WATCH: Houston Methodist Celebrates Dr. Eamonn Quigley, Renowned Expert in Gastrointestinal Disease

Long before Dr. Eamonn Quigley became one of the world's leading figures in gastrointestinal disease, he learned the foundations of patient care by tagging along on housecalls with his father, a country doctor in Ireland.

"He had no tests or scans or any of the technology available to us these days," Dr. Quigley recalls. "The only tool he had was his time, which he spent listening to his patient. That made a big impression on me."

In a memorable profile video celebrating 15 years of leadership over the Houston Methodist Underwood Center for Digestive Health, Dr. Quigley and colleagues reflect on how he spent his time at Houston Methodist, the extraordinary growth of the program and the impact he's had on the institution and the field.

After medical training in Ireland, Scotland and a pivotal research fellowship at the Mayo Clinic, Dr. Quigley went on to leadership roles in Manchester and Nebraska before being recruited to Houston Methodist to build a new gastroenterology division "from the ground up." What began as a two-person program has since grown into a team of more than 30 providers with a nationally recognized fellowship program and one of the highest profiles in gastrointestinal disease.

"When I came here, I realized what an impressive place this is," Dr. Quigley says. "It's hard to explain Houston Methodist to people who aren't familiar: the size of the place, the quality of the medicine, the academics, the people. You have to see it to understand how unique it is."

Dr. Alberto Barroso, a long-time Houston Methodist gastroenterologist who helped recruit Dr. Quigley in 2010, calls him a pioneer in GI physiology.

"He's a name that's recognized throughout the country in every GI division that I know of," Dr. Barroso says. "But he's not just a leader or a researcher. He's in the hospital seeing patients every day. He's in the endoscopy lab. He's with us at conferences. He covers the whole spectrum of medicine and education."

For Dr. Bincy Abraham, director of Houston Methodist's renowned Fondren Inflammatory Bowel Disease Program, Dr. Quigley's leadership has been transformative.

"He's an amazing leader," she says. "He doesn't micromanage, but really allows us to flourish. For all his accolades, he's incredibly humble. You'd never know he has written some of the most important texts in gastroenterology today."

Donna Ruddell, his executive assistant who worked alongside him for more than a decade, praised his humanity.

"He's just the kindest man," she says. "When my husband was hospitalized with COVID-19 back in the early, scary days of the pandemic, he checked on him personally every single day, making sure he was getting the best care. That meant so much to me."

Among the many achievements noted in the video, Dr. Quigley helped establish Houston Methodist as the first U.S. center to introduce intestinal ultrasound for inflammatory bowel disease, developed one of the world's leading probiotic supplements and led dozens of clinical trials that have shaped GI practice worldwide. Yet, for him, still today, the greatest satisfaction comes from patient care.

"At the end of the day, it comes down to your interaction with the patients," Dr. Quigley says. "It's a very privileged position. If we lose the ability to sit down and listen to patients, we lose everything medicine is supposed to be."

Click on the image above to learn more about Dr. Quigley's remarkable 40+ year career and his impact on the study of gastrointestinal disease.