Erica Dermer, also known as the “Celiac and the Beast” is the creator of the Celiac and the Beast website: Celiacandthebeast.com. Erica is a well-known digestive health expert, blogger and influencer known for her work searching for the best gluten-free products and celiac disease research at national trade shows like Natural Products Expo and as a speaker at Gluten-Free Expos across the country, and in her role as a patient advocate for digestive health conferences like Digestive Disease Week and celiac disease research summits.

Jeffrey Roberts has been an Irritable Bowel Syndrome sufferer for 25+ years and was the creator of the first website for IBS sufferers. He currently runs the IBS Patient Support Group community at IBSpatient.org. He has testified to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) several times as well as act as a consultant to pharmaceuticals on behalf of IBS patients. Jeffrey is active in the media and press and has received award recognition for his work.

Jeffrey was awarded in 2019 by Digestive Disease Week (DDW), the annual scientific and medical research conference, to receive the inaugural Patient Influencer Travel Award. He was also a nominee in 2020 for the Healio Gastro Disruptive Innovators Award. In 2021, Jeffrey was added to the list of Digital Opinion Leaders in Irritable Bowel Syndrome. He is often quoted by leading media outlets as an IBS Patient Expert and Advocate. Jeffrey has a Masters of Science in Education (MSEd) degree from Medaille College, Buffalo, New York. Jeffrey’s thesis was entitled Awareness of Childhood Health Issues On Educational Outcome. He also holds a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree from the University of Toronto and co-authored and published a book entitled IBS Chat: Real Life Stories and Solutions.