Dr. Judy Cho is the Director of the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a position she has held since August 2026. Prior to joining NHGRI, she served as the Ward-Coleman Chair and Senior Associate Dean for Translational Genetics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Dr. Cho has spearheaded numerous discoveries of some of the most influential genetic contributors to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Loss-of-function alleles within the interleukin 23 receptor (IL23R) are protective against IBD; the molecular specificity provided by genetics has paved the way for application of neutralizing monoclonal antibodies for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis that are widely used today. Single cell analyses of peripheral blood and tissue-based samples have implicated numerous cell states and fates in IBD pathogenesis and treatment response and non-response. While at Mount Sinai, Dr. Cho oversaw the BioMe Biobank Program at Mount Sinai, a large database of patient blood samples and medical records enabling breakthroughs in personalized medicine.   

Dr. Cho received an M.D. from the Ohio State University College of Medicine and is a board-certified physician internist, specializing in gastroenterology. Dr. Cho has served on the National Advisory Council for Human Genome Research and on NIH’s National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Board of Scientific Counselors. She was awarded the Sherman Prize for excellence in IBD research and has been a member of the American Society of Clinical Investigation, the American Association of Physicians, and the National Academy of Medicine.