A gastroenterologist who spends his days discussing kimchi, kombucha, and the trillions of bacteria living quietly in the human colon is not the kind of doctor most patients expect to meet. But that is precisely the physician patients in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, and increasingly patients and readers across the globe, have found in Dr. Will Bulsiewicz. He is the sort of clinician who treats fermented cabbage with the same seriousness other doctors reserve for prescription pads, and it has made him one of the most closely watched figures in gut health today.
Dr. Bulsiewicz now serves as Founder of the Gut & Microbiome Center for Excellence, a position he assumed in February 2026. It is the newest chapter in a career that has spent nearly two decades pursuing one persistent question: what if the answer to many modern chronic diseases has been sitting, largely unexamined, in the human gut all along?
The Long Road Through Medicine
His path there was neither quick nor accidental. Dr. Bulsiewicz trained in internal medicine at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he began as an intern in July 2006, progressed through residency, and by July 2009 was named Chief Medical Resident, a role he held for a year. It was the kind of demanding apprenticeship that shapes a physician’s instincts long before it shapes his convictions.
From there, he pursued fellowship training in gastroenterology, hepatology, and nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he trained from July 2010 to June 2014. Along the way, he earned a Master of Science in Clinical Investigation from Northwestern University and a certificate in nutrition from Cornell University, credentials that reflected a growing interest in the role of nutrition long before gut health became a mainstream conversation.
Finding His Voice in Mount Pleasant
After serving as an attending physician at The Center for Digestive and Liver Health from July 2014 to May 2016, Dr. Bulsiewicz joined Lowcountry Gastroenterology in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, where he practiced from May 2016 to February 2022 while caring for patients at East Cooper Medical Center and Roper Mt. Pleasant Hospital. It was here, in a coastal community not typically associated with medical innovation, that his public voice began to emerge.
The Post and Courier, Charleston’s Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper, featured his work, describing a Mount Pleasant gastroenterologist “embracing fermentation and social media” to encourage healthier eating habits. It was the kind of recognition that began with curious local patients and gradually expanded into a national audience.
That audience has continued to grow. Since July 2016, Dr. Bulsiewicz has remained The Gut Health MD, educating patients through books, digital platforms, podcasts, and online programs. In 2024, he also founded 38TERA, a company dedicated to evidence-based, microbiome-focused nutritional supplements developed from the latest scientific research.
A Global Chapter, and What Came Next
Another defining chapter of his career came with ZOE, the London-based nutrition science company. As U.S. Medical Director, Dr. Bulsiewicz helped bridge clinical gastroenterology with large-scale nutrition science, contributing to one of the world’s most recognized personalized nutrition platforms.
Following that chapter, he launched the Gut & Microbiome Center for Excellence, bringing together years of experience in patient care, scientific research, education, entrepreneurship, and public health communication under one mission: advancing evidence-based gut health while making complex microbiome science more accessible to both patients and healthcare professionals.
The Roots Beneath the Reputation
Behind his growing public profile is a traditional medical foundation. Dr. Bulsiewicz graduated from Georgetown University School of Medicine before completing advanced training in internal medicine at Northwestern and fellowship training in gastroenterology and nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His medical career has been built on rigorous clinical training, scientific research, and years of patient care.
That distinction matters because it separates him from much of the broader wellness conversation surrounding gut health. His authority was established through academic medicine, clinical practice, and research long before it was amplified through bestselling books, podcasts, and social media.
What the Center Represents Today
The Gut & Microbiome Center for Excellence represents the natural convergence of every stage of his career. It brings together the practicing gastroenterologist, the educator known as The Gut Health MD, the founder of 38TERA, and the physician who helped shape nutrition science on a global platform.
For an industry that often treats gut health as a passing wellness trend, Dr. Bulsiewicz’s nearly two-decade journey – from Northwestern’s residency wards to leading a center dedicated entirely to microbiome science – offers something far more enduring. It reflects a career built on the belief that the science of the gut is not a trend, but one of the most important frontiers in modern medicine.
Also Read: The 10 Most Visionary Leaders in Gut Health & Gastroenterology 2026
