Title:Alumni in the Field: Will Bulsiewicz (M’06)

When Will Bulsiewicz, MD, isn’t in his white coat meeting with patients in his Charleston, South Carolina medical office, one may catch him donning a more informal wardrobe—specifically a shirt that reads, “Eat plants. Take epic dumps.” Even in his funny shirt, the gastroenterologist is serious about teaching the importance of tending to gut health. In this time of pandemic, he encourages patients to fortify overall well-being using plant-based nutrition.

Affectionately known by his Twitter followers as “TheGutHealthMD” and by his patients as “Dr. B,” Bulsiewicz grew up in a Jesuit-educated family. When choosing a medical school, he was drawn to Georgetown’s emphasis on caring for the whole person—cura personalis.

“This was more than just nuts and bolts, more than science and physiology. This was about recognizing human nature and the importance of the connection between humans in the process of healing,” Bulsiewicz shares.

Originally interested in pediatrics, he turned to gastroenterology when he began working with Caren Palese, MD, a GI fellow at the time who is now associate professor of medicine and gastroenterology at the School of Medicine.

“I was just this third-year medical student—completely new to the scene—and she treated me with great respect, like a colleague and a member of her team,” he says of his mentor. Today his approach to health care is emblematic of the teachings that drew him since his first moments on campus.

“In allopathic medicine, due to job demands and the fragmentation of our medical system, the body is dissected into systems and organs, and there are barriers and boundaries. But the body has no barriers,” Bulsiewicz explains. “The body is whole, and therefore that is the best way to view and ultimately treat the body.” He believes that around 80 percent of health outcomes are led by diet and lifestyle choices.

“If our solutions don’t include addressing the root of the problem, then how can we ever improve?” he asks.

Advocating for a lifestyle medicine approach, Bulsiewicz says this moment of pandemic precarity is an optimal chance for people to think positively and re-evaluate even the most mundane and overlooked parts of their routines, including cooking at home and spending time with loved ones, both of which he says does wonders for overall health.

Bulsiewicz’ own transformation inspired him to write Fiber Fueled: The Plant-Based Gut Health Program. Stepping away from his junk food-laden diet and subsequently shedding more than 40 lbs, the husband and father of two credits his improved health to his gastroenterology research, as well as tapping into the power of plant-based eating.

“I believe the path to optimal gut health is a predominantly plant-based diet,” he says. “And that’s a radical change for the average person in the United States, whose diet typically consists of only 10 percent plants and about 60 percent processed foods.”

Bulsiewicz acknowledges that access to healthy foods poses a barrier for many Americans. But when possible, people should be surrounded by as much life as they can, she says, including houseplants and pets, and be spending time in nature.