATTLE'S TOP DOCTOR - 2018 Seattle Magazine 2018
    SEATTLE MAGAZINE TOP DOCTOR - 2015 Seattle Magazine 2015
    SEATTLE'S TOP DOCTOR - 2015 Seattle Met Magazine 2015
    SEATTLE MAGAZINE TOP DOCTOR - 2014 Seattle Magazine 2014
    Seattle's Top Doc Seattle Met Magazine 2013
    Seattle Magazine Top Doctor - 2013 Seattle Magazine 2013
    Family Choice Award Seattle Children's 2009
    Outstanding Teaching Faculty Award Seattle Children's 2005 - 2006
    Best Retrospective Study Cleveland Clinic Pediatric Research Day 2001
    Teaching Senior Resident Award The Cleveland Clinic Foundation 2001
    Intern of the Year Award Center for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Diseases, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation 1999
    Nominated for Alumni 13th Annual Graduate Level I Award The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Ohio

  • Publications

    Published Books, Videos, Software, etc.

    • Ghassan T. Wahbeh, MD
      CCFA IBD Camp
      King 5 News, 2009 : :
    • Ghassan T. Wahbeh, MD
      Pediatric IBD
      King 5 News, 2009 : :
    • Ghassan T. Wahbeh, MD
      Celiac Disease
      King 5 News, 2008 : :
    • Ghassan T. Wahbeh, MD
      Malnutrition
      King 5 News, 2007 : :

    Other Publications

    • Hyams JS, Chan D, Adedokun OJ, Padgett L, Turner D, Griffiths A, Veereman G, Heyman MB, Rosh JR, Wahbeh G, Strauss R
      Subcutaneous Golimumab in Pediatric Ulcerative Colitis: Pharmacokinetics and Clinical Benefit.
      29140944 Inflammatory bowel diseases, 2017 Dec. : 23(12)2227-2237
    • Braly K, Williamson N, Shaffer ML, Lee D, Wahbeh G, Klein J, Giefer M, Suskind DL
      Nutritional Adequacy of the Specific Carbohydrate Diet in Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
      28825603 Journal of pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition, 2017 Nov. : 65(5)533-538 PMCID:PMC5653423
    • Debiec KE, Lee SD, Wahbeh GT, Amies Oelschlager AM
      Outcomes of Therapy for Vulvar Manifestation of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Adolescents.
      28919145 Journal of pediatric and adolescent gynecology, 2017 Sep 15
    • Wahbeh GT, Ward BT, Lee DY, Giefer MJ, Suskind DL
      Lack of Mucosal Healing From Modified Specific Carbohydrate Diet in Pediatric Patients With Crohn Disease.
      28825776 Journal of pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition, 2017 Sept. : 65(3)289-292
    • Miller TL, Lee D, Giefer M, Wahbeh G, Suskind DL
      Nutritional Therapy in Very Early-Onset Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Case Report.
      28551707 Digestive diseases and sciences, 2017 Aug. : 62(8)2196-2200
    • Afzali A, Wahbeh G
      Transition of pediatric to adult care in inflammatory bowel disease: Is it as easy as 1, 2, 3?
      28611515 World journal of gastroenterology, 2017 May 28 : 23(20)3624-3631 PMCID:PMC5449419
    • Suskind DL, Cohen SA, Brittnacher MJ, Wahbeh G, Lee D, Shaffer ML, Braly K, Hayden HS, Klein J, Gold B, Giefer M, Stallworth A, Miller SI
      Clinical and Fecal Microbial Changes With Diet Therapy in Active Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
      28030510 Journal of clinical gastroenterology, 2016 Dec 27 : PMCID:PMC5484760
    • Suskind DL, Wahbeh G, Cohen SA, Damman CJ, Klein J, Braly K, Shaffer M, Lee D
      Patients Perceive Clinical Benefit with the Specific Carbohydrate Diet for Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
      27638834 Digestive diseases and sciences, 2016 Nov. : 61(11)3255-3260
    • Richards MK, Li CI, Foti JL, Leu MG, Wahbeh GT, Shaw D, Libby AK, Melzer L, Goldin AB
      Resource utilization after implementing a hospital-wide standardized feeding tube placement pathway.
      27306489 Journal of pediatric surgery, 2016 Oct. : 51(10)1674-9
    • Bishop C, Simon H, Suskind D, Lee D, Wahbeh G
      Ustekinumab in Pediatric Crohn Disease Patients.
      26854655 Journal of pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition, 2016 Sept. : 63(3)348-51
    • Obih C, Wahbeh G, Lee D, Braly K, Giefer M, Shaffer ML, Nielson H, Suskind DL
      Specific carbohydrate diet for pediatric inflammatory bowel disease in clinical practice within an academic IBD center.
      26655069 Nutrition (Burbank, Los Angeles County, Calif.), 2016 April : 32(4)418-25
    • Wahbeh GT
      Growth parameters early in the course of pediatric inflammatory bowel disease.
      26997213 Saudi journal of gastroenterology : official journal of the Saudi Gastroenterology Association, 2016 March : 22(2)89-90 PMCID:PMC4817302
    • Ghassan T. Wahbeh, MD, Siegel CA, Siegel LS, Hyams JS, Kugathasan S, Markowitz J, Rosh JR, Leleiko N, Mack DR, Crandall W, Evans J, Keljo DJ, Otley AR, Oliva-Hemker M, Farrior S, Langton CR, Wrobel IT, Wahbeh G, et al
      A Real-time tool to display the predicted disease course and treatment response for children with Chroh's disease
      Inflamm Bowel Dis, 2010
    • Ghassan T. Wahbeh, MD, Ghassan Wahbeh MD, Daniel Rubens MBBS FANZCA, Jason R. Katz, Kristy Seidel MS, Sally E. Rampersad, MB FRCA, Karen F. Murray MD
      Gastric Contents in Pediatric Patients following Bone Marrow Transplanatation
      Pediatric Anesthesia, 2010 : 20: 660-665
    • Ghassan T. Wahbeh, MD, G Wahbeh
      Inflammatory Bowel Disease
      Pediatric UPDATE CME audio program, 2010
    • Ghassan T. Wahbeh, MD, C Knight, G Wahbeh
      Dairy allergy as potential cause of recurrent intussusception (Accepted poster presentation)
      NASPGHAN, Maryland, 2009 Nov.
    • Ghassan T. Wahbeh, MD, Gisele Ishak, Ghassan Wahbeh, Norbert Yee
      Magnestic Resonance Enterography Use in Pediatric IBD: Review of 20 Patients (Accepted poster presentation)
      International Symposium on Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, Paris, 2009 Sept.
    • Ghassan T. Wahbeh, MD, David Suskind, Ghassan Wahbeh, Karen Murray, Dennis Christie, Raj P Kapur
      Collagenous gastritis, a new spectrum of disease in pediatric patients: two case reports
      Cases Journal, 2009 : 2:7511
    • Ghassan T. Wahbeh, MD, G Wahbeh
      Infliximab
      Journal Watch Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 2006 Sep 6 : Vol. 2006, Issue 906, 3
    • Ghassan T. Wahbeh, MD, Wahbeh G, Christie D
      Chapter 2: Basic Aspects of Digestion and Absorption
      Pediatric Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease 3rd edition; revision submitted for 4th edition
    • Ghassan T. Wahbeh, MD, Chelle Wheat; Cynthia W. Ko, MD; Ghassan Wahbeh, MD; Cory Cullinan, RN; Scott Etter, RN; Mika N. Sinanan, MD; Scott D. Lee, MD
      Assessment of the Safety of Certolizumab Pegol Associated with the Time of Previous Biologic Treatment of Crohn’s Disease at a Single North American Site
    • Ghassan T. Wahbeh, MD, Chelle Wheat; Cynthia W. Ko, MD; Ghassan Wahbeh, MD; Cory Cullinan, RN; Scott Etter, RN; Mika N. Sinanan, MD; Scott D. Lee, MD
      Assessment of the Safety of Certolizumab Pegol Associated with the Time of Previous Biologic Treatment of Crohn’s Disease at a Single North American Site
    • Ghassan T. Wahbeh, MD, G Wahbeh
      The Changing World of Inflammatory Bowel Disease
      Book review (submitted)

  • Presentations

    Presentation Title Event Location Date
    Pediatric IBD: what’s new, what’s not Grand Rounds St. Mary Providence Hospital, Walla Walla Oct. 2010
    Decoding Myths in Pediatric GI North Pacific Pediatric Society 180th Conference Bell Harbor International Conference Center, Seattle March 2010

Overview

Board Certification(s)

Pediatric Gastroenterology

Medical/Professional School

University of Jordan, Amman 11942

Residency

Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH

Fellowship

Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH

Research Focus Area

Translational Research