With more than 2,000 clinicians certified in more than 80 medical specialties and subspecialties, UT Physicians provides multispecialty care for the entire family.
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J. Marc Rhoads, M.D., was inspired to become a physician by a childhood experience.
“My best friend, Mike Newman, died of bone cancer when we were teenagers,” said Dr. Rhoads, division director and professor of pediatric gastroenterology at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth. “He wanted to be a doctor. He was part of an NIH study on immunotherapy to try and cure him. It made an impact on me to see him sick and learn about research.”
It was in Bangladesh during medical school at Johns Hopkins, where Dr. Rhoads began to hone his interest in gastroenterology. “It is a very poor country with a high infant mortality rate,” Dr. Rhoads explained. “Children were dying every day of diarrheal disease. I wanted to investigate super oral rehydration therapy and be a part of future research.”
Dr. Rhoads is a pediatric gastroenterologist who specializes in the treatment of diarrhea, inflammatory bowel disease, colic, celiac disease, abdominal pain. His research studies focus on the benefits of probiotics in several models of human disease. His other research interests include gut microbiome, autism spectrum disorders, and the GI tract and autoimmune disorders. He has contributed to numerous health articles that can be found on the National Center for Biotechnology Information.
He provides compassionate, evidence-based care but will consider alternative “outside the box” treatments for his patients. He primarily sees infants, children and adolescent patients.
When not practicing medicine, he enjoys traveling with his wife, playing classical and contemporary piano, and traveling abroad.
ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS:
University of Texas at Houston, Department of Pediatrics, Division Director of Pediatric Gastroenterology, 2006-
Ochsner Clinic Foundation, Pediatrics Department, Section Head, Division of Gastroenterology. December 2002-2006. Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, Tulane University, 2003-2006
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Gastroenterology, Professor, September 1998- December 2002.
Director, Fellowship Training Program in Pediatric Gastroenterology. 1994-2001.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Gastroenterology, Associate Professor, July 1992- September 1998.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Gastroenterology, Assistant Professor, July 1986 – June 1992.
Adjunct Associate Professor. North Carolina State University, Department of Anatomy, Physiological Sciences, and Radiology. 1999.
Adjunct Associate Professor. University of North Carolina, Department of Nutrition, 2000.
HOSPITAL APPOINTMENTS:
Children’s Memorial Hermann
L.B.J. Hospital
M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
CERTIFICATION:
American Board of Pediatrics Board Certification, January 19, 1986.
Subspecialty Board Certification in Pediatric Gastroenterology, 1990, re-certified in 1997, 2004, and 2011.
PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS (AND COMMITTEES OF THESE):
LOCAL: Texas Medical Center Digestive Diseases Center (Baylor, M.D. Anderson, University of Texas). Internal Advisory Committee
NATIONAL: North American Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology & Nutrition
Society for Pediatric Research; American Gastroenterological Society
HONORS AND AWARDS:
National Foundation for Infectious Diseases/Burroughs Wellcome Young
Investigator Award, 1986
University of North Carolina Faculty Development Award, 1986
NIH Clinical Investigator Award, 1990.
University of North Carolina Research Council Award, 1996
Annual Award for Excellence in Teaching, Department of Pediatrics, University of North Carolina, 2000.
America’s Top Doctors, 2001-present.
Best Doctors, 2005-present.
Chairman’s Research Award: Ochsner for Children, Pediatrics Dept., 6/2004
America’s Top Pediatricians 2009
U.S. News and World Report: Top 1% of Pediatric Gastroenterologists 2013-2015.
Houstonia Magazine: Top Doctors 2013
PUBLICATIONS AND CITATIONS:
1. He B, Hoang TK, Wang T, Ferris M, Taylor CM, Tian X, Luo M, Tran DQ, Zhou J, Tatevian N, Luo F, Molina JG, Blackburn MR, Gomez TH, Roos S, Rhoads JM, and Liu Y. Resetting microbiota by Lactobacillus reuteri inhibits T reg deficiency-induced autoimmunity via adenosine A2A receptors. J. Exp. Med. 2017; 214 (1): 107-123, 2017. PMID: 27994068.
2. Thornhill, C., Navarro, F., Alabd Alrazzak, B., Hashmi, S., DebRoy, A., Rhoads, J., and Imseis, E. Insufflation with Carbon Dioxide during Pediatric Colonoscopy for Control of Post-Procedure Pain J. Clin. Gastro 2018: 52(8): 715-720. PMID: 29210902.
3. Fatheree NY, Liu Y, Taylor CM, Hoang TK, Cai C, Rahbar MH, Hessabi M, Ferris M, McMurtry V, Wong C, Vu T, Dancsak T, Wang T, Gleason W, Bandla V, Navarro F, Tran DQ, and Rhoads JM. Lactobacillus reuteri for infants with colic: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial. J Pediatr 191:170-178, 2017. PMID: 28969890. [Editorial in J. Pediatr 2017; 191: 5-6.]
4. He B, Hoang HK, Tran DQ, Rhoads JM, and Liu Y. Adenosine A2A receptor deletion blocks the beneficial effects of Lactobacillus reuteri in regulatory T-deficient scurfy mice. Front. Immunol. 8: 1680, 2017. DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2017.01680. PMID: 29270168. PMCID: PMC5723640.
5. Hoang TK, He B, Wang T, Tran DQ, Rhoads JM, Liu Y. Protective effect of Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 against experimental necrotizing enterocolitis is mediated by Toll-like receptor 2. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol. 315(2):G231-G240, 2018. doi: 10.1152/ajpgi.00084.2017. PMID: 29648878. PMCID: PMC6139641.
6. Ray P, Navarro F, Liu Y, Bell CS, Denson LA, Fatheree NY, Hoang T, and Rhoads JM. GM-CSF antibodies and peripheral Treg cells as potential markers of disease activity to guide therapeutic decisions in pediatric IBD. J Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2 (1): 8, 2018. doi: 10.21767/2575-7733.100037.
7. Rhoads JM, Collins J, Fatheree NY, Hashmi S, Taylor CM, Luo M, Hoang TK, Gleason WA, Van Arsdall MR, Navarro F, and Liu Y. Infant colic represents gut inflammation and dysbiosis. J Pediatr. 203: 55-61, 2018. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2018.07.042. PMID: 30177353.
8. Liu Y, Tran DQ, and Rhoads JM. Probiotics in disease prevention and treatment. The Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. 58 (S10): S164-S179, 2018. doi: 10.1002/jcph.1121. PMID: 30248200.
9. Liu Y, Alookaran JJ, and Rhoads JM. Probiotics in autoimmune and inflammatory disorders. Nutrients. 10, 1537, 2018. doi: 10.3390/nu10101537. PMID: 30340338.
10. Mai T, Fatheree NY, Gleason W, Liu Y, Rhoads JM. Infantile Colic: New insights into an old problem. Gastroenterology Clinics of North America. 47(4):829-844, 2018. PMID: 30337035.
11. Moye LM, Liu Y, Coarfa C, Putluri N, Rhoads JM. Plasma Urea Cycle Metabolites May Be Useful Biomarkers in Children With Eosinophilic Esophagitis. Front Pediatr 2019 Jan 10;6:423. doi: 10.3389/fped.2018.00423
All patient experience ratings and comments are submitted by actual patients and are received and validated by a leading independent survey company, NRC Health.
Dr. Rhoads was very thorough. This was our first time seeing him. He answered all of my questions, all of my child's questions. He made him feel at ease. He didn't rush the visit. We literally got everything that we needed out. He ordered all the testing, and I am very satisfied with him being our doctor now, my son's doctor. Thank you.
Dr. Rhoads spoke to our daughter, listened, and ran through scenarios with us carefully. He discussed mild to extreme cases, used his chart as an example, apologized for the set up of the room and not being able to look at us the whole time while he was inputting information in the system. He was funny, informative, careful, information seeking, and deliberate in the course of action. We are so pleased that he treated our daughter's case seriously and carefully. We know exactly what to do for the next 2 months as we figure out what the main issue and solution for her gastrointestinal problems. We are extremely happy to be part of the UT Health system. Finally we've found a system and process that values us as a patient. The item for improvement would just be geographic directions to the next floor / suite / building. Dr. Rhoads had the incorrect suite on his business card and online when I looked him up, but I think they just relocated. Then when we went to go get labs and the imaging test we were a bit lost, but just asked for help along the way and found the locations we needed. So volunteers and employees were very helpful.
Dr. Rhoads is the ideal doctor: highly knowledgeable, extremely attentive, and very caring. We always feel included in the plan for care, so we always leave feeling like we have the best care and that it meets our needs medically and as a family. He also has a great sense of humor and is easily approachable, which makes the visit even more pleasant.
Dr. Roads and Sherwani were very attentive and answered all of my questions. I appreciated their thorough approach, advice and overview of next steps
Only negative was the almost three hour wait time and no communication on this at all.
We are so very thankful for Dr. Rhoads and his staff. The level of care for our son is extraordinary! We can't say thank you enough for your knowledge, expertise, and dedication to our son's health!
Thank you for the time you spent looking at my daughter and caring for her professionally, thank you
Dr. Rhoads is an excellent doctor. He always takes care of us in the best way. We are very happy to be patients of his.
Yes, we were very pleased with Dr. Rhoads and his staff, both from terms of being on time and pretty efficient to thoroughly explaining what his concerns were and what he, how he felt we were doing with his diagnosis. We were very pleased with both Dr. Rhoads and the fellow that we saw as well as the rest of the staff.
We are grateful not only for Dr. Rhoads' knowledge about the GI issues, but also his compassion, care, and keen interest in our child's well-being. It is always a positive visit regardless what health issues are being addressed. We also appreciate how well Jacob knows us and how he offers support in every way he can. Honestly, we will be sad to leave the team as our providers when our son ages out of pediatric care. We don't think we will ever find a provider as wonderful and astute as Dr. Rhoads. (And we tried before we found him.)
I like the care from the clinic staff. Thank you.