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Coronavirus 101 for gastroenterologists
Now in AGA University: Gain a clear understanding of the lifespan and gastrointestinal manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 and best practices for protecting yourself while working with at-risk patients. http://agau.gastro.org/diweb/catalog/item/eid/COVID-19
Get the latest information and resources on coronavirus by visiting www.gastro.org/COVID.
A message from our president to the GI community
“Our commitment at AGA is to support you. We’ll get through this together,” says AGA President Hashem El-Serag, MD, MPH, AGAF.
Dear colleagues,
The coronavirus pandemic has affected every facet of society, bringing almost unprecedented challenges to our world, and especially to our world of health care.
But our profession has been ignited in the way only a crisis can spark. Many of you are working on the front lines of patient care, at personal risk, lacking sufficient information and adequate resources. This is heroic work.
AGA’s priority during this time of disruption is to get practical guidance into your hands to help you treat patients, and protect yourselves and your coworkers. We’re also advocating on your behalf to get the resources you need and economic relief necessitated by the measures taken to fight the pandemic.
We are continually updating our COVID-19 website, www.gastro.org/covid. Check it for the latest clinical guidance, practice management information, and advocacy initiatives.
Our journals have started a collection of submissions related to COVID-19. Your AGA colleagues on the Clinical Guidelines Committee and Clinical Practice Updates Committee have been hard at work developing guidance for questions that you have asked us on Twitter, @AmerGastroAssn, and the AGA Community. So join us there where resources and insights are being shared in real time.
Your commitment to our patients is a testament to your professionalism. Our commitment at AGA is to support you.
We’ll get through this together.
Hashem B. El-Serag, MD, MPH, AGAF
President, AGA Institute
AGA selects two new social media editors
Congratulations to our new social media editors, Mindy Engevik, PhD, and Sultan Mahmood, MD.
Both editors will have the opportunity to positively impact AGA journal engagement by increasing the dissemination of each of the AGA publications’ content across their social media platforms. Dr. Engevik will focus on basic and translational science research and Dr. Mahmood will focus on clinical research. They will be sharing noteworthy research and news across AGA’s diverse publication portfolio, which includes Gastroenterology, Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Techniques and Innovations in Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, GI & Hepatology News, and the New Gastroenterologist.
Melinda Engevik, PhD
@MicroMindy
Dr. Engevik is an instructor at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, in the department of pathology and immunology. She has a PhD in systems biology and physiology from the University of Cincinnati and completed her postdoctoral training at Baylor College of Medicine. Her research focuses on microbe-epithelial interactions in the gastrointestinal tract, with a particular focus on infection and inflammatory bowel disease. Dr. Engevik currently serves as an AGA Young Delegate and enjoys her involvement in the GI community.
Sultan Mahmood, MD
@SultanMahmoodMD
Dr. Mahmood finished his medical school in King Edward Medical University in Lahore, Pakistan. He did his internal medicine residency as well as GI fellowship training in University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, where he also served as the chief fellow from 2017 to 2018. He is the cofounder of @GIjournal, which is a weekly GI journal club on Twitter. He is currently an assistant professor in the department of medicine, division of gastroenterology, at the University at Buffalo (N.Y.). He also serves the role of coprogram director of the GI fellowship program in University at Buffalo. His research interests include medical education, work-life balance, quality improvement in the endoscopy suite, and cold snare.
The journals’ board of editors and editorial staff congratulate the new social media editors and are excited to work with them over the next 3 years.
Diversify GI: Fola May
We’re celebrating diversity in our field with a new series spotlighting members of the AGA Diversity Committee and AGA FORWARD Program.
The University of California, Los Angeles, Women’s Basketball Program recognized AGA FORWARD Scholar Fola May, MD, PhD, MPhil, for exemplifying their values of being “uncommon” and going above and beyond.
You’ll find proof she meets these criteria through extracurriculars like her participation in the AGA FORWARD program – a National Institute of Health–funded initiative that supports underrepresented minority physician scientists – and as a GI patient advocate on Capitol Hill.
Dr. May’s unconventional career path is also testament to her ability to color outside the lines while creating a masterpiece.
“Realizing late in my training that I wanted a career in research, I joined the STAR program at UCLA which allowed me to complete a PhD in health policy and management [a health services research degree] during my GI fellowship. With this training, I have been able to pursue a career in research and clinical care far beyond what I ever imagined.”
But she noticed a void along her career path that she couldn’t fill on her own: limited access to diverse research leaders in the field who can serve as her mentors, supporters, and advocators.
“Though I have a wonderful mentorship team that has been instrumental to my success thus far, there are currently no senior health services researchers in gastroenterology or gastroenterologists of color at my institution.”
At Dr. May’s institution, there are about 60 faculty members – only 1 Hispanic female. At the academic health center where Dr. May works, she is the only African American gastroenterologist. Other divisions and departments do not look much different, she explained.
“We serve a massive, diverse urban center. I don’t understand it, and I feel strongly that we can do better.”
She stressed that the key to breaking unjust cultural norms is for white colleagues to acknowledge the issues minorities face and to make intentional efforts to increase diversity in the workforce.
“We can’t expect black and brown faculty to do it on their own. The ‘minority tax’ that we face is a heavy toll and has the potential to paralyze our careers. We need members of the majority populations to also embrace diversity issues.”
Let’s get personal
- What do you know now that you wish someone told you when you started your career? “I wish that someone told me earlier that there will come a time when you will transition from working hard to check off all the check boxes to working hard in the things that make you happy. So much of medical school and residency is about doing what you are told you have to do to succeed. Finally, I feel that I am encouraged to find the research topics and patient populations that I am most passionate about. In dedicating ourselves to the things we care most about we have the best opportunity for real impact.”
- Who is your professional hero and why? “Wow. Honestly, I do not have one. Maybe Michelle Obama. I know she is not in medicine, but I pick her because she is an African American women who I know has been put through a lot and has to put up with a lot. But she keeps her head up high and stays strong. Reading her book transformed me. You can’t tell by just looking at her, all that she’s had to deal with. I would like to be seen as someone who is strong despite all of the background noise.”
- Something you may not know about me is: “I am pretty obsessed with CrossFit and fitness. I really enjoy staying active.”
- If I weren’t in gastroenterology, I would be: “A television/movie writer or movie producer.”
- In my free time I like to: “Spend time with my husband and kids, travel, stay active.”
Coronavirus 101 for gastroenterologists
Now in AGA University: Gain a clear understanding of the lifespan and gastrointestinal manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 and best practices for protecting yourself while working with at-risk patients. http://agau.gastro.org/diweb/catalog/item/eid/COVID-19
Get the latest information and resources on coronavirus by visiting www.gastro.org/COVID.
A message from our president to the GI community
“Our commitment at AGA is to support you. We’ll get through this together,” says AGA President Hashem El-Serag, MD, MPH, AGAF.
Dear colleagues,
The coronavirus pandemic has affected every facet of society, bringing almost unprecedented challenges to our world, and especially to our world of health care.
But our profession has been ignited in the way only a crisis can spark. Many of you are working on the front lines of patient care, at personal risk, lacking sufficient information and adequate resources. This is heroic work.
AGA’s priority during this time of disruption is to get practical guidance into your hands to help you treat patients, and protect yourselves and your coworkers. We’re also advocating on your behalf to get the resources you need and economic relief necessitated by the measures taken to fight the pandemic.
We are continually updating our COVID-19 website, www.gastro.org/covid. Check it for the latest clinical guidance, practice management information, and advocacy initiatives.
Our journals have started a collection of submissions related to COVID-19. Your AGA colleagues on the Clinical Guidelines Committee and Clinical Practice Updates Committee have been hard at work developing guidance for questions that you have asked us on Twitter, @AmerGastroAssn, and the AGA Community. So join us there where resources and insights are being shared in real time.
Your commitment to our patients is a testament to your professionalism. Our commitment at AGA is to support you.
We’ll get through this together.
Hashem B. El-Serag, MD, MPH, AGAF
President, AGA Institute
AGA selects two new social media editors
Congratulations to our new social media editors, Mindy Engevik, PhD, and Sultan Mahmood, MD.
Both editors will have the opportunity to positively impact AGA journal engagement by increasing the dissemination of each of the AGA publications’ content across their social media platforms. Dr. Engevik will focus on basic and translational science research and Dr. Mahmood will focus on clinical research. They will be sharing noteworthy research and news across AGA’s diverse publication portfolio, which includes Gastroenterology, Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Techniques and Innovations in Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, GI & Hepatology News, and the New Gastroenterologist.
Melinda Engevik, PhD
@MicroMindy
Dr. Engevik is an instructor at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, in the department of pathology and immunology. She has a PhD in systems biology and physiology from the University of Cincinnati and completed her postdoctoral training at Baylor College of Medicine. Her research focuses on microbe-epithelial interactions in the gastrointestinal tract, with a particular focus on infection and inflammatory bowel disease. Dr. Engevik currently serves as an AGA Young Delegate and enjoys her involvement in the GI community.
Sultan Mahmood, MD
@SultanMahmoodMD
Dr. Mahmood finished his medical school in King Edward Medical University in Lahore, Pakistan. He did his internal medicine residency as well as GI fellowship training in University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, where he also served as the chief fellow from 2017 to 2018. He is the cofounder of @GIjournal, which is a weekly GI journal club on Twitter. He is currently an assistant professor in the department of medicine, division of gastroenterology, at the University at Buffalo (N.Y.). He also serves the role of coprogram director of the GI fellowship program in University at Buffalo. His research interests include medical education, work-life balance, quality improvement in the endoscopy suite, and cold snare.
The journals’ board of editors and editorial staff congratulate the new social media editors and are excited to work with them over the next 3 years.
Diversify GI: Fola May
We’re celebrating diversity in our field with a new series spotlighting members of the AGA Diversity Committee and AGA FORWARD Program.
The University of California, Los Angeles, Women’s Basketball Program recognized AGA FORWARD Scholar Fola May, MD, PhD, MPhil, for exemplifying their values of being “uncommon” and going above and beyond.
You’ll find proof she meets these criteria through extracurriculars like her participation in the AGA FORWARD program – a National Institute of Health–funded initiative that supports underrepresented minority physician scientists – and as a GI patient advocate on Capitol Hill.
Dr. May’s unconventional career path is also testament to her ability to color outside the lines while creating a masterpiece.
“Realizing late in my training that I wanted a career in research, I joined the STAR program at UCLA which allowed me to complete a PhD in health policy and management [a health services research degree] during my GI fellowship. With this training, I have been able to pursue a career in research and clinical care far beyond what I ever imagined.”
But she noticed a void along her career path that she couldn’t fill on her own: limited access to diverse research leaders in the field who can serve as her mentors, supporters, and advocators.
“Though I have a wonderful mentorship team that has been instrumental to my success thus far, there are currently no senior health services researchers in gastroenterology or gastroenterologists of color at my institution.”
At Dr. May’s institution, there are about 60 faculty members – only 1 Hispanic female. At the academic health center where Dr. May works, she is the only African American gastroenterologist. Other divisions and departments do not look much different, she explained.
“We serve a massive, diverse urban center. I don’t understand it, and I feel strongly that we can do better.”
She stressed that the key to breaking unjust cultural norms is for white colleagues to acknowledge the issues minorities face and to make intentional efforts to increase diversity in the workforce.
“We can’t expect black and brown faculty to do it on their own. The ‘minority tax’ that we face is a heavy toll and has the potential to paralyze our careers. We need members of the majority populations to also embrace diversity issues.”
Let’s get personal
- What do you know now that you wish someone told you when you started your career? “I wish that someone told me earlier that there will come a time when you will transition from working hard to check off all the check boxes to working hard in the things that make you happy. So much of medical school and residency is about doing what you are told you have to do to succeed. Finally, I feel that I am encouraged to find the research topics and patient populations that I am most passionate about. In dedicating ourselves to the things we care most about we have the best opportunity for real impact.”
- Who is your professional hero and why? “Wow. Honestly, I do not have one. Maybe Michelle Obama. I know she is not in medicine, but I pick her because she is an African American women who I know has been put through a lot and has to put up with a lot. But she keeps her head up high and stays strong. Reading her book transformed me. You can’t tell by just looking at her, all that she’s had to deal with. I would like to be seen as someone who is strong despite all of the background noise.”
- Something you may not know about me is: “I am pretty obsessed with CrossFit and fitness. I really enjoy staying active.”
- If I weren’t in gastroenterology, I would be: “A television/movie writer or movie producer.”
- In my free time I like to: “Spend time with my husband and kids, travel, stay active.”
Coronavirus 101 for gastroenterologists
Now in AGA University: Gain a clear understanding of the lifespan and gastrointestinal manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 and best practices for protecting yourself while working with at-risk patients. http://agau.gastro.org/diweb/catalog/item/eid/COVID-19
Get the latest information and resources on coronavirus by visiting www.gastro.org/COVID.
A message from our president to the GI community
“Our commitment at AGA is to support you. We’ll get through this together,” says AGA President Hashem El-Serag, MD, MPH, AGAF.
Dear colleagues,
The coronavirus pandemic has affected every facet of society, bringing almost unprecedented challenges to our world, and especially to our world of health care.
But our profession has been ignited in the way only a crisis can spark. Many of you are working on the front lines of patient care, at personal risk, lacking sufficient information and adequate resources. This is heroic work.
AGA’s priority during this time of disruption is to get practical guidance into your hands to help you treat patients, and protect yourselves and your coworkers. We’re also advocating on your behalf to get the resources you need and economic relief necessitated by the measures taken to fight the pandemic.
We are continually updating our COVID-19 website, www.gastro.org/covid. Check it for the latest clinical guidance, practice management information, and advocacy initiatives.
Our journals have started a collection of submissions related to COVID-19. Your AGA colleagues on the Clinical Guidelines Committee and Clinical Practice Updates Committee have been hard at work developing guidance for questions that you have asked us on Twitter, @AmerGastroAssn, and the AGA Community. So join us there where resources and insights are being shared in real time.
Your commitment to our patients is a testament to your professionalism. Our commitment at AGA is to support you.
We’ll get through this together.
Hashem B. El-Serag, MD, MPH, AGAF
President, AGA Institute
AGA selects two new social media editors
Congratulations to our new social media editors, Mindy Engevik, PhD, and Sultan Mahmood, MD.
Both editors will have the opportunity to positively impact AGA journal engagement by increasing the dissemination of each of the AGA publications’ content across their social media platforms. Dr. Engevik will focus on basic and translational science research and Dr. Mahmood will focus on clinical research. They will be sharing noteworthy research and news across AGA’s diverse publication portfolio, which includes Gastroenterology, Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Techniques and Innovations in Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, GI & Hepatology News, and the New Gastroenterologist.
Melinda Engevik, PhD
@MicroMindy
Dr. Engevik is an instructor at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, in the department of pathology and immunology. She has a PhD in systems biology and physiology from the University of Cincinnati and completed her postdoctoral training at Baylor College of Medicine. Her research focuses on microbe-epithelial interactions in the gastrointestinal tract, with a particular focus on infection and inflammatory bowel disease. Dr. Engevik currently serves as an AGA Young Delegate and enjoys her involvement in the GI community.
Sultan Mahmood, MD
@SultanMahmoodMD
Dr. Mahmood finished his medical school in King Edward Medical University in Lahore, Pakistan. He did his internal medicine residency as well as GI fellowship training in University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, where he also served as the chief fellow from 2017 to 2018. He is the cofounder of @GIjournal, which is a weekly GI journal club on Twitter. He is currently an assistant professor in the department of medicine, division of gastroenterology, at the University at Buffalo (N.Y.). He also serves the role of coprogram director of the GI fellowship program in University at Buffalo. His research interests include medical education, work-life balance, quality improvement in the endoscopy suite, and cold snare.
The journals’ board of editors and editorial staff congratulate the new social media editors and are excited to work with them over the next 3 years.
Diversify GI: Fola May
We’re celebrating diversity in our field with a new series spotlighting members of the AGA Diversity Committee and AGA FORWARD Program.
The University of California, Los Angeles, Women’s Basketball Program recognized AGA FORWARD Scholar Fola May, MD, PhD, MPhil, for exemplifying their values of being “uncommon” and going above and beyond.
You’ll find proof she meets these criteria through extracurriculars like her participation in the AGA FORWARD program – a National Institute of Health–funded initiative that supports underrepresented minority physician scientists – and as a GI patient advocate on Capitol Hill.
Dr. May’s unconventional career path is also testament to her ability to color outside the lines while creating a masterpiece.
“Realizing late in my training that I wanted a career in research, I joined the STAR program at UCLA which allowed me to complete a PhD in health policy and management [a health services research degree] during my GI fellowship. With this training, I have been able to pursue a career in research and clinical care far beyond what I ever imagined.”
But she noticed a void along her career path that she couldn’t fill on her own: limited access to diverse research leaders in the field who can serve as her mentors, supporters, and advocators.
“Though I have a wonderful mentorship team that has been instrumental to my success thus far, there are currently no senior health services researchers in gastroenterology or gastroenterologists of color at my institution.”
At Dr. May’s institution, there are about 60 faculty members – only 1 Hispanic female. At the academic health center where Dr. May works, she is the only African American gastroenterologist. Other divisions and departments do not look much different, she explained.
“We serve a massive, diverse urban center. I don’t understand it, and I feel strongly that we can do better.”
She stressed that the key to breaking unjust cultural norms is for white colleagues to acknowledge the issues minorities face and to make intentional efforts to increase diversity in the workforce.
“We can’t expect black and brown faculty to do it on their own. The ‘minority tax’ that we face is a heavy toll and has the potential to paralyze our careers. We need members of the majority populations to also embrace diversity issues.”
Let’s get personal
- What do you know now that you wish someone told you when you started your career? “I wish that someone told me earlier that there will come a time when you will transition from working hard to check off all the check boxes to working hard in the things that make you happy. So much of medical school and residency is about doing what you are told you have to do to succeed. Finally, I feel that I am encouraged to find the research topics and patient populations that I am most passionate about. In dedicating ourselves to the things we care most about we have the best opportunity for real impact.”
- Who is your professional hero and why? “Wow. Honestly, I do not have one. Maybe Michelle Obama. I know she is not in medicine, but I pick her because she is an African American women who I know has been put through a lot and has to put up with a lot. But she keeps her head up high and stays strong. Reading her book transformed me. You can’t tell by just looking at her, all that she’s had to deal with. I would like to be seen as someone who is strong despite all of the background noise.”
- Something you may not know about me is: “I am pretty obsessed with CrossFit and fitness. I really enjoy staying active.”
- If I weren’t in gastroenterology, I would be: “A television/movie writer or movie producer.”
- In my free time I like to: “Spend time with my husband and kids, travel, stay active.”