Maria Oliva-Hemker, MD
Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Faculty
About Maria Oliva-Hemker
Professional Titles
- Vice Dean for Faculty
- Stermer Family Professor of Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- Director, Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
Primary Academic Title
Professor of Pediatrics
Background
Dr. Maria M. Oliva-Hemker is the Stermer Family Professor of Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Professor of Pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Her areas of clinical expertise include gastrointestinal diseases, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and pediatric gastroenterology. She serves as the director of the Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center. In 2021 Dr. Oliva-Hemker was named Vice Dean for Faculty.
Dr. Oliva-Hemker received her M.D. from Johns Hopkins. She completed her residency in pediatrics followed by a fellowship in pediatric gastroenterology at Johns Hopkins. She joined the Johns Hopkins faculty in 1993.
In 2008, Dr. Oliva-Hemker was appointed director of the Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition. Since taking on that leadership role, she has tripled the number of faculty members and dramatically expanded the academic clinical practice while also enhancing strong research and education programs. The division is highly ranked among the top programs in the country by U.S. News & World Report.
In 1998, she launched the Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Center at Johns Hopkins, which specializes in the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of hundreds of children and teens with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis from all over the world. She is the inaugural recipient of the Stermer Family Professorship in Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
Dr. Oliva-Hemker is an active clinical researcher who has co-authored more than 100 articles and book chapters and has given more than 100 invited talks nationally and internationally. She has served in leadership positions in multiple organizations including the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Subboard of Pediatric Gastroenterology of the American Board of Pediatrics, the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation Board of Trustees and the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition. She is editor-in-chief of the book Your Child with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Family Guide for Caregiving (JHU Press).
Her clinical practice focuses on inflammatory intestinal disorders such as IBD, autoimmune enteropathy, celiac disease and eosinophilic gastroenteritis. She established fecal microbiota transplantation at Hopkins for children with recurrent C. difficile infection. Dr. Oliva-Hemker is highly respected among her peers and provides second opinions for patients referred to her from throughout the United States. She actively teaches medical students, residents, and fellows. In addition to her outpatient clinics she performs a variety of endoscopic procedures and attends on the inpatient and consultation pediatric gastroenterology services.
Dr. Oliva-Hemker has been named among "America's Top Doctors" by Castle Connolly Medical Ltd. for more than 20 years and is included in Marquis' "Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare." She has been repeatedly named a Baltimore "Top Doc" by peer physicians and was on the cover of Baltimore Magazine's 2013 Top Doc issue. She has received a U.S. News & World Report "Top Doctor" designation for being in the top 1% of pediatric gastroenterologists in the nation. Dr. Oliva-Hemker was the recipient of the Excellence in Healthcare Award from the Maryland/Southern Delaware Chapter of the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation.
Centers and Institutes
Recent News Articles and Media Coverage
“You’ll never believe what doctors are using to fight gut infections: Fecal transplants,” The Washington Post, January 6, 2014
Research Interests
Autoimmune enteropathy, Crohn's disease, Eosinophilic gastroenteritis, Inflammatory bowel diseases, ulcerative colitis
Research Summary
Dr. Oliva-Hemker is an active clinical researcher who focuses on the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases in children.
Selected Publications
Oliva-Hemker M, Hutfless S, Al Kazzi ES, Lerer T, Mack D, LeLeiko N, Griffths A, Cabrera J, Otley A, Rick J, Bousvaros A, Rosh J, Grossman A, Saeed S, Kay M, Carvalho R, Keljo D, Pfefferkorn M, Faugion Jr, W, Kappelman M, Sudel B, Schaefer ME, Markowitz J, Hyams JS. Clinical presentation and five-year therapeutic management of very early-onset inflammatory bowel disease in a large North American cohort. J Pediatr May 15, 2015 doi:10.1016/j.peds.2015.04/045 Epub ahead of print
Hourigan S, Chen LA, Grigoryan Z, Laroche G, Weidner M, Sears C, Oliva-Hemker M. Microbiome changes associated with sustained eradication of Clostridium difficile after fecal microbiota transplantation in children with and without inflammatory bowel disease. Aliment Pharmcol Ther 42:741-52, 2015 Epub 2015 July 21.
Hourigan S, Sears CL and Oliva-Hemker M. Clostridium difficile infection in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease. Inflamm Bowel Dis 22:1020-5, 2016 Epub 2015 Dec 18.
Hourigan SK, Ahn M, Gibson KM, Perez-Losada M, Felix G, Weidner M, Leibowitz, Niederhuber JE, Sears CL, Crandall KA, Oliva-Hemker,M. Fecal translant in children with Clostridiodes difficile gives sustained reduction in antimicrobial resistance and potential pathogen burden. Open Forum Infect Dis 2019, Aug 26. Doi:10.1093/ofid/ofz379.eCollection
Hyams JS, Thomas SD, Gotman N, Haberman Y, Karns R, Schirmer M, Mo A, Mack DR, Boyle B, Griffin AM, Leleiko NS, Sauer Cg, Keljo DJ, Markowtiz J, Baker SS, Rosh J, Baldassano RN, Patel A, Pfefferkorn M, Otley A, Heyman M, Noe J, Oliva-Hemker M, Rufo PA, Strople J, Ziring D, Guthery SL, Sudel B, Benkov K, Wali P, Moulton D, Evans J, Kappelman MD, Marquis A, Sylverster FA, Collins MG< Venkatesaran S, Dubinksy M, Tanpricha V, Spada KL, Saul B, Wang J, Serrano J, Hommel K, Mariogorta UM, Gibson G, Xavier RJ, Kugathasan S, Walters T, Denson LA. Clinical and biological predictors of response to standardised paediatric colitis therapy: A multicenter inception cohort study. Lancet 2019 Mar 19. doi 10.1016/S0140-6736(18)32592-3 Epub ahead of print
Honors
- Top Doctor, U.S News & World Report
- America's Top Doctors, Castle Connolly Medical Ltd.
- Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare, Marquis
- Excellence in Healthcare, Maryland/Southern Delaware Chapter of the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation, 11/16/18
- Top Doc, Baltimore Magazine--cover photo, 11/1/13
- Top Doc, Baltimore Magazine, 11/1/11
Professional Activities
- AGA Council: Pediatric Gastroenterology and Developmental Biology Section, Chair
- American Academy of Pediatrics Section of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Executive Committee member
- American Board of Pediatrics, Sub-board of Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Crohn's and Colitis Foundation, Board of Trustees
- Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Editorial board
Locations
- Rubenstein Child Health Building
- 200 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21287
- phone: 443-997-5437
- fax: 410-367-2762
- Greater Baltimore Medical Center
- 6565 North Charles Street, Pavilion East STE 313, Baltimore, MD 21204
- phone: 443-997-5437
- fax: 410-367-2762
Expertise
Education
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Fellowship, Pediatrics, 1993Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Residency, Pediatrics, 1989Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Medical Education, MD, 1986Board Certifications
Pediatric Gastroenterology
American Board of Pediatrics, 1992Insurance
- Aetna
- CareFirst
- Cigna
- First Health
- Geisinger Health Plan
- HealthSmart/Accel
- Humana
- Johns Hopkins Health Plans
- MultiPlan
- Pennsylvania's Preferred Health Networks (PPHN)
- Point Comfort Underwriters
- Private Healthcare Systems (PHCS)
- UnitedHealthcare
- Veteran Affairs Community Care Network (Optum-VACCN)