Thomas Wallach, MD

Thomas E. Wallach, M.D., is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University (Downstate), Visiting Professor of Pediatrics at Aga Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan, and Chief and Fellowship Director of SUNY Downstate Pediatric Gastroenterology. A board-certified pediatric gastroenterologist, Dr. Wallach specializes in the study and treatment of intestinal diseases in children, with research focusing on the interaction of our environment, both chemical and socioeconomic, and intestinal epithelial function.

He earned his medical degree at the Medical College of Wisconsin, completed his pediatrics residency at Columbia University–New York Presbyterian, and pursued a research-intensive fellowship in Pediatric Gastroenterology at the University of California, San Francisco. His scholarship bridges the fields of clinical medicine, laboratory science, and public health, encompassing NIH- and foundation-supported projects on nutrition, lactation, intestinal inflammation, and disparities in pediatric care.

Dr. Wallach is also active in ALS advocacy alongside his brother, Brian Wallach, who was diagnosed with the disease in 2017. Together, their family helped establish I Am ALS, a nonprofit that has generated hundreds of millions of dollars in new research funding. At Downstate, he advanced this work by moderating a panel discussion tied to the documentary “For Love & Life: No Ordinary Campaign,” exploring how healthcare systems can balance regulatory caution with the urgent needs of patients facing terminal illness, a program designed for national expansion to medical schools across the country.

He has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications in leading journals. He serves as a reviewer and editorial board member for several pediatric and gastroenterology journals. He is also the founder of the New York Pediatric Gut Club and “Eats Streets and Beets,” a novel pediatric nutrition conference combining academic research, medical communication training, and community engagement.

Recognized with multiple national awards, including the NASPGHAN Endoscopy Prize and Downstate’s GME Teacher of the Year, Dr. Wallach is committed to mentoring medical students, residents, and fellows. His leadership extends globally through collaborative research and teaching. Clinically, he focuses on gastrointestinal pain disorders, early childhood nutrition, and inflammatory diseases. Central to his work is advancing equity in child health and addressing the persistent underrepresentation of minoritized groups in the fields of medicine and research.

Education

• Undergraduate: Pomona College
• Medical School: Medical College of Wisconsin
• Internship: Columbia University
• Residency: Columbia University
• Fellowship: University of California San Francisco 

Research Interests

• Environmental enteropathy, health disparities, intersection of environment and health, research education

• Kummerlowe C, Mwakamui S, Hughes TK, Mulugeta N, Mudenda V, Besa E, Zyambo K, Fleming I, Vukovic M, Doran B, Bramante JT, Uchida AM, Garber JJ, Ordovas-Montanes J, Gartner Z, Shalek AK, Kelly P, Wallach T. “Single-cell profiling of environmental enteropathy reveals signatures of epithelial remodeling and immune activation in severe disease.” Science and Translational Medicine, 2022
• Zhu KJ, Suttner B, Knee J, Capone D, Moe CL, Stauber CE, Konstantinidis KT, Wallach TE, Pickering AJ, Brown J. “Elevated fecal mitochondrial DNA from symptomatic norovirus infections suggests potential health relevance of human mitochondrial DNA in fecal source tracking” Environmental Science & Technology Letters, 2022
• Arostegui D, Castro K, Schwarz S, Vaidy K, Rabinowitz S, Wallach T. “Persistent SARS-CoV-2 Nucleocapsid Protein Presence in the Intestinal Epithelium of a Pediatric Patient 3 Months After Acute Infection”. JPGN Reports, 2022

PubMed