AGA Programs

To my fellow AGA Members, I’m not the first to tell you that real progress in the diagnosis, treatment, and cure of digestive disease is at risk. Research funding from traditional sources, like the National Institutes of Health, continues to shrink. We can expect even greater cuts on the horizon.

GI investigators in the early stages of their careers are particularly hard hit. They are finding it much more difficult to secure needed federal funding. As a result, many of these investigators are walking away from GI research frustrated by a lack of support.

It is our hope that physicians have an abundance of new tools and treatments to care for their patients suffering from digestive disorders.

You know that research has revolutionized the care of many digestive disease patients. These patients, as well as everyone in the GI field clinicians and researchers alike, have benefited from the discoveries of passionate investigators, past and present.

This is where you can help.

New treatments and devices are the result of years of research. The AGA Research Foundation grants are critical to continuing the GI pipeline. The AGA research awards program helps researchers take new directions and discover new treatments to better patient care.

Help us fund more researchers by supporting the AGA Research Foundation with a year-end donation. Your donation will support young investigators’ research careers and help assure research is continued.

Be gracious, generous and giving to the future of the GI specialty this holiday season. There are three easy ways to give:

Make a tax-deductible donation online at www. foundation.gastro.org. 

Send a donation through the mail to: 

AGA Research Foundation 

4930 Del Ray Avenue 

Bethesda, MD 20814 

Or donate over the phone by calling (301) 222-4002. All gifts are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of US law. Join us!

Dr. Camilleri is AGA Research Foundation Chair and Past AGA Institute President. He is a consultant in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.

To my fellow AGA Members, I’m not the first to tell you that real progress in the diagnosis, treatment, and cure of digestive disease is at risk. Research funding from traditional sources, like the National Institutes of Health, continues to shrink. We can expect even greater cuts on the horizon.

GI investigators in the early stages of their careers are particularly hard hit. They are finding it much more difficult to secure needed federal funding. As a result, many of these investigators are walking away from GI research frustrated by a lack of support.

It is our hope that physicians have an abundance of new tools and treatments to care for their patients suffering from digestive disorders.

You know that research has revolutionized the care of many digestive disease patients. These patients, as well as everyone in the GI field clinicians and researchers alike, have benefited from the discoveries of passionate investigators, past and present.

This is where you can help.

New treatments and devices are the result of years of research. The AGA Research Foundation grants are critical to continuing the GI pipeline. The AGA research awards program helps researchers take new directions and discover new treatments to better patient care.

Help us fund more researchers by supporting the AGA Research Foundation with a year-end donation. Your donation will support young investigators’ research careers and help assure research is continued.

Be gracious, generous and giving to the future of the GI specialty this holiday season. There are three easy ways to give:

Make a tax-deductible donation online at www. foundation.gastro.org. 

Send a donation through the mail to: 

AGA Research Foundation 

4930 Del Ray Avenue 

Bethesda, MD 20814 

Or donate over the phone by calling (301) 222-4002. All gifts are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of US law. Join us!

Dr. Camilleri is AGA Research Foundation Chair and Past AGA Institute President. He is a consultant in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.

To my fellow AGA Members, I’m not the first to tell you that real progress in the diagnosis, treatment, and cure of digestive disease is at risk. Research funding from traditional sources, like the National Institutes of Health, continues to shrink. We can expect even greater cuts on the horizon.

GI investigators in the early stages of their careers are particularly hard hit. They are finding it much more difficult to secure needed federal funding. As a result, many of these investigators are walking away from GI research frustrated by a lack of support.

It is our hope that physicians have an abundance of new tools and treatments to care for their patients suffering from digestive disorders.

You know that research has revolutionized the care of many digestive disease patients. These patients, as well as everyone in the GI field clinicians and researchers alike, have benefited from the discoveries of passionate investigators, past and present.

This is where you can help.

New treatments and devices are the result of years of research. The AGA Research Foundation grants are critical to continuing the GI pipeline. The AGA research awards program helps researchers take new directions and discover new treatments to better patient care.

Help us fund more researchers by supporting the AGA Research Foundation with a year-end donation. Your donation will support young investigators’ research careers and help assure research is continued.

Be gracious, generous and giving to the future of the GI specialty this holiday season. There are three easy ways to give:

Make a tax-deductible donation online at www. foundation.gastro.org. 

Send a donation through the mail to: 

AGA Research Foundation 

4930 Del Ray Avenue 

Bethesda, MD 20814 

Or donate over the phone by calling (301) 222-4002. All gifts are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of US law. Join us!

Dr. Camilleri is AGA Research Foundation Chair and Past AGA Institute President. He is a consultant in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.

What will the practice of gastroenterology look like in 20 years? It is our hope that physicians have an abundance of new tools and treatments to care for their patients suffering from digestive disorders.

How will we get there? New treatments and devices are the result of years of research.

To help make this dream a reality, AGA — through the AGA Research Foundation — has made a commitment to support investigators in GI and hepatology with its Research Awards Program.

With the help of AGA members, like you, the AGA Research Foundation can provide research funding to highly qualified investigators. These diverse researchers range from young investigators to more seasoned leaders in GI, all embarking on novel research projects that will advance our understanding of digestive conditions and pave the way for future discoveries in the field.

To our AGA Research Foundation donors, we sincerely thank you for your gifts.

We invite the GI community to join others in supporting and helping spark the scientific breakthroughs of today so clinicians will have the tools to improve care tomorrow.

Make your tax-deductible gift today at www.gastro.org/donateonline.






 

What will the practice of gastroenterology look like in 20 years? It is our hope that physicians have an abundance of new tools and treatments to care for their patients suffering from digestive disorders.

How will we get there? New treatments and devices are the result of years of research.

To help make this dream a reality, AGA — through the AGA Research Foundation — has made a commitment to support investigators in GI and hepatology with its Research Awards Program.

With the help of AGA members, like you, the AGA Research Foundation can provide research funding to highly qualified investigators. These diverse researchers range from young investigators to more seasoned leaders in GI, all embarking on novel research projects that will advance our understanding of digestive conditions and pave the way for future discoveries in the field.

To our AGA Research Foundation donors, we sincerely thank you for your gifts.

We invite the GI community to join others in supporting and helping spark the scientific breakthroughs of today so clinicians will have the tools to improve care tomorrow.

Make your tax-deductible gift today at www.gastro.org/donateonline.






 

What will the practice of gastroenterology look like in 20 years? It is our hope that physicians have an abundance of new tools and treatments to care for their patients suffering from digestive disorders.

How will we get there? New treatments and devices are the result of years of research.

To help make this dream a reality, AGA — through the AGA Research Foundation — has made a commitment to support investigators in GI and hepatology with its Research Awards Program.

With the help of AGA members, like you, the AGA Research Foundation can provide research funding to highly qualified investigators. These diverse researchers range from young investigators to more seasoned leaders in GI, all embarking on novel research projects that will advance our understanding of digestive conditions and pave the way for future discoveries in the field.

To our AGA Research Foundation donors, we sincerely thank you for your gifts.

We invite the GI community to join others in supporting and helping spark the scientific breakthroughs of today so clinicians will have the tools to improve care tomorrow.

Make your tax-deductible gift today at www.gastro.org/donateonline.






 

For our next installment of the Gastro Journal Club, we are honored to host Professor Willemijn de Klaver, MD, PhD, and Professor Evelien Dekker, PhD, from Amsterdam University Medical Centers in the Netherlands. They are joined by fellows from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City for a discussion of the article “Risk of Cancers Proximal to the Colon in Fecal Immunochemical Test Positive Screenees in a Colorectal Cancer Screening Program,” published in the September 2024 issue of Gastroenterology .

Visit our YouTube Channel (youtube.com/@AmerGastroAssn) to watch the session.

The Gastro Journal Club is by and for fellows and residents. During these sessions, fellows and residents have the opportunity to ask authors questions about their recently published work in Gastroenterology. If you are interested in arranging a Gastro Journal Club session at your institution, please contact mpogachar@gastro.org.






 

For our next installment of the Gastro Journal Club, we are honored to host Professor Willemijn de Klaver, MD, PhD, and Professor Evelien Dekker, PhD, from Amsterdam University Medical Centers in the Netherlands. They are joined by fellows from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City for a discussion of the article “Risk of Cancers Proximal to the Colon in Fecal Immunochemical Test Positive Screenees in a Colorectal Cancer Screening Program,” published in the September 2024 issue of Gastroenterology .

Visit our YouTube Channel (youtube.com/@AmerGastroAssn) to watch the session.

The Gastro Journal Club is by and for fellows and residents. During these sessions, fellows and residents have the opportunity to ask authors questions about their recently published work in Gastroenterology. If you are interested in arranging a Gastro Journal Club session at your institution, please contact mpogachar@gastro.org.






 

For our next installment of the Gastro Journal Club, we are honored to host Professor Willemijn de Klaver, MD, PhD, and Professor Evelien Dekker, PhD, from Amsterdam University Medical Centers in the Netherlands. They are joined by fellows from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City for a discussion of the article “Risk of Cancers Proximal to the Colon in Fecal Immunochemical Test Positive Screenees in a Colorectal Cancer Screening Program,” published in the September 2024 issue of Gastroenterology .

Visit our YouTube Channel (youtube.com/@AmerGastroAssn) to watch the session.

The Gastro Journal Club is by and for fellows and residents. During these sessions, fellows and residents have the opportunity to ask authors questions about their recently published work in Gastroenterology. If you are interested in arranging a Gastro Journal Club session at your institution, please contact mpogachar@gastro.org.






 

The AGA Research Foundation provides a key source of funding at a critical juncture in a young researcher’s career. By joining others in donating to the AGA Research Foundation, you will ensure that researchers have opportunities to continue their lifesaving work.

The AGA Research Foundation remains committed to providing young researchers with unprecedented research opportunities. Each year, we receive a caliber of nominations for AGA research awards. You can help gifted investigators as they work to advance the understanding of digestive diseases through their novel research objectives.

As an AGA member, you can help fund discoveries that will continue to improve GI practice and better patient care.

AGA grants have led to discoveries, including new approaches to down-regulate intestinal inflammation, a test for genetic predisposition to colon cancer and autoimmune liver disease treatments. The importance of these awards is evidenced by the fact that virtually every major advance leading to the understanding, prevention, treatment, and cure of digestive diseases has been made in the research laboratory of a talented young investigator.

Donate to the AGA Research Foundation to ensure that researchers have opportunities to continue their lifesaving work.

Three Easy Ways To Give

Online: Donate at www.foundation.gastro.org.

Through the mail:

AGA Research Foundation

4930 Del Ray Avenue

Bethesda, MD 20814

Over the phone: 301-222-4002

All gifts are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of U.S. law.






 

The AGA Research Foundation provides a key source of funding at a critical juncture in a young researcher’s career. By joining others in donating to the AGA Research Foundation, you will ensure that researchers have opportunities to continue their lifesaving work.

The AGA Research Foundation remains committed to providing young researchers with unprecedented research opportunities. Each year, we receive a caliber of nominations for AGA research awards. You can help gifted investigators as they work to advance the understanding of digestive diseases through their novel research objectives.

As an AGA member, you can help fund discoveries that will continue to improve GI practice and better patient care.

AGA grants have led to discoveries, including new approaches to down-regulate intestinal inflammation, a test for genetic predisposition to colon cancer and autoimmune liver disease treatments. The importance of these awards is evidenced by the fact that virtually every major advance leading to the understanding, prevention, treatment, and cure of digestive diseases has been made in the research laboratory of a talented young investigator.

Donate to the AGA Research Foundation to ensure that researchers have opportunities to continue their lifesaving work.

Three Easy Ways To Give

Online: Donate at www.foundation.gastro.org.

Through the mail:

AGA Research Foundation

4930 Del Ray Avenue

Bethesda, MD 20814

Over the phone: 301-222-4002

All gifts are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of U.S. law.






 

The AGA Research Foundation provides a key source of funding at a critical juncture in a young researcher’s career. By joining others in donating to the AGA Research Foundation, you will ensure that researchers have opportunities to continue their lifesaving work.

The AGA Research Foundation remains committed to providing young researchers with unprecedented research opportunities. Each year, we receive a caliber of nominations for AGA research awards. You can help gifted investigators as they work to advance the understanding of digestive diseases through their novel research objectives.

As an AGA member, you can help fund discoveries that will continue to improve GI practice and better patient care.

AGA grants have led to discoveries, including new approaches to down-regulate intestinal inflammation, a test for genetic predisposition to colon cancer and autoimmune liver disease treatments. The importance of these awards is evidenced by the fact that virtually every major advance leading to the understanding, prevention, treatment, and cure of digestive diseases has been made in the research laboratory of a talented young investigator.

Donate to the AGA Research Foundation to ensure that researchers have opportunities to continue their lifesaving work.

Three Easy Ways To Give

Online: Donate at www.foundation.gastro.org.

Through the mail:

AGA Research Foundation

4930 Del Ray Avenue

Bethesda, MD 20814

Over the phone: 301-222-4002

All gifts are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of U.S. law.






 

As a woman in a dynamic and ever-changing profession, balancing life as a powerhouse physician or scientist is no easy feat. AGA recognizes the challenges you face and is committed to addressing them directly at the AGA Women in GI Regional Workshops. The program has been expanded to six workshops in 2024.

We are pleased to offer regionally-curated workshops with distinguished speakers at all experience levels to fuel your professional and personal growth. Participate in candid discussions regarding the challenges you face as a woman navigating the 21^st century healthcare environment. Derive inspiration from your community and cultivate meaningful connections that will carry you beyond the workshop.

You may choose to join us in person or virtually, whatever fits into your busy schedule. We are also pleased to offer grants of $300 to support travel and registration fees for trainee and early career women. Additional details for the Maria Leo-Lieber Travel Award may be found in your confirmation email.

Register today for the final three workshops.
 

Rocky Mountain West

Saturday, Sept. 8

Colorado Springs, Colorado

Deadline to apply for a travel grant: Aug. 23

Deadline to register: Aug. 30

Southwest

Saturday, Sept. 14 

Houston, Texas

Deadline to apply for a travel grant: Aug. 30 

Deadline to register: Sept. 6

Southeast

Saturday, Nov. 2

Coral Gables, Florida

Deadline to apply for a travel grant: Oct. 8

Deadline to register: Oct. 25

This program is supported by Janssen.

As a woman in a dynamic and ever-changing profession, balancing life as a powerhouse physician or scientist is no easy feat. AGA recognizes the challenges you face and is committed to addressing them directly at the AGA Women in GI Regional Workshops. The program has been expanded to six workshops in 2024.

We are pleased to offer regionally-curated workshops with distinguished speakers at all experience levels to fuel your professional and personal growth. Participate in candid discussions regarding the challenges you face as a woman navigating the 21^st century healthcare environment. Derive inspiration from your community and cultivate meaningful connections that will carry you beyond the workshop.

You may choose to join us in person or virtually, whatever fits into your busy schedule. We are also pleased to offer grants of $300 to support travel and registration fees for trainee and early career women. Additional details for the Maria Leo-Lieber Travel Award may be found in your confirmation email.

Register today for the final three workshops.
 

Rocky Mountain West

Saturday, Sept. 8

Colorado Springs, Colorado

Deadline to apply for a travel grant: Aug. 23

Deadline to register: Aug. 30

Southwest

Saturday, Sept. 14 

Houston, Texas

Deadline to apply for a travel grant: Aug. 30 

Deadline to register: Sept. 6

Southeast

Saturday, Nov. 2

Coral Gables, Florida

Deadline to apply for a travel grant: Oct. 8

Deadline to register: Oct. 25

This program is supported by Janssen.

As a woman in a dynamic and ever-changing profession, balancing life as a powerhouse physician or scientist is no easy feat. AGA recognizes the challenges you face and is committed to addressing them directly at the AGA Women in GI Regional Workshops. The program has been expanded to six workshops in 2024.

We are pleased to offer regionally-curated workshops with distinguished speakers at all experience levels to fuel your professional and personal growth. Participate in candid discussions regarding the challenges you face as a woman navigating the 21^st century healthcare environment. Derive inspiration from your community and cultivate meaningful connections that will carry you beyond the workshop.

You may choose to join us in person or virtually, whatever fits into your busy schedule. We are also pleased to offer grants of $300 to support travel and registration fees for trainee and early career women. Additional details for the Maria Leo-Lieber Travel Award may be found in your confirmation email.

Register today for the final three workshops.
 

Rocky Mountain West

Saturday, Sept. 8

Colorado Springs, Colorado

Deadline to apply for a travel grant: Aug. 23

Deadline to register: Aug. 30

Southwest

Saturday, Sept. 14 

Houston, Texas

Deadline to apply for a travel grant: Aug. 30 

Deadline to register: Sept. 6

Southeast

Saturday, Nov. 2

Coral Gables, Florida

Deadline to apply for a travel grant: Oct. 8

Deadline to register: Oct. 25

This program is supported by Janssen.

Small Talk, Big Topics, AGA’s podcast for trainees and early career GIs, is back for season three!

In a special episode live from Digestive Disease Week® (DDW) 2024, host Dr. Matthew Whitson talks with returning guest Dr. Janice Jou. Dr. Jou is a transplant hematologist at the Portland VA and currently serves as professor of medicine and fellowship program director at Oregon Health & Science University. Don’t miss her insight as she shares advice all about what she wishes she knew when going into her first job in gastroenterology. Dr. Jou also answers questions from the audience on topics including “when to say no” and the importance of encouraging emotional transparency with fellows and faculty.

Catch up with past episodes and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also listen by clicking on the episode name below.

• Episode 5: Janice Jou: Live from #DDW2024 with tips for your first job
• Episode 4: Loren Rabinowitz and Rachel Issaka: Building research collaborations
• Episode 3: Andy Tau: How to treat GI emergencies
• Episode 2: Laurel Fisher and Asma Khapra: Advancing and advocating for women in GI
• Episode 1: Barbara Jung: Unpacking mentorship with AGA’s president

Small Talk, Big Topics, AGA’s podcast for trainees and early career GIs, is back for season three!

In a special episode live from Digestive Disease Week® (DDW) 2024, host Dr. Matthew Whitson talks with returning guest Dr. Janice Jou. Dr. Jou is a transplant hematologist at the Portland VA and currently serves as professor of medicine and fellowship program director at Oregon Health & Science University. Don’t miss her insight as she shares advice all about what she wishes she knew when going into her first job in gastroenterology. Dr. Jou also answers questions from the audience on topics including “when to say no” and the importance of encouraging emotional transparency with fellows and faculty.

Catch up with past episodes and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also listen by clicking on the episode name below.

• Episode 5: Janice Jou: Live from #DDW2024 with tips for your first job
• Episode 4: Loren Rabinowitz and Rachel Issaka: Building research collaborations
• Episode 3: Andy Tau: How to treat GI emergencies
• Episode 2: Laurel Fisher and Asma Khapra: Advancing and advocating for women in GI
• Episode 1: Barbara Jung: Unpacking mentorship with AGA’s president

Small Talk, Big Topics, AGA’s podcast for trainees and early career GIs, is back for season three!

In a special episode live from Digestive Disease Week® (DDW) 2024, host Dr. Matthew Whitson talks with returning guest Dr. Janice Jou. Dr. Jou is a transplant hematologist at the Portland VA and currently serves as professor of medicine and fellowship program director at Oregon Health & Science University. Don’t miss her insight as she shares advice all about what she wishes she knew when going into her first job in gastroenterology. Dr. Jou also answers questions from the audience on topics including “when to say no” and the importance of encouraging emotional transparency with fellows and faculty.

Catch up with past episodes and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also listen by clicking on the episode name below.

• Episode 5: Janice Jou: Live from #DDW2024 with tips for your first job
• Episode 4: Loren Rabinowitz and Rachel Issaka: Building research collaborations
• Episode 3: Andy Tau: How to treat GI emergencies
• Episode 2: Laurel Fisher and Asma Khapra: Advancing and advocating for women in GI
• Episode 1: Barbara Jung: Unpacking mentorship with AGA’s president

The AGA Research Foundation plays an important role in medical research by providing grants to talented scientists at a critical time in their career. AGA’s flagship award is the Research Scholar Award (RSA), which provides career development support for young investigators in gastroenterology and hepatology research.

“The AGA Research Scholar Award will have a significant impact on my career,” said Dr. Jason (Yanjia) Zhang, 2024 AGA Research Scholar Award grant recipient, and a gastroenterologist at Boston Children’s Hospital. “I aspire to lead a laboratory studying the impact of the microbiome on human gastroenterological diseases. Our lab will focus on the molecular mechanisms underlying how microbes activate gut signaling. The AGA Research Foundation grant will support my transition to independence and build key capacities that will be the foundation of my future lab.”

Boston Children's Hospital

Funded by the generosity of donors, the AGA Research Foundation’s research award program ensures that AGA is building a community of researchers whose work serves the greater community and benefits all our patients.

By joining other AGA members in supporting the AGA Research Foundation, you will ensure that young researchers have opportunities to continue their life-saving work. Your tax-deductible contribution supports the foundation’s research award program, including the RSA, which ensures that studies are funded, discoveries are made and patients are treated.

Learn more or make a contribution at www.foundation.gastro.org.

The AGA Research Foundation plays an important role in medical research by providing grants to talented scientists at a critical time in their career. AGA’s flagship award is the Research Scholar Award (RSA), which provides career development support for young investigators in gastroenterology and hepatology research.

“The AGA Research Scholar Award will have a significant impact on my career,” said Dr. Jason (Yanjia) Zhang, 2024 AGA Research Scholar Award grant recipient, and a gastroenterologist at Boston Children’s Hospital. “I aspire to lead a laboratory studying the impact of the microbiome on human gastroenterological diseases. Our lab will focus on the molecular mechanisms underlying how microbes activate gut signaling. The AGA Research Foundation grant will support my transition to independence and build key capacities that will be the foundation of my future lab.”

Boston Children's Hospital

Funded by the generosity of donors, the AGA Research Foundation’s research award program ensures that AGA is building a community of researchers whose work serves the greater community and benefits all our patients.

By joining other AGA members in supporting the AGA Research Foundation, you will ensure that young researchers have opportunities to continue their life-saving work. Your tax-deductible contribution supports the foundation’s research award program, including the RSA, which ensures that studies are funded, discoveries are made and patients are treated.

Learn more or make a contribution at www.foundation.gastro.org.

The AGA Research Foundation plays an important role in medical research by providing grants to talented scientists at a critical time in their career. AGA’s flagship award is the Research Scholar Award (RSA), which provides career development support for young investigators in gastroenterology and hepatology research.

“The AGA Research Scholar Award will have a significant impact on my career,” said Dr. Jason (Yanjia) Zhang, 2024 AGA Research Scholar Award grant recipient, and a gastroenterologist at Boston Children’s Hospital. “I aspire to lead a laboratory studying the impact of the microbiome on human gastroenterological diseases. Our lab will focus on the molecular mechanisms underlying how microbes activate gut signaling. The AGA Research Foundation grant will support my transition to independence and build key capacities that will be the foundation of my future lab.”

Boston Children's Hospital

Funded by the generosity of donors, the AGA Research Foundation’s research award program ensures that AGA is building a community of researchers whose work serves the greater community and benefits all our patients.

By joining other AGA members in supporting the AGA Research Foundation, you will ensure that young researchers have opportunities to continue their life-saving work. Your tax-deductible contribution supports the foundation’s research award program, including the RSA, which ensures that studies are funded, discoveries are made and patients are treated.

Learn more or make a contribution at www.foundation.gastro.org.

The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) is proud to announce that it has selected 79 recipients to receive research funding through the annual AGA Research Foundation Awards Program. The program serves as a catalyst for discovery and career growth among the most promising researchers in gastroenterology and hepatology.

“This year’s awardees are an exceptional group of investigators who are committed to furthering patient care through research,” said Michael Camilleri, MD, AGAF, chair, AGA Research Foundation. “The AGA Research Foundation is proud to fund these investigators and their ongoing efforts to advance GI research at a critical time in their careers. We believe the Foundation’s investment will ultimately enable new discoveries in gastroenterology and hepatology that will benefit patients.”

Treatment options for digestive diseases begin with vigorous research. The AGA Research Foundation supports medical investigators as they advance our understanding of gastrointestinal and liver conditions. Here are this year’s award recipients:
 

RESEARCH SCHOLAR AWARDS

AGA Research Scholar Award 

• Karen Jane Dunbar, PhD, Columbia University, New York, New York
• Aaron Hecht, MD, PhD, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Sarah Maxwell, MD, University of California, San Francisco
• Chung Sang Tse, MD, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Jason (Yanjia) Zhang, MD, PhD, Boston Children’s Hospital, Massachusetts

AGA-Bristol Myers Squibb Research Scholar Award in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

• Joseph R. Burclaff, PhD, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

SPECIALTY AWARDS

AGA-Caroline Craig Augustyn & Damian Augustyn Award in Digestive Cancer

• Swathi Eluri, MD, MSCR, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota

AGA-R. Robert & Sally Funderburg Research Award in Gastric Cancer

• Jianwen Que, MD, PhD, Columbia University, New York, New York

AGA-Pfizer Fellowship-to-Faculty Transition Award

• Lianna Wood, MD, PhD, Boston Children’s Hospital, Massachusetts

AGA-Ironwood Fellowship-to-Faculty Transition Award

• ZeNan Li Chang, MD, PhD, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri

PILOT AWARDS

AGA Pilot Research Award

• Linda C. Cummings, MD, MS, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio
• Pooja Mehta, MD, MSCS, University of Colorado Denver
• Guilherme Piovezani Ramos, MD, Boston Children’s Hospital
• Simon Schwoerer, PhD, University of Chicago, Illinois
• Yankai Wen, PhD, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

AGA-Pfizer Pilot Research Award in Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis

• Alice Cheng, PhD, Stanford University, California
• Petra Hirsova, PhD, PharmD, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
• Sarah Maxwell, MD, University of California, San Francisco

AGA-Pfizer Pilot Research Award in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

• David Boone, PhD, Indiana University, Indianapolis, Indiana
• Sara Chloe Di Rienzi, PhD, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
• Jared Andrew Sninsky, MD, MSCR, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas

UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH AWARDS

AGA-Aman Armaan Ahmed Family Surf for Success Program

• Eli Burstein, Yeshiva University, New York, New York
• Chloe Carlisle, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
• Adna Hassan, University of Minnesota Rochester
• Nicole Rodriguez Hilario, Barry University, Miami, Florida
• Maryam Jimoh, College of Wooster, Wooster, Ohio
• Viktoriya Kalinina, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts

AGA-Dr. Harvey Young Education & Development Foundation’s Young Guts Scholar Program

• Rafaella Lavalle Lacerda de Almeida, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
• Lara Cheesman, John’s Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
• Cass Condray, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma
• Daniel Juarez, Columbia University, New York, New York
• Jason Lin, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
• Riya Malhotra, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
• Brian Nguyen, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
• Mahmoud (Moudy) Salem, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York

ABSTRACT AWARDS

AGA Fellow Abstract of the Year Award

• Andrea Tou, MD Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

AGA Fellow Abstract Awards

• Manik Aggarwal, MBBS, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
• Kole Buckley, PhD, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Jane Ha, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
• Brent Hiramoto, MD, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
• Md Obaidul Islam, PhD, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida
• Kanak Kennedy, MD, MPH, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Hanseul Kim, PhD, MS, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
• Chiraag Kulkarni, MD, Stanford University, Stanford, California
• Su-Hyung Lee, PhD, DVM, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
• Caroline Muiler, PhD, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
• Sarah Najjar, PhD, New York University, New York, New York
• Ronaldo Panganiban, MD, PhD Penn State Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania
• Perseus Patel, MD, Stanford University, California
• Hassan Sinan, MD, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
• Patricia Snarski, PhD, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana
• Fernando Vicentini, PhD, MS, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
• Remington Winter, MD, University of Manitoba – Health Sciences Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
• Tiaosi Xing, PhD, MBBS, MS, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania

AGA Student Abstract of the Year Award

• Jazmyne Jackson, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

AGA Student Abstract Award

• Valentina Alvarez, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington
• Yasaman Bahojb Habibyan, MS, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada
• Tessa Herman, MD, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minnesota
• Jason Jin, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
• Frederikke Larsen, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
• Kara McNamara, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
• Julia Sessions, MD, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
• Scott Silvey, MS, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia
• Vijaya Sundaram, Marshall University School of Medicine, Huntington, West Virginia
• Kafayat Yusuf, MS, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas

AGA–Eric Esrailian Student Abstract Prize

• Brent Gawey, MD, MS, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
• Fei Li, MBBS, MS, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
• Emily Wong, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• Jordan Woodard, MD, Prisma Health – Upstate, Greenville, South Carolina

AGA–Radhika Srinivasan Student Abstract Prize

• Raz Abdulqadir, MS, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania
• Rebecca Ekeanyanwu, MHS, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tennessee
• Jared Morris, MD, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg City, Manitoba, Canada
• Rachel Stubler, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina

AGA Abstract Award for Health Disparities Research

• Saqr Alsakarneh, MD University of Missouri-Kansas City
• Marco Noriega, MD, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts
• Temitope Olasehinde, MD, University Hospitals/Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
• Gabrielle Waclawik, MD, MPH, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin

AGA-Moti L. & Kamla Rustgi International Travel Award

• W. Keith Tan, MBChB, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England
• Elsa van Liere, MD Amsterdam Universitair Medische Centra, Amsterdam, Netherlands

The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) is proud to announce that it has selected 79 recipients to receive research funding through the annual AGA Research Foundation Awards Program. The program serves as a catalyst for discovery and career growth among the most promising researchers in gastroenterology and hepatology.

“This year’s awardees are an exceptional group of investigators who are committed to furthering patient care through research,” said Michael Camilleri, MD, AGAF, chair, AGA Research Foundation. “The AGA Research Foundation is proud to fund these investigators and their ongoing efforts to advance GI research at a critical time in their careers. We believe the Foundation’s investment will ultimately enable new discoveries in gastroenterology and hepatology that will benefit patients.”

Treatment options for digestive diseases begin with vigorous research. The AGA Research Foundation supports medical investigators as they advance our understanding of gastrointestinal and liver conditions. Here are this year’s award recipients:
 

RESEARCH SCHOLAR AWARDS

AGA Research Scholar Award 

• Karen Jane Dunbar, PhD, Columbia University, New York, New York
• Aaron Hecht, MD, PhD, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Sarah Maxwell, MD, University of California, San Francisco
• Chung Sang Tse, MD, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Jason (Yanjia) Zhang, MD, PhD, Boston Children’s Hospital, Massachusetts

AGA-Bristol Myers Squibb Research Scholar Award in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

• Joseph R. Burclaff, PhD, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

SPECIALTY AWARDS

AGA-Caroline Craig Augustyn & Damian Augustyn Award in Digestive Cancer

• Swathi Eluri, MD, MSCR, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota

AGA-R. Robert & Sally Funderburg Research Award in Gastric Cancer

• Jianwen Que, MD, PhD, Columbia University, New York, New York

AGA-Pfizer Fellowship-to-Faculty Transition Award

• Lianna Wood, MD, PhD, Boston Children’s Hospital, Massachusetts

AGA-Ironwood Fellowship-to-Faculty Transition Award

• ZeNan Li Chang, MD, PhD, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri

PILOT AWARDS

AGA Pilot Research Award

• Linda C. Cummings, MD, MS, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio
• Pooja Mehta, MD, MSCS, University of Colorado Denver
• Guilherme Piovezani Ramos, MD, Boston Children’s Hospital
• Simon Schwoerer, PhD, University of Chicago, Illinois
• Yankai Wen, PhD, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

AGA-Pfizer Pilot Research Award in Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis

• Alice Cheng, PhD, Stanford University, California
• Petra Hirsova, PhD, PharmD, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
• Sarah Maxwell, MD, University of California, San Francisco

AGA-Pfizer Pilot Research Award in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

• David Boone, PhD, Indiana University, Indianapolis, Indiana
• Sara Chloe Di Rienzi, PhD, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
• Jared Andrew Sninsky, MD, MSCR, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas

UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH AWARDS

AGA-Aman Armaan Ahmed Family Surf for Success Program

• Eli Burstein, Yeshiva University, New York, New York
• Chloe Carlisle, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
• Adna Hassan, University of Minnesota Rochester
• Nicole Rodriguez Hilario, Barry University, Miami, Florida
• Maryam Jimoh, College of Wooster, Wooster, Ohio
• Viktoriya Kalinina, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts

AGA-Dr. Harvey Young Education & Development Foundation’s Young Guts Scholar Program

• Rafaella Lavalle Lacerda de Almeida, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
• Lara Cheesman, John’s Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
• Cass Condray, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma
• Daniel Juarez, Columbia University, New York, New York
• Jason Lin, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
• Riya Malhotra, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
• Brian Nguyen, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
• Mahmoud (Moudy) Salem, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York

ABSTRACT AWARDS

AGA Fellow Abstract of the Year Award

• Andrea Tou, MD Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

AGA Fellow Abstract Awards

• Manik Aggarwal, MBBS, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
• Kole Buckley, PhD, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Jane Ha, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
• Brent Hiramoto, MD, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
• Md Obaidul Islam, PhD, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida
• Kanak Kennedy, MD, MPH, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Hanseul Kim, PhD, MS, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
• Chiraag Kulkarni, MD, Stanford University, Stanford, California
• Su-Hyung Lee, PhD, DVM, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
• Caroline Muiler, PhD, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
• Sarah Najjar, PhD, New York University, New York, New York
• Ronaldo Panganiban, MD, PhD Penn State Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania
• Perseus Patel, MD, Stanford University, California
• Hassan Sinan, MD, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
• Patricia Snarski, PhD, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana
• Fernando Vicentini, PhD, MS, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
• Remington Winter, MD, University of Manitoba – Health Sciences Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
• Tiaosi Xing, PhD, MBBS, MS, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania

AGA Student Abstract of the Year Award

• Jazmyne Jackson, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

AGA Student Abstract Award

• Valentina Alvarez, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington
• Yasaman Bahojb Habibyan, MS, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada
• Tessa Herman, MD, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minnesota
• Jason Jin, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
• Frederikke Larsen, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
• Kara McNamara, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
• Julia Sessions, MD, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
• Scott Silvey, MS, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia
• Vijaya Sundaram, Marshall University School of Medicine, Huntington, West Virginia
• Kafayat Yusuf, MS, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas

AGA–Eric Esrailian Student Abstract Prize

• Brent Gawey, MD, MS, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
• Fei Li, MBBS, MS, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
• Emily Wong, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• Jordan Woodard, MD, Prisma Health – Upstate, Greenville, South Carolina

AGA–Radhika Srinivasan Student Abstract Prize

• Raz Abdulqadir, MS, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania
• Rebecca Ekeanyanwu, MHS, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tennessee
• Jared Morris, MD, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg City, Manitoba, Canada
• Rachel Stubler, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina

AGA Abstract Award for Health Disparities Research

• Saqr Alsakarneh, MD University of Missouri-Kansas City
• Marco Noriega, MD, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts
• Temitope Olasehinde, MD, University Hospitals/Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
• Gabrielle Waclawik, MD, MPH, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin

AGA-Moti L. & Kamla Rustgi International Travel Award

• W. Keith Tan, MBChB, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England
• Elsa van Liere, MD Amsterdam Universitair Medische Centra, Amsterdam, Netherlands

The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) is proud to announce that it has selected 79 recipients to receive research funding through the annual AGA Research Foundation Awards Program. The program serves as a catalyst for discovery and career growth among the most promising researchers in gastroenterology and hepatology.

“This year’s awardees are an exceptional group of investigators who are committed to furthering patient care through research,” said Michael Camilleri, MD, AGAF, chair, AGA Research Foundation. “The AGA Research Foundation is proud to fund these investigators and their ongoing efforts to advance GI research at a critical time in their careers. We believe the Foundation’s investment will ultimately enable new discoveries in gastroenterology and hepatology that will benefit patients.”

Treatment options for digestive diseases begin with vigorous research. The AGA Research Foundation supports medical investigators as they advance our understanding of gastrointestinal and liver conditions. Here are this year’s award recipients:
 

RESEARCH SCHOLAR AWARDS

AGA Research Scholar Award 

• Karen Jane Dunbar, PhD, Columbia University, New York, New York
• Aaron Hecht, MD, PhD, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Sarah Maxwell, MD, University of California, San Francisco
• Chung Sang Tse, MD, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Jason (Yanjia) Zhang, MD, PhD, Boston Children’s Hospital, Massachusetts

AGA-Bristol Myers Squibb Research Scholar Award in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

• Joseph R. Burclaff, PhD, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

SPECIALTY AWARDS

AGA-Caroline Craig Augustyn & Damian Augustyn Award in Digestive Cancer

• Swathi Eluri, MD, MSCR, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota

AGA-R. Robert & Sally Funderburg Research Award in Gastric Cancer

• Jianwen Que, MD, PhD, Columbia University, New York, New York

AGA-Pfizer Fellowship-to-Faculty Transition Award

• Lianna Wood, MD, PhD, Boston Children’s Hospital, Massachusetts

AGA-Ironwood Fellowship-to-Faculty Transition Award

• ZeNan Li Chang, MD, PhD, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri

PILOT AWARDS

AGA Pilot Research Award

• Linda C. Cummings, MD, MS, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio
• Pooja Mehta, MD, MSCS, University of Colorado Denver
• Guilherme Piovezani Ramos, MD, Boston Children’s Hospital
• Simon Schwoerer, PhD, University of Chicago, Illinois
• Yankai Wen, PhD, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

AGA-Pfizer Pilot Research Award in Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis

• Alice Cheng, PhD, Stanford University, California
• Petra Hirsova, PhD, PharmD, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
• Sarah Maxwell, MD, University of California, San Francisco

AGA-Pfizer Pilot Research Award in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

• David Boone, PhD, Indiana University, Indianapolis, Indiana
• Sara Chloe Di Rienzi, PhD, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
• Jared Andrew Sninsky, MD, MSCR, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas

UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH AWARDS

AGA-Aman Armaan Ahmed Family Surf for Success Program

• Eli Burstein, Yeshiva University, New York, New York
• Chloe Carlisle, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
• Adna Hassan, University of Minnesota Rochester
• Nicole Rodriguez Hilario, Barry University, Miami, Florida
• Maryam Jimoh, College of Wooster, Wooster, Ohio
• Viktoriya Kalinina, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts

AGA-Dr. Harvey Young Education & Development Foundation’s Young Guts Scholar Program

• Rafaella Lavalle Lacerda de Almeida, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
• Lara Cheesman, John’s Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
• Cass Condray, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma
• Daniel Juarez, Columbia University, New York, New York
• Jason Lin, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
• Riya Malhotra, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
• Brian Nguyen, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
• Mahmoud (Moudy) Salem, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York

ABSTRACT AWARDS

AGA Fellow Abstract of the Year Award

• Andrea Tou, MD Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

AGA Fellow Abstract Awards

• Manik Aggarwal, MBBS, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
• Kole Buckley, PhD, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Jane Ha, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
• Brent Hiramoto, MD, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
• Md Obaidul Islam, PhD, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida
• Kanak Kennedy, MD, MPH, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Hanseul Kim, PhD, MS, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
• Chiraag Kulkarni, MD, Stanford University, Stanford, California
• Su-Hyung Lee, PhD, DVM, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
• Caroline Muiler, PhD, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
• Sarah Najjar, PhD, New York University, New York, New York
• Ronaldo Panganiban, MD, PhD Penn State Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania
• Perseus Patel, MD, Stanford University, California
• Hassan Sinan, MD, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
• Patricia Snarski, PhD, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana
• Fernando Vicentini, PhD, MS, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
• Remington Winter, MD, University of Manitoba – Health Sciences Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
• Tiaosi Xing, PhD, MBBS, MS, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania

AGA Student Abstract of the Year Award

• Jazmyne Jackson, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

AGA Student Abstract Award

• Valentina Alvarez, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington
• Yasaman Bahojb Habibyan, MS, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada
• Tessa Herman, MD, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minnesota
• Jason Jin, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
• Frederikke Larsen, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
• Kara McNamara, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
• Julia Sessions, MD, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
• Scott Silvey, MS, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia
• Vijaya Sundaram, Marshall University School of Medicine, Huntington, West Virginia
• Kafayat Yusuf, MS, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas

AGA–Eric Esrailian Student Abstract Prize

• Brent Gawey, MD, MS, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
• Fei Li, MBBS, MS, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
• Emily Wong, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• Jordan Woodard, MD, Prisma Health – Upstate, Greenville, South Carolina

AGA–Radhika Srinivasan Student Abstract Prize

• Raz Abdulqadir, MS, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania
• Rebecca Ekeanyanwu, MHS, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tennessee
• Jared Morris, MD, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg City, Manitoba, Canada
• Rachel Stubler, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina

AGA Abstract Award for Health Disparities Research

• Saqr Alsakarneh, MD University of Missouri-Kansas City
• Marco Noriega, MD, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts
• Temitope Olasehinde, MD, University Hospitals/Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
• Gabrielle Waclawik, MD, MPH, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin

AGA-Moti L. & Kamla Rustgi International Travel Award

• W. Keith Tan, MBChB, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England
• Elsa van Liere, MD Amsterdam Universitair Medische Centra, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Two of us (Parakkal Deepak and Edward L. Barnes) were part of the American Gastroenterological Association’s (AGA) Future Leaders Program (FLP) class of 2022-2023, and our mentor was Aasma Shaukat. We were invited to share our experiences as participants in the FLP and its impact in our careers.

Washington University, St. Louis

Why Was the Future Leaders Program Conceived?

To understand this, one must first understand that the AGA, like all other GI professional organizations, relies on volunteer leaders to develop its long-term vision and execute this through strategic initiatives and programs. Over time, both the AGA and the field of GI have grown in both size and complexity, which led to the vision of developing a pipeline of leaders who can understand the future challenges facing our field and understand the governance structure of the AGA to help lead it to face these challenges effectively.

Jennifer Layton, MBA

The AGA FLP was thus conceived and launched in 2014-2015 by the founding chairs, Byron Cryer, MD, who is a professor of medicine and associate dean for faculty diversity at University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and Suzanne Rose, MD, MSEd, AGAF, who is a professor of medicine and senior vice dean for medical education at Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. They envisioned a leadership pathway that would position early career GIs on a track to positively affect the AGA and the field of GI.
 

How Does One Apply for the Program?

Our FLP cohort applications were invited in October of 2021 and mentees accepted into the program in November 2021. The application process is competitive – applicants are encouraged to detail why they feel they would benefit from the FLP, what existing skillsets they have that can be further enhanced through the program, and what their long-term vision is for their growth as leaders, both within their institution and within the AGA. This is further accompanied by letters of support from their divisional chiefs and other key supervisors within the division who are intimately aware of their leadership potential and career trajectory. This process identified 18 future leaders for our class of 2022-2023.

New York University

What Is Involved?

Following acceptance into the AGA Future Leaders Program, we embarked on a series of virtual and in-person meetings with our mentorship triads (one mentor and two mentees) and other mentorship teams over the 18-month program (see Figure). These meetings covered highly focused topics ranging from the role of advocacy in leadership to negotiation and developing a business plan, with ample opportunities for individually tailored mentorship within the mentorship triads.

AGA

We also completed personality assessments that helped us understand our strengths and areas of improvement, and ways to use the information to hone our leadership styles.

A large portion of programming and the mentorship experience during the AGA Future Leaders Program is focused on a leadership project that is aimed at addressing a societal driver of interest for the AGA. Examples of these societal drivers of interest include maximizing the role of women in gastroenterology, the role of artificial intelligence in gastroenterology, burnout, and the impact of climate change on gastroenterology. Mentorship triads propose novel methods for addressing these critical issues, outlining the roles that the AGA and other stakeholders may embrace to address these anticipated growing challenges head on.

Our mentorship triad was asked to address the issue of ending disparities within gastroenterology. Given our research and clinical interest in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), we immediately recognized an opportunity to evaluate and potentially offer solutions for the geographic disparities that exist in the field of IBD. These disparities affect access to care for patients with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, leading to delays in diagnosis and ultimately effective therapy decisions.

In addition to developing a proposal for the AGA to expand access to care to major IBD centers in rural areas where these disparities exist, we also initiated an examination of geographic disparities in our own multidisciplinary IBD centers (abstract accepted for presentation at Digestive Diseases Week 2024). This allowed us to expand our respective research footprints at our institutions, utilizing new methods of geocoding to directly measure factors affecting clinical outcomes in IBD. Given our in-depth evaluation of this topic as part of our Future Leaders Program training, at the suggestion of our mentor, our mentorship triad also published a commentary on geographic disparities in the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion sections of Gastroenterology and Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.^{1, 2}

Impact on the Field and Our Careers

Our mentorship triad had the unique experience of having a mentor who had previously participated in the Future Leaders Program as a mentee. As the Future Leaders Program has now enrolled 72 participants, these occasions will likely become more frequent, given the opportunities for career development and growth within the AGA (and our field) that are available after participating in the Future Leaders Program.

To have a mentor with this insight of having been a mentee in the program was invaluable, given her direct experience and understanding of the growth opportunities available, and opportunities to maximize participation in the Future Leaders Program. Additionally, as evidenced by Dr. Shaukat’s recommendations to grow our initial assignment into published commentaries, need statements for our field, and ultimately growing research projects, her keen insights as a mentor were a critical component of our individual growth in the program and the success of our mentorship triad. We benefited from networking with peers and learning about their work, which can lead to future collaborations. We had access to the highly accomplished mentors from diverse settings and learned models of leadership, while developing skills to foster our own leadership style.

In terms of programmatic impact, more than 90% of FLP alumni are serving in AGA leadership on committees, task forces, editorial boards, and councils. What is also important is the impact of content developed by mentee-mentor triads during the FLP cohorts over time. More than 700 GIs have benefited from online leadership development content created by the FLP. Based on our experience, we highly recommend all early career GI physicians to apply!
 

Dr. Parakkal (@P_DeepakIBDMD) is based in the division of gastroenterology, Washington University in St. Louis (Mo.) School of Medicine. He is supported by a Junior Faculty Development Award from the American College of Gastroenterology and IBD Plexus of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation. He has received research support under a sponsored research agreement unrelated to the data in the paper from AbbVie, Arena Pharmaceuticals, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Janssen, Prometheus Biosciences, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Roche-Genentech, and CorEvitas LLC. He has served as a consultant for AbbVie, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Scipher Medicine, Fresenius Kabi, Roche-Genentech, and CorEvitas LLC. Dr. Barnes (@EdBarnesMD) is based in the division of gastroenterology and hepatology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is supported by National Institutes of Health K23DK127157-01, and has served as a consultant for Eli Lilly, Bristol-Meyers Squibb, and Target RWE. Dr. Shaukat (@AasmaShaukatMD) is based in the division of gastroenterology, New York University, New York. She has served as a consultant for Iterative health, Motus, Freenome, and Geneoscopy. Research support by the Steve and Alex Cohen Foundation.

References

1. Deepak P, Barnes EL, Shaukat A. Health Disparities in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Care Driven by Rural Versus Urban Residence: Challenges and Potential Solutions. Gastroenterology. 2023 July. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2023.05.017.

2. Deepak P, Barnes EL, Shaukat A. Health Disparities in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Care Driven by Rural Versus Urban Residence: Challenges and Potential Solutions. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2023 July. doi: 10.1016/j.cgh.2023.04.006.

Two of us (Parakkal Deepak and Edward L. Barnes) were part of the American Gastroenterological Association’s (AGA) Future Leaders Program (FLP) class of 2022-2023, and our mentor was Aasma Shaukat. We were invited to share our experiences as participants in the FLP and its impact in our careers.

Washington University, St. Louis

Why Was the Future Leaders Program Conceived?

To understand this, one must first understand that the AGA, like all other GI professional organizations, relies on volunteer leaders to develop its long-term vision and execute this through strategic initiatives and programs. Over time, both the AGA and the field of GI have grown in both size and complexity, which led to the vision of developing a pipeline of leaders who can understand the future challenges facing our field and understand the governance structure of the AGA to help lead it to face these challenges effectively.

Jennifer Layton, MBA

The AGA FLP was thus conceived and launched in 2014-2015 by the founding chairs, Byron Cryer, MD, who is a professor of medicine and associate dean for faculty diversity at University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and Suzanne Rose, MD, MSEd, AGAF, who is a professor of medicine and senior vice dean for medical education at Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. They envisioned a leadership pathway that would position early career GIs on a track to positively affect the AGA and the field of GI.
 

How Does One Apply for the Program?

Our FLP cohort applications were invited in October of 2021 and mentees accepted into the program in November 2021. The application process is competitive – applicants are encouraged to detail why they feel they would benefit from the FLP, what existing skillsets they have that can be further enhanced through the program, and what their long-term vision is for their growth as leaders, both within their institution and within the AGA. This is further accompanied by letters of support from their divisional chiefs and other key supervisors within the division who are intimately aware of their leadership potential and career trajectory. This process identified 18 future leaders for our class of 2022-2023.

New York University

What Is Involved?

Following acceptance into the AGA Future Leaders Program, we embarked on a series of virtual and in-person meetings with our mentorship triads (one mentor and two mentees) and other mentorship teams over the 18-month program (see Figure). These meetings covered highly focused topics ranging from the role of advocacy in leadership to negotiation and developing a business plan, with ample opportunities for individually tailored mentorship within the mentorship triads.

AGA

We also completed personality assessments that helped us understand our strengths and areas of improvement, and ways to use the information to hone our leadership styles.

A large portion of programming and the mentorship experience during the AGA Future Leaders Program is focused on a leadership project that is aimed at addressing a societal driver of interest for the AGA. Examples of these societal drivers of interest include maximizing the role of women in gastroenterology, the role of artificial intelligence in gastroenterology, burnout, and the impact of climate change on gastroenterology. Mentorship triads propose novel methods for addressing these critical issues, outlining the roles that the AGA and other stakeholders may embrace to address these anticipated growing challenges head on.

Our mentorship triad was asked to address the issue of ending disparities within gastroenterology. Given our research and clinical interest in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), we immediately recognized an opportunity to evaluate and potentially offer solutions for the geographic disparities that exist in the field of IBD. These disparities affect access to care for patients with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, leading to delays in diagnosis and ultimately effective therapy decisions.

In addition to developing a proposal for the AGA to expand access to care to major IBD centers in rural areas where these disparities exist, we also initiated an examination of geographic disparities in our own multidisciplinary IBD centers (abstract accepted for presentation at Digestive Diseases Week 2024). This allowed us to expand our respective research footprints at our institutions, utilizing new methods of geocoding to directly measure factors affecting clinical outcomes in IBD. Given our in-depth evaluation of this topic as part of our Future Leaders Program training, at the suggestion of our mentor, our mentorship triad also published a commentary on geographic disparities in the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion sections of Gastroenterology and Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.^{1, 2}

Impact on the Field and Our Careers

Our mentorship triad had the unique experience of having a mentor who had previously participated in the Future Leaders Program as a mentee. As the Future Leaders Program has now enrolled 72 participants, these occasions will likely become more frequent, given the opportunities for career development and growth within the AGA (and our field) that are available after participating in the Future Leaders Program.

To have a mentor with this insight of having been a mentee in the program was invaluable, given her direct experience and understanding of the growth opportunities available, and opportunities to maximize participation in the Future Leaders Program. Additionally, as evidenced by Dr. Shaukat’s recommendations to grow our initial assignment into published commentaries, need statements for our field, and ultimately growing research projects, her keen insights as a mentor were a critical component of our individual growth in the program and the success of our mentorship triad. We benefited from networking with peers and learning about their work, which can lead to future collaborations. We had access to the highly accomplished mentors from diverse settings and learned models of leadership, while developing skills to foster our own leadership style.

In terms of programmatic impact, more than 90% of FLP alumni are serving in AGA leadership on committees, task forces, editorial boards, and councils. What is also important is the impact of content developed by mentee-mentor triads during the FLP cohorts over time. More than 700 GIs have benefited from online leadership development content created by the FLP. Based on our experience, we highly recommend all early career GI physicians to apply!
 

Dr. Parakkal (@P_DeepakIBDMD) is based in the division of gastroenterology, Washington University in St. Louis (Mo.) School of Medicine. He is supported by a Junior Faculty Development Award from the American College of Gastroenterology and IBD Plexus of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation. He has received research support under a sponsored research agreement unrelated to the data in the paper from AbbVie, Arena Pharmaceuticals, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Janssen, Prometheus Biosciences, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Roche-Genentech, and CorEvitas LLC. He has served as a consultant for AbbVie, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Scipher Medicine, Fresenius Kabi, Roche-Genentech, and CorEvitas LLC. Dr. Barnes (@EdBarnesMD) is based in the division of gastroenterology and hepatology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is supported by National Institutes of Health K23DK127157-01, and has served as a consultant for Eli Lilly, Bristol-Meyers Squibb, and Target RWE. Dr. Shaukat (@AasmaShaukatMD) is based in the division of gastroenterology, New York University, New York. She has served as a consultant for Iterative health, Motus, Freenome, and Geneoscopy. Research support by the Steve and Alex Cohen Foundation.

References

1. Deepak P, Barnes EL, Shaukat A. Health Disparities in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Care Driven by Rural Versus Urban Residence: Challenges and Potential Solutions. Gastroenterology. 2023 July. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2023.05.017.

2. Deepak P, Barnes EL, Shaukat A. Health Disparities in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Care Driven by Rural Versus Urban Residence: Challenges and Potential Solutions. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2023 July. doi: 10.1016/j.cgh.2023.04.006.

Two of us (Parakkal Deepak and Edward L. Barnes) were part of the American Gastroenterological Association’s (AGA) Future Leaders Program (FLP) class of 2022-2023, and our mentor was Aasma Shaukat. We were invited to share our experiences as participants in the FLP and its impact in our careers.

Washington University, St. Louis

Why Was the Future Leaders Program Conceived?

To understand this, one must first understand that the AGA, like all other GI professional organizations, relies on volunteer leaders to develop its long-term vision and execute this through strategic initiatives and programs. Over time, both the AGA and the field of GI have grown in both size and complexity, which led to the vision of developing a pipeline of leaders who can understand the future challenges facing our field and understand the governance structure of the AGA to help lead it to face these challenges effectively.

Jennifer Layton, MBA

The AGA FLP was thus conceived and launched in 2014-2015 by the founding chairs, Byron Cryer, MD, who is a professor of medicine and associate dean for faculty diversity at University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and Suzanne Rose, MD, MSEd, AGAF, who is a professor of medicine and senior vice dean for medical education at Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. They envisioned a leadership pathway that would position early career GIs on a track to positively affect the AGA and the field of GI.
 

How Does One Apply for the Program?

Our FLP cohort applications were invited in October of 2021 and mentees accepted into the program in November 2021. The application process is competitive – applicants are encouraged to detail why they feel they would benefit from the FLP, what existing skillsets they have that can be further enhanced through the program, and what their long-term vision is for their growth as leaders, both within their institution and within the AGA. This is further accompanied by letters of support from their divisional chiefs and other key supervisors within the division who are intimately aware of their leadership potential and career trajectory. This process identified 18 future leaders for our class of 2022-2023.

New York University

What Is Involved?

Following acceptance into the AGA Future Leaders Program, we embarked on a series of virtual and in-person meetings with our mentorship triads (one mentor and two mentees) and other mentorship teams over the 18-month program (see Figure). These meetings covered highly focused topics ranging from the role of advocacy in leadership to negotiation and developing a business plan, with ample opportunities for individually tailored mentorship within the mentorship triads.

AGA

We also completed personality assessments that helped us understand our strengths and areas of improvement, and ways to use the information to hone our leadership styles.

A large portion of programming and the mentorship experience during the AGA Future Leaders Program is focused on a leadership project that is aimed at addressing a societal driver of interest for the AGA. Examples of these societal drivers of interest include maximizing the role of women in gastroenterology, the role of artificial intelligence in gastroenterology, burnout, and the impact of climate change on gastroenterology. Mentorship triads propose novel methods for addressing these critical issues, outlining the roles that the AGA and other stakeholders may embrace to address these anticipated growing challenges head on.

Our mentorship triad was asked to address the issue of ending disparities within gastroenterology. Given our research and clinical interest in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), we immediately recognized an opportunity to evaluate and potentially offer solutions for the geographic disparities that exist in the field of IBD. These disparities affect access to care for patients with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, leading to delays in diagnosis and ultimately effective therapy decisions.

In addition to developing a proposal for the AGA to expand access to care to major IBD centers in rural areas where these disparities exist, we also initiated an examination of geographic disparities in our own multidisciplinary IBD centers (abstract accepted for presentation at Digestive Diseases Week 2024). This allowed us to expand our respective research footprints at our institutions, utilizing new methods of geocoding to directly measure factors affecting clinical outcomes in IBD. Given our in-depth evaluation of this topic as part of our Future Leaders Program training, at the suggestion of our mentor, our mentorship triad also published a commentary on geographic disparities in the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion sections of Gastroenterology and Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.^{1, 2}

Impact on the Field and Our Careers

Our mentorship triad had the unique experience of having a mentor who had previously participated in the Future Leaders Program as a mentee. As the Future Leaders Program has now enrolled 72 participants, these occasions will likely become more frequent, given the opportunities for career development and growth within the AGA (and our field) that are available after participating in the Future Leaders Program.

To have a mentor with this insight of having been a mentee in the program was invaluable, given her direct experience and understanding of the growth opportunities available, and opportunities to maximize participation in the Future Leaders Program. Additionally, as evidenced by Dr. Shaukat’s recommendations to grow our initial assignment into published commentaries, need statements for our field, and ultimately growing research projects, her keen insights as a mentor were a critical component of our individual growth in the program and the success of our mentorship triad. We benefited from networking with peers and learning about their work, which can lead to future collaborations. We had access to the highly accomplished mentors from diverse settings and learned models of leadership, while developing skills to foster our own leadership style.

In terms of programmatic impact, more than 90% of FLP alumni are serving in AGA leadership on committees, task forces, editorial boards, and councils. What is also important is the impact of content developed by mentee-mentor triads during the FLP cohorts over time. More than 700 GIs have benefited from online leadership development content created by the FLP. Based on our experience, we highly recommend all early career GI physicians to apply!
 

Dr. Parakkal (@P_DeepakIBDMD) is based in the division of gastroenterology, Washington University in St. Louis (Mo.) School of Medicine. He is supported by a Junior Faculty Development Award from the American College of Gastroenterology and IBD Plexus of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation. He has received research support under a sponsored research agreement unrelated to the data in the paper from AbbVie, Arena Pharmaceuticals, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Janssen, Prometheus Biosciences, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Roche-Genentech, and CorEvitas LLC. He has served as a consultant for AbbVie, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Scipher Medicine, Fresenius Kabi, Roche-Genentech, and CorEvitas LLC. Dr. Barnes (@EdBarnesMD) is based in the division of gastroenterology and hepatology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is supported by National Institutes of Health K23DK127157-01, and has served as a consultant for Eli Lilly, Bristol-Meyers Squibb, and Target RWE. Dr. Shaukat (@AasmaShaukatMD) is based in the division of gastroenterology, New York University, New York. She has served as a consultant for Iterative health, Motus, Freenome, and Geneoscopy. Research support by the Steve and Alex Cohen Foundation.

References

1. Deepak P, Barnes EL, Shaukat A. Health Disparities in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Care Driven by Rural Versus Urban Residence: Challenges and Potential Solutions. Gastroenterology. 2023 July. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2023.05.017.

2. Deepak P, Barnes EL, Shaukat A. Health Disparities in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Care Driven by Rural Versus Urban Residence: Challenges and Potential Solutions. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2023 July. doi: 10.1016/j.cgh.2023.04.006.

Medicine is transforming at a remarkable pace. It is therefore imperative for the future of the field that physicians understand innovation and collaborate with industry partners. Innovation can be defined as invention, adoption, and diffusion.¹ During my training in gastroenterology and advanced fellowships, I learned about multiple endoscopic tools and techniques and became familiar with industry names that I frequently encountered in the endoscopy unit or clinic.

The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Tech Summit was my initial experience in learning more about the role of industry in driving our field forward and the journey of a product from concept to market. I was nominated to attend the AGA Tech Summit Fellows Program by my advanced endoscopy fellowship program director. A total of 22 fellows from around the United States at various stages of their training and interests in the field of gastroenterology and hepatology were selected for the program through an application process. The program included registration, travel, and accommodations to attend the AGA Tech Summit and Fellows Immersion Day at Medtronic.

The first event in the program was a visit to the Medtronic Santa Clara office, where our initial stop was at the research and development lab. We were introduced to design and biomedical engineers who reviewed with us the extensive testing that devices and endoscopy equipment undergo before coming to the market. These labs have a heavy focus on prototyping and experimentation and exist to promote in-house innovation and inventions.

Photo courtesy of Alison Kim (AGA)

During the day, we met physicians who shared their journeys on how they developed and advanced their careers in partnership with industry. Our visit also included a session with the business development and strategy manager at Medtronic, who discussed strategy and steps involved in product development — from the inception of an idea, institutional policies, and patents, to industry collaboration, and finally to successful commercialization. During medical school and training, we are focused on appropriately learning and applying medical knowledge to clinical care. The Medtronic Fellows Immersion Day experience offered a different perspective and showed other ways by which clinical knowledge and experience can be used to make an impact, in collaboration with industry and stakeholders. It also highlighted alternative career paths for medical professionals. The evening concluded with a meet and greet with the AGA Center for GI Innovation & Technology (CGIT) members and leadership.

Shifa Umar, MD

The AGA Tech Summit was unlike any conference I have been to in my 13 years of training in medicine (which included mostly clinically focused scientific meetings). Sessions involved ergonomics, applications of artificial intelligence, advances in imaging, environmental endoscopy, the role of the FDA, and innovations around the world. The audience included but was not limited to industry executives, AGA CGIT leadership, physician innovators, gastroenterologists, venture capitalists, and others. Attendees represented the diversity of our field in terms of organizational structures and backgrounds. This resulted in an opportunity to hear and learn different perspectives about products, emerging technology, and the costs involved for physicians, industry, and patients.

The final session of the summit, the AGA Shark Tank, was perhaps the most intriguing one of all. The session showcased landscape-changing technology to AGA investors and venture capitalists. The participants presented their own pitches and faced the sharks (judges). The winner received additional funding, tailored guidance from the AGA CGIT committee, partnering opportunities with interested parties, and the opportunity to represent AGA Shark Tank at the Digestive Disease Week (DDW).

The AGA Tech Summit Fellows Program is a learning platform that not only helps you find your niche in the world of GI innovation but also equips you with resources and connections to make an impact. It is also a great way to infuse new ideas into your practice or research. As healthcare professionals, we must create a culture where innovation can flourish, and where staff and patients feel empowered to contribute to the innovation process and help make change happen — to me, the AGA Tech Summit is one such avenue.
 

Reference

1. Kelly CJ and Young AJ. Promoting innovation in healthcare. Future Healthc J. 2017 Jun. doi: 10.7861/futurehosp.4-2-121.

Dr. Umar is Assistant Professor of Medicine, Section of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, and a staff physician at Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston. Dr. Umar has no relevant financial conflicts and is on X, formerly Twitter, @shifaumarMD.

Medicine is transforming at a remarkable pace. It is therefore imperative for the future of the field that physicians understand innovation and collaborate with industry partners. Innovation can be defined as invention, adoption, and diffusion.¹ During my training in gastroenterology and advanced fellowships, I learned about multiple endoscopic tools and techniques and became familiar with industry names that I frequently encountered in the endoscopy unit or clinic.

The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Tech Summit was my initial experience in learning more about the role of industry in driving our field forward and the journey of a product from concept to market. I was nominated to attend the AGA Tech Summit Fellows Program by my advanced endoscopy fellowship program director. A total of 22 fellows from around the United States at various stages of their training and interests in the field of gastroenterology and hepatology were selected for the program through an application process. The program included registration, travel, and accommodations to attend the AGA Tech Summit and Fellows Immersion Day at Medtronic.

The first event in the program was a visit to the Medtronic Santa Clara office, where our initial stop was at the research and development lab. We were introduced to design and biomedical engineers who reviewed with us the extensive testing that devices and endoscopy equipment undergo before coming to the market. These labs have a heavy focus on prototyping and experimentation and exist to promote in-house innovation and inventions.

Photo courtesy of Alison Kim (AGA)

During the day, we met physicians who shared their journeys on how they developed and advanced their careers in partnership with industry. Our visit also included a session with the business development and strategy manager at Medtronic, who discussed strategy and steps involved in product development — from the inception of an idea, institutional policies, and patents, to industry collaboration, and finally to successful commercialization. During medical school and training, we are focused on appropriately learning and applying medical knowledge to clinical care. The Medtronic Fellows Immersion Day experience offered a different perspective and showed other ways by which clinical knowledge and experience can be used to make an impact, in collaboration with industry and stakeholders. It also highlighted alternative career paths for medical professionals. The evening concluded with a meet and greet with the AGA Center for GI Innovation & Technology (CGIT) members and leadership.

Shifa Umar, MD

The AGA Tech Summit was unlike any conference I have been to in my 13 years of training in medicine (which included mostly clinically focused scientific meetings). Sessions involved ergonomics, applications of artificial intelligence, advances in imaging, environmental endoscopy, the role of the FDA, and innovations around the world. The audience included but was not limited to industry executives, AGA CGIT leadership, physician innovators, gastroenterologists, venture capitalists, and others. Attendees represented the diversity of our field in terms of organizational structures and backgrounds. This resulted in an opportunity to hear and learn different perspectives about products, emerging technology, and the costs involved for physicians, industry, and patients.

The final session of the summit, the AGA Shark Tank, was perhaps the most intriguing one of all. The session showcased landscape-changing technology to AGA investors and venture capitalists. The participants presented their own pitches and faced the sharks (judges). The winner received additional funding, tailored guidance from the AGA CGIT committee, partnering opportunities with interested parties, and the opportunity to represent AGA Shark Tank at the Digestive Disease Week (DDW).

The AGA Tech Summit Fellows Program is a learning platform that not only helps you find your niche in the world of GI innovation but also equips you with resources and connections to make an impact. It is also a great way to infuse new ideas into your practice or research. As healthcare professionals, we must create a culture where innovation can flourish, and where staff and patients feel empowered to contribute to the innovation process and help make change happen — to me, the AGA Tech Summit is one such avenue.
 

Reference

1. Kelly CJ and Young AJ. Promoting innovation in healthcare. Future Healthc J. 2017 Jun. doi: 10.7861/futurehosp.4-2-121.

Dr. Umar is Assistant Professor of Medicine, Section of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, and a staff physician at Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston. Dr. Umar has no relevant financial conflicts and is on X, formerly Twitter, @shifaumarMD.

Medicine is transforming at a remarkable pace. It is therefore imperative for the future of the field that physicians understand innovation and collaborate with industry partners. Innovation can be defined as invention, adoption, and diffusion.¹ During my training in gastroenterology and advanced fellowships, I learned about multiple endoscopic tools and techniques and became familiar with industry names that I frequently encountered in the endoscopy unit or clinic.

The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Tech Summit was my initial experience in learning more about the role of industry in driving our field forward and the journey of a product from concept to market. I was nominated to attend the AGA Tech Summit Fellows Program by my advanced endoscopy fellowship program director. A total of 22 fellows from around the United States at various stages of their training and interests in the field of gastroenterology and hepatology were selected for the program through an application process. The program included registration, travel, and accommodations to attend the AGA Tech Summit and Fellows Immersion Day at Medtronic.

The first event in the program was a visit to the Medtronic Santa Clara office, where our initial stop was at the research and development lab. We were introduced to design and biomedical engineers who reviewed with us the extensive testing that devices and endoscopy equipment undergo before coming to the market. These labs have a heavy focus on prototyping and experimentation and exist to promote in-house innovation and inventions.

Photo courtesy of Alison Kim (AGA)

During the day, we met physicians who shared their journeys on how they developed and advanced their careers in partnership with industry. Our visit also included a session with the business development and strategy manager at Medtronic, who discussed strategy and steps involved in product development — from the inception of an idea, institutional policies, and patents, to industry collaboration, and finally to successful commercialization. During medical school and training, we are focused on appropriately learning and applying medical knowledge to clinical care. The Medtronic Fellows Immersion Day experience offered a different perspective and showed other ways by which clinical knowledge and experience can be used to make an impact, in collaboration with industry and stakeholders. It also highlighted alternative career paths for medical professionals. The evening concluded with a meet and greet with the AGA Center for GI Innovation & Technology (CGIT) members and leadership.

Shifa Umar, MD

The AGA Tech Summit was unlike any conference I have been to in my 13 years of training in medicine (which included mostly clinically focused scientific meetings). Sessions involved ergonomics, applications of artificial intelligence, advances in imaging, environmental endoscopy, the role of the FDA, and innovations around the world. The audience included but was not limited to industry executives, AGA CGIT leadership, physician innovators, gastroenterologists, venture capitalists, and others. Attendees represented the diversity of our field in terms of organizational structures and backgrounds. This resulted in an opportunity to hear and learn different perspectives about products, emerging technology, and the costs involved for physicians, industry, and patients.

The final session of the summit, the AGA Shark Tank, was perhaps the most intriguing one of all. The session showcased landscape-changing technology to AGA investors and venture capitalists. The participants presented their own pitches and faced the sharks (judges). The winner received additional funding, tailored guidance from the AGA CGIT committee, partnering opportunities with interested parties, and the opportunity to represent AGA Shark Tank at the Digestive Disease Week (DDW).

The AGA Tech Summit Fellows Program is a learning platform that not only helps you find your niche in the world of GI innovation but also equips you with resources and connections to make an impact. It is also a great way to infuse new ideas into your practice or research. As healthcare professionals, we must create a culture where innovation can flourish, and where staff and patients feel empowered to contribute to the innovation process and help make change happen — to me, the AGA Tech Summit is one such avenue.
 

Reference

1. Kelly CJ and Young AJ. Promoting innovation in healthcare. Future Healthc J. 2017 Jun. doi: 10.7861/futurehosp.4-2-121.

Dr. Umar is Assistant Professor of Medicine, Section of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, and a staff physician at Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston. Dr. Umar has no relevant financial conflicts and is on X, formerly Twitter, @shifaumarMD.