About

Faten N. Aberra, MD, MSCE, is an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Her clinical and research focus is on Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. She is involved in clinical trials for medical therapeutics and epidemiologic studies related to these conditions. Dr. Aberra serves as Co-Director for the Transition-Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center, a joint initiative between Penn and CHOP, and is the GI EPIC Director. She has contributed to patient education at both local and national levels, serving as the National Co-Chair for the Patient Education Committee for the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation. Her academic background includes a BA in Biochemistry from Swarthmore College, an MD from Dartmouth Medical School, and an MSCE from the University of Pennsylvania. She completed her internal medicine residency, gastroenterology fellowship, and her MS in Clinical Epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania.

Research topics

• Internal medicine
• Medicine
• Immunology
• Gastroenterology
• Family medicine
• Surgery
• Dermatology

Selected publications

• Letter to the Editor

  The American Journal of Gastroenterology · 2026-02-19

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Transcription factor BACH2 shapes tissue-resident memory T cell programs to promote HIV-1 persistence

  Immunity · 2025-08-21 · 18 citations

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Appropriate Use and Complications of Corticosteroids in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Comprehensive Review

  Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology · 2025-07-02 · 12 citations

  reviewOpen access

  Corticosteroids are one of the most frequently prescribed medications for the management of inflammatory bowel disease. Although corticosteroids have a critical role for select cases for induction of remission, there is a notable risk of overuse and misuse of corticosteroids. This narrative review updates the evolving use of corticosteroids in the management of inflammatory bowel disease. The review focuses on the appropriate use, route of administration, and duration for the use of corticosteroids. Additionally, this review summarizes the side effects, use of steroids in special populations (eg, geriatrics, pregnancy, underrepresented minorities), and their use in the perioperative setting.

  PublisherDOI

• S1483 Efficacy of Etrasimod by Disease Duration: An Analysis of the Phase 3 ELEVATE UC Clinical Program

  The American Journal of Gastroenterology · 2025-10-01

  article

  Introduction: Ulcerative colitis (UC) can lead to irreversible damage, highlighting the importance of early intervention. While disease duration impacts response to therapy in Crohn’s disease, similar evidence in UC is lacking. Etrasimod is an oral, once-daily (QD), selective sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P)1,4,5 receptor modulator for the treatment of moderately to severely active UC. We evaluated the efficacy of etrasimod 2 mg QD vs placebo within disease duration subgroups in the ELEVATE UC clinical program. Methods: In this post hoc analysis of ELEVATE UC 52 (NCT03945188) and ELEVATE UC 12 (NCT03996369), patients were assigned by disease duration (calculated using the date of diagnosis) into 3 subgroups: ≤2 years, >2 to ≤5 years, >5 years. In each disease duration subgroup, treatment comparisons and 2-sided P values (reported without adjustment to multiple comparisons) were obtained using the Cochran–Mantel–Haenszel method for clinical remission, clinical response, symptomatic remission, endoscopic improvement, and endoscopic improvement-histologic remission at Week 12 and Week 52, and corticosteroid-free and sustained clinical remission at Week 52. Results: Baseline characteristics were generally balanced within each subgroup; however, a higher proportion of patients in the ≤2 years subgroup were biologic/Janus kinase inhibitor-naïve vs the other 2 subgroups. At Week 12 in all subgroups, greater proportions of patients receiving etrasimod vs placebo met criteria for all endpoints (P < 0.05). At Week 52, greater proportions of patients receiving etrasimod vs placebo met criteria for all endpoints in the >5 years subgroup (P < 0.05), and met criteria for most endpoints in the ≤2 years and >2 to ≤5 years subgroups. Conclusion: Etrasimod demonstrated significant induction and maintenance efficacy vs placebo in both symptomatic and endoscopic endpoints, irrespective of disease duration. These results highlight the efficacy of etrasimod for patients with shorter or longer duration of UC. Future analyses are needed to compare efficacy across disease duration subgroups and longer-term maintenance of response. Pfizer’s generative artificial intelligence tool MAIA was used to assist production of the abstract first draft. Authors reviewed/edited and take responsibility for the content.

  PublisherDOI

• 721 SAFETY AND CLINICAL EFFECTIVENESS OF GLP1 AGONISTS IN INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE PATIENTS

  Gastroenterology · 2024-05-01

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Greater Fatigue and Reduced Neurocognitive Speed With Symptomatic Crohn’s Disease

  Crohn s & Colitis 360 · 2024-12-23

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Background While patients with Crohn’s disease commonly report fatigue, an association of Crohn’s disease with mild neurocognitive impairment has also been suggested. This study investigated the relationship between Crohn’s disease activity, fatigue, and neurocognitive functioning. Methods In this cross-sectional study, adults with Crohn’s disease (n = 25) and healthy controls (n = 26) completed the PROMIS Fatigue 7a form and Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory and neurocognitive testing across 6 domains. Symptomatic and endoscopic remission were assessed with a short Crohn’s Disease Activity Index and Simple Endoscopic Score for Crohn’s Disease. Linear regression adjusting for age and sex was used to compare fatigue and neurocognition among patients with Crohn’s disease versus controls and those with active Crohn’s disease versus those in remission. Results Compared to controls, adults with Crohn’s disease reported greater overall and domain-specific fatigue (general, physical, and mental) (P &amp;lt; .05 for all comparisons). Patients in symptomatic remission had significantly less fatigue (P &amp;lt; .05). No differences were found in neurocognitive accuracy or speed between Crohn’s disease and controls. Disease activity was not associated with accuracy on neurocognitive testing; however, patients with symptomatic Crohn’s disease had longer correct response times for social cognition and episodic memory compared to asymptomatic patients (P &amp;lt; .05). Endoscopic disease activity was associated with longer correct response times for tasks linked to social cognition, episodic memory, and complex cognition (P &amp;lt; .05). These differences persisted after adjusting for fatigue. Conclusions Patients with symptomatic Crohn’s disease experience greater fatigue and have slower response times on neurocognitive testing. However, fatigue does not appear to mediate the slower response times.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Sa1950 IMPACT OF GLP1 AGONISTS ON INFLAMMATORY BIOMARKERS IN PATIENTS WITH INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE

  Gastroenterology · 2024-05-01 · 6 citations

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Risankizumab for Ulcerative Colitis

  JAMA · 2024 · 102 citations

  • Medicine
  • Gastroenterology
  • Internal medicine

  Importance: The clinical effects of risankizumab (a monoclonal antibody that selectively targets the p19 subunit of IL-23) for the treatment of ulcerative colitis are unknown. Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of risankizumab when administered as an induction and a maintenance therapy for patients with ulcerative colitis. Design, Setting, and Participants: Two phase 3 randomized clinical trials were conducted. The induction trial was conducted at 261 clinical centers (in 41 countries) and enrolled 977 patients from November 5, 2020, to August 4, 2022 (final follow-up on May 16, 2023). The maintenance trial was conducted at 238 clinical centers (in 37 countries) and enrolled 754 patients from August 28, 2018, to March 30, 2022 (final follow-up on April 11, 2023). Eligible patients had moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis; a history of intolerance or inadequate response to 1 or more conventional therapies, advanced therapies, or both types of therapies; and no prior exposure to risankizumab. Interventions: For the induction trial, patients were randomized 2:1 to receive 1200 mg of risankizumab or placebo administered intravenously at weeks 0, 4, and 8. For the maintenance trial, patients with a clinical response (determined using the adapted Mayo score) after intravenous treatment with risankizumab were randomized 1:1:1 to receive subcutaneous treatment with 180 mg or 360 mg of risankizumab or placebo (no longer receiving risankizumab) every 8 weeks for 52 weeks. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was clinical remission (stool frequency score ≤1 and not greater than baseline, rectal bleeding score of 0, and endoscopic subscore ≤1 without friability) at week 12 for the induction trial and at week 52 for the maintenance trial. Results: Among the 975 patients analyzed in the induction trial (aged 42.1 [SD, 13.8] years; 586/973 [60.1%] were male; and 677 [69.6%] were White), the clinical remission rates at week 12 were 132/650 (20.3%) for 1200 mg of risankizumab and 20/325 (6.2%) for placebo (adjusted between-group difference, 14.0% [95% CI, 10.0%-18.0%], P < .001). Among the 548 patients analyzed in the maintenance trial (aged 40.9 [SD, 14.0] years; 313 [57.1%] were male; and 407 [74.3%] were White), the clinical remission rates at week 52 were 72/179 (40.2%) for 180 mg of risankizumab, 70/186 (37.6%) for 360 mg of risankizumab, and 46/183 (25.1%) for placebo (adjusted between-group difference for 180 mg of risankizumab vs placebo, 16.3% [97.5% CI, 6.1%-26.6%], P < .001; adjusted between-group difference for 360 mg of risankizumab vs placebo, 14.2% [97.5% CI, 4.0%-24.5%], P = .002). No new safety risks were detected in the treatment groups. Conclusion and Relevance: Compared with placebo, risankizumab improved clinical remission rates in an induction trial and in a maintenance trial for patients with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis. Further study is needed to identify benefits beyond the 52-week follow-up. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifiers: NCT03398148 and NCT03398135.

  DOI

• Maintenance Therapy of Crohn's Disease

  2024-05-31

  book-chapter

  Once a patient has achieved remission by means of medical therapy, the risk of relapse is high if treatment is not continued. Several studies have demonstrated Crohn’s disease (CD) relapse rates as high as 71% to 85% after 1 year in patients who were maintained on mesalamine or placebo after treatment with corticosteroids to induce remission. 1 , 2

  PublisherDOI

• S3958 Brewed from Within: A Case of Phosphatidylethanol Positive Auto-Brewery Syndrome in a Patient with Crohn’s Disease

  The American Journal of Gastroenterology · 2024-10-01

  articleSenior author

  Introduction: Auto-brewery syndrome (ABS) is a rare under-recognized condition that is difficult to diagnose. Patients present with symptoms of intoxication without exogenous ethanol (EtOH) consumption. Case Description/Methods: A 42-year-old man with a 17-year history of fibrostenoic ileocolonic Crohn’s disease (CD) on risankizumab and distant surgeries (right hemicolectomy, 2 small bowel resections, diverting ileostomy taken down 5 years ago) presented to our hospital with diarrhea for 2 months and acute, recurrent episodes of disorientation and confusion for 8 months. He was admitted to an outside hospital multiple times for similar symptoms. Only EtOH levels and phosphatidylethanol (PEth) were positive despite denying alcohol ingestion. A carbohydrate (CH) challenge for possible ABS was completed during a prior admission, but testing was negative. Upon presentation to our hospital, labs were notable for EtOH level 146 and lactate 2.9. patient underwent repeat CH challenge that was negative. PEth eventually resulted as >2000. D-lactic acid was also sent. Computed tomography enterography was normal. Upper endoscopy was unremarkable and a duodenal aspirate for fungal culture was obtained. Colonoscopy showed ileal and mild colonic ulceration. He was treated with IV steroids for a CD flare. After initial presentation, EtOH levels remained negative throughout admission despite eating food brought into the hospital from home. He was discharged on oral steroids and a 2-week trial of rifaximin to treat small intestine bacterial overgrowth. After discharge, he had a recurrent episode of feeling intoxicated and represented to another hospital. His d-lactic acid eventually resulted at 0.04 (negative). His duodenal aspirate also came back positive for candida suggesting an overgrowth of fungus. He was seen in outpatient clinic and prescribed fluconazole for 14 days for treatment of ABS. The patient has not presented to the hospital since. Discussion: This patient presented with recurrent symptoms of intoxication with multiple risk factors for ABS including CD, bowel resections, intermittently consuming a high CH diet, and antibiotic exposure. Evaluation for fungi in the small intestine should be considered even if a CH challenge test is negative, PEth is positive, and other causes have been ruled out. This case also highlights the importance of remaining open-minded to alternative diagnoses in patients who present to the hospital with recurrent, inexplicable intoxication.

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Gary R. Lichtenstein

  45 shared

• James D. Lewis

  University of Pennsylvania

  30 shared

• Warren B. Bilker

  University of Pennsylvania

  21 shared

• Wojciech Błoński

  19 shared

• Sean Hennessy

  University of Pennsylvania

  17 shared

• Charles E. Leonard

  University of Pennsylvania

  17 shared

• Rita Schinnar

  University of Pennsylvania

  17 shared

• Eric Pifer

  El Camino Hospital

  16 shared

Education

• B.A., Biochemistry

  Swarthmore College

  1993

• M.D.

  Dartmouth Medical School

  1997

• Other

  University of Pennsylvania

  2004