Our guts are also known as our second brains. That is not just because people tell us to “trust our guts,” but because our brain and guts are actually connected through the enteric nervous system—two thin layers of more than 100 million nerve cells lining your gastrointestinal tract. It’s one of the reasons you get a sinking feeling in your stomach when you are stressed or feel butterflies when you are excited, because the brain and gut are more than just metaphorically connected. It’s also one of the reasons why gut health is viewed as so important, because issues with your gut often means more than just suffering from inconsistent bowel movements.
For most of his 35-year career, Tom McCourt has been helping people keep their guts in check. He has worked on some of the biggest brands in the gastrointestinal (GI) space and helped reshape how people even think about GI diseases. From changing the conversation about irritable bowel syndrome to focus on the pain and discomfort instead of just the constipation, he helped bring relief to millions of patients with treatments like Zelnorm at Novartis and the blockbuster LINZESS at Ironwood.
Before that, he literally helped define what it means to have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) through his work with the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and worked on the some of the most successful proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) in the industry—Prilosec and Nexium, which also just happen to be two of the most successful brands of all time. And now, as CEO of Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, his goal is to establish it as the No. 1 GI company in the U.S. All that and more is why we named Tom our 2023 Uber ELITE recipient.
But each of this year’s ELITE 100 winners live up to the high standards we have set for this award—recognizing the true industry change-makers who are reshaping how we think about pharmaceuticals, medical devices, marketing, patient advocacy, data analytics, strategy, and every other aspect of healthcare and the life sciences.
These are the people you will want to know, keep a close eye on moving forward, and meet in person. So, don’t miss the chance to do so. Read about each one, and then come strike up a conversation with them at our ELITE 100 Celebration on June 21st at 230 FIFTH in NYC. Get your tickets now (pm360online.com/elitetickets)—you won’t regret it.
