Joel E. Richter, MD, is currently Professor of Medicine and the Hugh F. Culverhouse Chair for Esophagology at the University of South Florida in Tampa. Joining the faculty in September 2011, he is also Director, Division of Digestive Diseases and Nutrition and Director, Joy McCann Culverhouse Center for Swallowing Disorders. He received his MD from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas. He went on to complete his residency in medicine and fellowship in medicine (gastroenterology) at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Among past academic appointments, Dr. Richter was Chairman, Department of Gastroenterology, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Ohio, and Chairman of Medicine at Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA.

Dr. Richter is past president of the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) and served as director, ACG, Institute for Clinical Research and Education from 1995 to 2004. He is the recipient of multiple awards for his work in digestive diseases, including the Berk/Fise Lifetime Clinical Achievement Award from ACG, the Joseph B. Kirsner Award in Gastroenterology (2000), the Janssen Award in Gastroenterology for Clinical Research in Digestive Diseases (2001), The Samuel Weiss Award for Outstanding Service to the ACG (2001), Distinguished Former Students from his alma mater Texas A&M University (2019) and AGA Research Mentor Award – EGD Section (2020). From 2002 to 2003, he served as president of the World Organization for Specialized Studies on Diseases of the Esophagus. He was co-editor in chief for the American Journal of Gastroenterology from 2003-2009. He was named to the Best Doctors in America for gastroenterology multiple times.

Dr. Richter is the author or coauthor of more than 600 articles including 353 original papers, 151 editorials/reviews, 15 books, and 120 book chapters. He and Don Castell are the editors of the new 6th Edition of The Esophagus. His research interests include gastroesophageal reflux disease, achalasia, Barrett’s esophagus, esophageal chest pain, eosinophilic esophagitis and esophageal function tests.