Last updated: May 28, 2026

I’m Ben Rogers, and This Is My Story

I never expected to become someone who writes about inflammatory bowel disease for a living. Back in 2002, when I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at 33, I was juggling a lot — I’d recently bought a house, was deep into remodeling the basement, had just become a father, and was trying to build my career. The last thing I needed was months of mysterious symptoms disrupting both my work and personal life.

Twenty-four years later, I’ve learned that IBD isn’t something you “get through” — it’s something you learn to live with, navigate, and occasionally even find purpose in.

IBD Movement exists because I got tired of reading breathless headlines about “breakthrough treatments” and “new hope” that turned out to be years away from helping anyone. I’ve been on biologics since 2003, developed perianal fistulas before effective treatment was available, and watched the treatment landscape evolve while staying on the same medication for over two decades.

What I’ve Learned (The Hard Way)

My Crohn’s journey has been anything but typical:

• 2002: Diagnosed at 33 after months of symptoms that disrupted my work and family life — I was in the middle of buying a house, remodeling a basement, and adjusting to life as a new father
• Before 2003: Developed my first two perianal fistulas, back when treatment options were much more limited
• 2003: Started Remicade when it was still relatively new and represented real hope for people like me
• 2003–2026: Stayed on Remicade for 23 years — a remarkably long run that gave me stable disease control
• February 2026: Forced to switch to Rinvoq when my new insurance company denied coverage for Remicade, despite over two decades of successful treatment

I’m sharing these details not for sympathy, but for context. When I read about a new Phase 2 trial for an anti-TL1A drug, my first question isn’t “will this cure Crohn’s?” — it’s “how does this mechanism compare to what I know works, and what would it mean for someone who’s found long-term stability on biologics but still deals with insurance bureaucracy?”

That perspective — lived experience of both treatment success and healthcare system frustrations — is what drives everything I write here.

Why IBD Movement Exists

Most IBD news falls into two categories: dry clinical updates that assume you have a medical degree, or breathless stories that oversell early research. I started IBD Movement to fill the gap in between — translating medical news for people like me who want to stay informed without getting their hopes up every time a press release mentions “promising results.”

I’m not a doctor, and I don’t play one on the internet. I’m a patient who’s learned to read between the lines of medical research, spot the difference between Phase 2 and Phase 3 data, and ask the questions that matter: “When might this actually reach patients?” “What are the limitations?” “How does this fit with existing treatments?”

How I Write

This site is not produced by a medical reviewer, because I don’t have one. What I have is 23 years of experience as the patient on the other side of every treatment conversation.

Every article starts with my reading the latest IBD research — not just the headlines, but the actual studies when they’re available. I use AI tools to help research and draft content. Every piece goes through a mandatory personal review before publication: I read it, I edit it, and I apply a specific set of standards that I hold myself to.

Those standards include:

• No hype vocabulary — specific words and phrases that signal overclaim are banned from headlines and body copy. “Breakthrough,” “revolutionary,” “game-changer,” and similar terms don’t appear here. The full list is in my Editorial Policy.
• Phase and timeline transparency — any new treatment discussion names what phase of development the research is in and what would have to be true for it to reach patients.
• Primary-source linking when available — I cite peer-reviewed studies and primary sources where I can access them, not just the news articles covering them.
• First-person grounding — personal posts make clear they’re my experience, not a clinical template. Research posts name the study, the population, the endpoint, and the limitation.
• Honest about limits — I don’t claim to always cite primary research for every post; I claim to link to it when I have it and to be clear about my sourcing either way.

I dropped the “always cite original research” claim from an earlier version of this page because it wasn’t accurate. This version describes what I actually do.

For more on the editorial standards I apply and the vocabulary that’s prohibited, see the Editorial Policy.

What You Should Know

I am not your doctor. Nothing here is medical advice. I’m sharing my interpretation of research and my personal experience — every IBD case is different. Always discuss treatment decisions with your gastroenterologist.

I have biases. I lean toward evidence-based medicine, tend to be skeptical of alternative treatments without solid research backing, and prefer honest communication over false hope. I believe patients are smart enough to handle nuanced information about their condition.

I make mistakes. If you spot an error in my interpretation of research or want to suggest a different perspective, please reach out. Contact information is at the bottom of this page.

The Business Side

IBD Movement operates as a DBA under Bennernet Ventures LLC, which I own and operate from Denver, Colorado. I’ve worked in digital strategy and business development for over a decade, which taught me how to read research critically and spot the difference between genuine medical advances and marketing hype.

This site may include affiliate links for products I personally use or have thoroughly researched — things like travel cooling cases for biologics, comfort items, or books about IBD. I’ll never recommend supplements or anything claiming therapeutic benefits. If I haven’t used it myself or wouldn’t recommend it to a friend with IBD, it won’t appear here.

Connect With Me

Have a question? Want to share your story or flag an error? Reach out using the contact form below, or find me on Bluesky.