[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Collins_Stephen1.jpg” caption=”Dr. Stephen Collins, Distinguished University Professor at the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine. Photo courtesy of FHS.”]A chronic stomach ache may affect how you think. There is a direct connection between the healthy bacteria in your gut and both how well you can think and how you respond to stress.

How changes in those bacteria impact the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders was the focus of a talk by an internationally-renowned McMaster University scientist who has won the Richard D. McKenna Memorial Lecture award.

Dr. Stephen Collins, Distinguished University Professor at the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, gave the lecture on Feb. 29 at the annual scientific conference of the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology held in Montreal. This is the highest honour given by the association to a physician-scientist.

At McMaster University, Collins led the intestinal disease research program for more than 25 years. He is the associate dean, research for the Faculty of Health Sciences and a gastroenterologist for Hamilton Health Sciences.

The recipient of many national and international awards and honours, Collins is considered, among peers, to be one of the most pre-eminent gastroenterologists in the world.

Collins' research studies have examined the role of the immune system and its interface with the gastrointestinal system, and the connection between the gastrointestinal tract and the external environment.