Beyond Celiac Names Mary Kate Carofano as President

PHILADELPHIA (Jan. 29, 2025) – Beyond Celiac, the leading catalyst for a celiac disease cure, today announced that Mary Kate Carofano has been promoted from Chief Operating Officer to President of the national non-profit organization. Carofano will work in partnership with Founder and CEO Alice Bast to set the overall vision and develop the strategic imperatives of Beyond Celiac. 

Since 2003, Beyond Celiac has been the leading patient advocacy and research-driven celiac disease organization working to drive diagnosis, advance research, and accelerate the discovery of treatments and a cure for the autoimmune disease. 

As president, Carofano will manage all aspects of Beyond Celiac’s internal operations, providing oversight and hands-on leadership and ensuring the implementation and execution of the strategic plan to advance the organization’s mission. 

“As Beyond Celiac is accelerating efforts to drive real treatment options so those with celiac disease can live healthy lives and eat without fear, it was time to create the position of President so we can move forward faster,” said Alice Bast, founder and CEO. “With her proven track record, Mary Kate is the right person to serve in this role.”

Carofano has 20 years of experience in the non-profit sector, serving in various roles within patient advocacy organizations and national non-profits. She joined Beyond Celiac in 2021 as Vice President of Partnerships & Network Engagement. In this role, she worked to develop and launch the Beyond Celiac Coalition, which brought together members of academia, key opinion leaders, government agencies, and pharmaceutical and biotech companies to identify and address significant roadblocks to the diagnosis and treatment of celiac disease. Carofano also served as Chief Advancement Officer and Chief Operating Officer, where her leadership helped substantially increase capacity. 

Currently, there are no medications to treat celiac disease, and there is no cure. Celiac disease is a serious genetic autoimmune condition triggered by consuming gluten (wheat, barley, and rye). For someone with celiac disease, eating gluten damages the villi of the small intestine and interferes with the absorption of nutrients from food. Left untreated, celiac disease can lead to serious, long-term health problems, including infertility, lymphoma and other types of cancer, additional autoimmune problems, and/or a range of life-threatening medical conditions. Following a 100% gluten-free diet (no wheat, barley, or rye), which may not fully offset the health risks of the disease, is the only way people with celiac disease can get by on a daily basis.