Our Medical Staff

CAMP GO BeYOND is organized by the IBD Summer Camp Foundation, a San Francisco based 501-c(3) non-profit organization. The camp and the foundation were created as a labor of love by Dr. Melvin Heyman, Director of the Pediatric IBD Program at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital and Foundation Chairman.

Melvin B. Heyman, M.D., MPH 
Professor of Pediatrics, 
University of California, San Francisco
Pediatric Gastroenterologist
UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital

Dr. Mel is Professor of Pediatrics, Director of the Pediatric IBD Program, and Training Director in Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital. He is particularly interested in the care of children with Inflammatory Bowel Disease, including Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis, and nutrition-related problems. He earned a bachelor's degree in economics at UC Berkeley, a medical degree at UCLA, and completed his pediatric residency training at Los Angeles County-University of Southern California Medical Center. He did postdoctoral training in nutrition, earning a master's degree in public health, and completed a fellowship in pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition at UCLA. In 1981, he joined UCSF, where he organized the clinical pediatric nutrition support service and established protocols for pediatric gastroenterology.  He served as Division Chief for 26 years beginning in 1990, and continues as Training Director. Dr. Mel has trained over 75 pediatric gastroenterologists, many of whom serve in leadership roles in the field throughout the USA and in other countries.

Through his research, Dr. Mel was one of the first to reveal the importance of nutrition support in Sickle Cell Anemia and has helped develop procedures to diagnose problems related to the liver in infants. He has pursued studies in the natural history and new treatments for children with inflammatory bowel disease and gastroesophageal reflux disease. He has served on many local and national committees including the American Academy of Pediatrics' Committee on Nutrition, the American Academy of Pediatrics' Executive Committee for the Section on Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition (former Chair), the American Board of Pediatrics (former Chair of Pediatric Gastroenterology subboard), the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (NASPGHAN, including Committee Chair and Executive Council member), and as a member of the Board of the National PTA. Since 2011 he has served as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, the premier journal for the subspecialty, and is currently the Chair of the Council of Pediatric Subspecialists (CoPS). Dr. Mel has been providing medical direction for IBD Camp since it first began in 2001 and was awarded the highly esteemed UCSF Chancellor's Award for Public Service in 2014.

Laura Cooke, RN, MSN, CPNP
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner 3
UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital

Laura Cooke, CPNP, is a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner who joined UCSF's Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition department in July  2003 after spending two years in the UCSF School of Nursing as an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Masters Entry Program in Nursing (MEPN).  She currently maintains an Adjunct Assistant Clinical Professor position at the UCSF School of Nursing. Laura spends 100% of her time working with children who are diagnosed with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).  Her research interests include new treatment modalities for IBD. Nurse Laura has been a volunteer member of the camp medical staff since 2003.

Betsy Haas-Beckert, RN, MS, PNPc
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
Clinical Nurse Specialist
UCSF Children's Hospital

Betsy Haas-Beckert, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and Clinical Nurse Specialist in Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition is one of our Pediatric Nurse Practitioners. She joined the UCSF Department of Pediatrics, Division of Gastroenterology and Nutrition in 1983. Until her retirement in 2014, Betsy spent 100% of her time in clinical practice. She had a widespread patient base with clinics at UCSF, Marin, Santa Rosa, and Modesto. She participated in the care, discharge, and family teaching of hospitalized children. Betsy has expertise in specialized nutritional support, both enteral and parenteral. She was also a lecturer in the School of Nursing, preceptor to graduate nursing students, and participated in staff nursing training. As a person who has also had ulcerative colitis, she is a wonderful role model for the campers. Nurse Betsy has volunteered to care for our campers since 2002.