Stronger Together

A toolkit and information resource by patients for patients to help those living with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

This helpful resource is brought to you by the Patient Advisory Council of ImproveCareNow.

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Your personal resources here.

Lifestyle Toolkit

An interactive webpage about IBD and social life, coping with treatment, mental health, and more.

Nutrition and IBD Toolkit

Nutrition tips and ideas + working with an expert as part of treatment and management.

Travel Toolkit

Stories and helpful techniques for travelers with Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative Colitis.

Disordered Eating Toolkit

Get expert advice about disordered eating behavior in IBD patients and ways to help.

College and IBD Toolkit

Helpful resources to make the process of transitioning to college with IBD less stressful.

Body Image Toolkit

Understanding body image issues from young people living with IBD.

Accommodations Toolkit

Available accommodations for IBD patients to make life easier and less stressful.

Crohn’s and Colitis Storybook

Helpful perspectives, self-care, and education from others living with IBD.

Transfer Toolkit

A helpful guide for young people with IBD transferring to manage their own care.

Ostomy Toolkit

Tips, tricks, and information from others experiencing life with an ostomy.

More resources for you

Nutrition Tips by Nikhil Patient-Centered Care with Dr Michel and Dr Patel (podcast) Mental Health During an IBD Flare (podcast) IBD and Medical Trauma (podcast) ICN Research Explained: Personalized Research on Diet in Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s Disease (PRODUCE) J-Pouch Life: Breaking up with my colon (podcast) Top 4 Things to Know When You're Diagnosed with IBD (LOOP) Information about the novel coronavirus (COVID -19) for IBD patients and families (LOOP) ICN Research Explained: Population Management: A Tool to Improve Timely Care in Pediatric and Young Adult Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (LOOP) Patient Perspectives on Telehealth and In-Person Care in the Time of COVID-19 (LOOP) Chronic Illness Can't be Solved like an Equation (LOOP) GI Psychology with Dr. Jennie David (podcast) Queer, Sick, and Proud (podcast) What I wish I knew about my J-pouch/ostomy takedown surgery (LOOP) Ulcerative colitis and my relationship with food (LOOP) Mental health is just as important as physical health (LOOP) Personal experience with nutritional interventions (LOOP) Self Advocacy and Transition (podcast) IBD and Identity (podcast) What I would have told my newly diagnosed self (LOOP) Why it’s important to talk about IBD (LOOP) A letter to my younger self (LOOP) From One Ostomate to Another, I promise it Does get Better (LOOP) Resilience with IBD (podcast) Impact of IBD on Body Image and Relationships with Food Part 2 (podcast) Impact of IBD on Body Image and Relationships with Food (podcast) 4 Things I learned as a High School Student with Crohn’s (LOOP) Infusions, Injections, School, and Life (podcast) Back to School with IBD (podcast) Transitioning (podcast) School with IBD (podcast)

Supporting Each Other

Living with Inflammatory Bowel Disease is hard enough. Doing it alone is even harder. The Patient Advisory Council in partnership with ImproveCareNow has created this resource for young people to be educated and empowered. By sharing ideas, tips, and resources, we become a force of knowledge against IBD. As a voice for IBD patients, PAC members contribute to research studies to improve health care innovations and develop better treatments for all of us.


Let’s rely on each other because we’re stronger together.

Being connected to a group of people that have had similar experiences to me, the PAC has really helped me find my voice and define my message.

—Natalie Beck

Connecting with patients and especially joining the PAC has allowed me to see that a diagnosis doesn’t take everything away.

—Shira Futornick

Joining the PAC and the larger ICN community has been the most significant and meaningful patient advocacy experience I have ever had.

—Maha Parakala

Being part of the PAC helps me remember that I'm not alone in this journey.

—Rhea Thakur

In the PAC, I'm actually able to use all these difficult challenges I've gone through to help other people. And I'm not just helping them, I'm helping myself.

—Becky Woolf

Featured Posts

Maddie is joined by pediatric gastroenterologist David Suskind, MD and IBD-specialized dietitian Kim Braly, RD for a podcast about diet, nutrition, the gut microbiome, and how it all relates to Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

imPACt ep. 36 - IBD, the Gut Microbiome, and Nutrition with Dr....

Jan 27, 2023

The moral of the story in episode 35 of imPACt is: don't do what Becky did. 

Episode 35 of the imPACt podcast - Health Maintenance with Dr. Sabina...

Jan 17, 2023

We've been getting to know ICN staff members through our imPACt ImproveCareNow network series (last time we talked with Chris Keck about why storytelling matters). In this episode, join Caitlyn, Vanessa and I (Fionna) for a chat with Sydney Bogardus who supported the PAC and the PFAC (Patient/Family Advisory Council) for several years before taking on another role in ICN.

Episode 34 of the imPACt podcast - Patient...

Dec 23, 2022

My name is Stacy and I am Co-Chair of the Children's Mercy IBD Patient Family Advisory Council (or "IBD PFAC" for short). I have twin boys and one of them is a patient of the Children's Mercy IBD Clinic. An interesting fact about me is that I am also an RN and I have worked for the Veteran's Hospital Administration for the past 17 years.

I wanted to share my family's experiences and...

Dec 20, 2022

LOOP is an important place for our community to keep #TalkingAboutIBD. It’s a place where #StoriesMatter - where they connect us, build confidence, validate our experiences, remind us we are not alone, and motivate us to continue improving together.

So far, in 2022, 41 stories have been published by patients, caregivers, clinicians, collaborators, researchers, staff & leaders from across the ICN community sharing their unique perspectives on and experiences with IBD. Our top stories this year have covered a variety of topics, including: research on diet and fatigue, innovative IBD projects, new member introductions and top tips for newly-diagnosed patients, conversations about medical trauma, collaborating with IBD caregivers, and gratitude for leadership and learning together so we can all improve the health and care of people living with IBD.

Our top 10 blog posts of 2022

Dec 15, 2022

View all blog posts

Join the PAC

Together, we can make a difference. Join the Patient Advisory Council today and be the voice for others with IBD.