Optimist | Gastroenterologist | Innovator
Chris Damman, MD is a gastroenterologist, microbiome researcher, and Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology at the University of Washington. His work focuses on how food quality, the gut microbiome, and metabolism interact to shape health, disease risk, and everyday well-being.
He previously served as Initiative Lead for Functional Food, Microbiome, & Gut Health within the Enteric and Diarrheal Diseases program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Across his academic and applied work, his focus has remained consistent: translating emerging science on diet and the microbiome into practical strategies that improve human health.
Dr. Damman received his M.D. from Columbia University and an M.A. in Molecular Biology & Biochemistry from Wesleyan University. He completed residency in internal medicine and fellowship training in gastroenterology at the University of Washington, where he later held joint appointments in the Division of Gastroenterology and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. His research has explored diet- and microbiome-directed therapies for inflammatory and metabolic diseases.
Earlier in his career, he worked in early drug discovery at Pfizer’s Discovery Technology Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and conducted epidemiologic research on antimalarial drug resistance at the Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences in Bangkok, Thailand.
Beyond academic medicine, Dr. Damman has worked at the intersection of science, food, and product innovation. He previously served as Chief Medical Officer at UR Labs/Supergut and now advises a range of next-generation food and nutrition companies focused on improving metabolic and microbiome health.
He is a writer and frequent contributor to The Conversation, and his work as a microbiome expert has been featured across national media. He is also the editor-in-chief of Gut Bites, a platform dedicated to translating credible nutrition and microbiome science into practical guidance for everyday eating.
Gut Bites reflects his core belief: that better food decisions begin when complex science becomes clear, usable, and grounded in real life.