Society News

The SVS is debuting a new “Ask the Expert” series at the Vascular Annual Meeting this year, and we need members’ help to build it. “Expert” will consist of four, one-hour sessions, one daily Wednesday through Friday, with cases submitted by members. Please submit a case study you wish to be considered for discussion with one of our experts -- and we hope you attend if your case is selected. The deadline will be in mid-May. Topics are Coding, Aortic Care for Occlusive Disease, Hemodialysis and PAD. Submit your cases here. Email education@vascularsociety with questions

The SVS is debuting a new “Ask the Expert” series at the Vascular Annual Meeting this year, and we need members’ help to build it. “Expert” will consist of four, one-hour sessions, one daily Wednesday through Friday, with cases submitted by members. Please submit a case study you wish to be considered for discussion with one of our experts -- and we hope you attend if your case is selected. The deadline will be in mid-May. Topics are Coding, Aortic Care for Occlusive Disease, Hemodialysis and PAD. Submit your cases here. Email education@vascularsociety with questions

The SVS is debuting a new “Ask the Expert” series at the Vascular Annual Meeting this year, and we need members’ help to build it. “Expert” will consist of four, one-hour sessions, one daily Wednesday through Friday, with cases submitted by members. Please submit a case study you wish to be considered for discussion with one of our experts -- and we hope you attend if your case is selected. The deadline will be in mid-May. Topics are Coding, Aortic Care for Occlusive Disease, Hemodialysis and PAD. Submit your cases here. Email education@vascularsociety with questions

Digestive Disease Week^® (DDW) is approaching rapidly. One might say, with strong justification, that the overarching theme for DDW is a celebration of diversity. We are entering the era of “omics” and current research suggests a microbiome rich in diversity is associated with health, while a less-diverse biome is associated with digestive disorders – inflammatory bowel disease for example. Multiple abstracts and presentations will be related to research into microbiome alterations in disease. In nature, diversity is a key to survival.

Farmers know the value of diversity and the devastating effects of restricted diversity. When fields are restricted to a single crop year after year, artificial fertilizers must be used to restore fertility. Organic farmers understand the need for diversity in the form of crop rotation. No forest can survive for long without rich biological diversity. Even cancer reminds us of the importance of diversity. Restricted diversity in the form of cellular monoclonality is one of the hallmarks of malignant growth.

DDW, our annual hallmark meeting, emphasizes our need for diverse thoughts and intellectual discourse as we advance the science of gastroenterology, endoscopy, hepatology, and surgery. Biology does not tolerate restrictions on diversity for long. Diversity makes DDW great.

In this month’s issue of GI & Hepatology News, we are reassured that PPIs are not linked to cognitive decline. Sessile serrated polyps, often missed at colonoscopy and CT colography might be detected with noninvasive testing as the field of blood-based cancer screening advances. Pay attention to the exciting bleeding-edge technology emerging from the AGA Tech Summit – especially technologies to treat obesity. Read about some of the continuing barriers to CRC screening in underserved populations – if we are to achieve 80% screening rates we must focus on people challenged to access our health care system.

Finally, consider the AGA Clinical Practice Update about Barrett’s esophagus. I spent a morning with Joel Richter, MD, last month and he reminded me that our current surveillance system is failing to impact annual incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma. Perhaps we should focus on a one-time screen for those most at risk, catching prevalent disease at an early stage.
 

John I. Allen, MD, MBA, AGAF
Editor in Chief

Digestive Disease Week^® (DDW) is approaching rapidly. One might say, with strong justification, that the overarching theme for DDW is a celebration of diversity. We are entering the era of “omics” and current research suggests a microbiome rich in diversity is associated with health, while a less-diverse biome is associated with digestive disorders – inflammatory bowel disease for example. Multiple abstracts and presentations will be related to research into microbiome alterations in disease. In nature, diversity is a key to survival.

Farmers know the value of diversity and the devastating effects of restricted diversity. When fields are restricted to a single crop year after year, artificial fertilizers must be used to restore fertility. Organic farmers understand the need for diversity in the form of crop rotation. No forest can survive for long without rich biological diversity. Even cancer reminds us of the importance of diversity. Restricted diversity in the form of cellular monoclonality is one of the hallmarks of malignant growth.

DDW, our annual hallmark meeting, emphasizes our need for diverse thoughts and intellectual discourse as we advance the science of gastroenterology, endoscopy, hepatology, and surgery. Biology does not tolerate restrictions on diversity for long. Diversity makes DDW great.

In this month’s issue of GI & Hepatology News, we are reassured that PPIs are not linked to cognitive decline. Sessile serrated polyps, often missed at colonoscopy and CT colography might be detected with noninvasive testing as the field of blood-based cancer screening advances. Pay attention to the exciting bleeding-edge technology emerging from the AGA Tech Summit – especially technologies to treat obesity. Read about some of the continuing barriers to CRC screening in underserved populations – if we are to achieve 80% screening rates we must focus on people challenged to access our health care system.

Finally, consider the AGA Clinical Practice Update about Barrett’s esophagus. I spent a morning with Joel Richter, MD, last month and he reminded me that our current surveillance system is failing to impact annual incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma. Perhaps we should focus on a one-time screen for those most at risk, catching prevalent disease at an early stage.
 

John I. Allen, MD, MBA, AGAF
Editor in Chief

Digestive Disease Week^® (DDW) is approaching rapidly. One might say, with strong justification, that the overarching theme for DDW is a celebration of diversity. We are entering the era of “omics” and current research suggests a microbiome rich in diversity is associated with health, while a less-diverse biome is associated with digestive disorders – inflammatory bowel disease for example. Multiple abstracts and presentations will be related to research into microbiome alterations in disease. In nature, diversity is a key to survival.

Farmers know the value of diversity and the devastating effects of restricted diversity. When fields are restricted to a single crop year after year, artificial fertilizers must be used to restore fertility. Organic farmers understand the need for diversity in the form of crop rotation. No forest can survive for long without rich biological diversity. Even cancer reminds us of the importance of diversity. Restricted diversity in the form of cellular monoclonality is one of the hallmarks of malignant growth.

DDW, our annual hallmark meeting, emphasizes our need for diverse thoughts and intellectual discourse as we advance the science of gastroenterology, endoscopy, hepatology, and surgery. Biology does not tolerate restrictions on diversity for long. Diversity makes DDW great.

In this month’s issue of GI & Hepatology News, we are reassured that PPIs are not linked to cognitive decline. Sessile serrated polyps, often missed at colonoscopy and CT colography might be detected with noninvasive testing as the field of blood-based cancer screening advances. Pay attention to the exciting bleeding-edge technology emerging from the AGA Tech Summit – especially technologies to treat obesity. Read about some of the continuing barriers to CRC screening in underserved populations – if we are to achieve 80% screening rates we must focus on people challenged to access our health care system.

Finally, consider the AGA Clinical Practice Update about Barrett’s esophagus. I spent a morning with Joel Richter, MD, last month and he reminded me that our current surveillance system is failing to impact annual incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma. Perhaps we should focus on a one-time screen for those most at risk, catching prevalent disease at an early stage.
 

John I. Allen, MD, MBA, AGAF
Editor in Chief

Learn about emerging vascular science, engage with researchers, network with colleagues, and support your peers at VRIC, our ‘Annual Meeting’ for basic and translational vascular researchers. Online registration has ended by attendees can register in person the day of the conference. VRIC 2018 will be held at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square, on May 9. Learn more and find the program schedule here.

Learn about emerging vascular science, engage with researchers, network with colleagues, and support your peers at VRIC, our ‘Annual Meeting’ for basic and translational vascular researchers. Online registration has ended by attendees can register in person the day of the conference. VRIC 2018 will be held at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square, on May 9. Learn more and find the program schedule here.

Learn about emerging vascular science, engage with researchers, network with colleagues, and support your peers at VRIC, our ‘Annual Meeting’ for basic and translational vascular researchers. Online registration has ended by attendees can register in person the day of the conference. VRIC 2018 will be held at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square, on May 9. Learn more and find the program schedule here.

For more information about upcoming events and award deadlines, please visit http://www.gastro.org/education and http://www.gastro.org/research-funding.

June 2-5, 2018
DIGESTIVE DISEASE WEEK^® (DDW) 2018 – WASHINGTON, DC
DDW^® is the premier meeting for the GI professional. Every year, it attracts approximately 15,000 physicians, researchers, and academics from around the world who desire to stay up to date in the field.

AGA Trainee and Early-Career GI Sessions

Join your colleagues at special sessions to meet the unique needs of physicians who are new to the field. Participants will learn about all aspects of starting a career in clinical practice or research, have the opportunity to network with mentors and peers, and review board material.

• June 2, 8:15 a.m.–5:30 p.m.; June 3, 8:30 a.m.–12:35 p.m.
  AGA Postgraduate Course: From Abstract to Reality
  Attend this multi-topic course to get practical, useful information to push your practice to the next level. The 2018 course will provide a comprehensive look at the latest medical, surgical, and technological advances over the past 12 months that aim to keep you up to date in a field that is rapidly changing. Each presenter will turn abstract ideas into concrete action items that you can immediately implement in your practice. AGA member trainees and early-career GIs receive discounted pricing for this course.
• June 3, 4–5:30 p.m.
  Difficult Conversations: Navigating People, Negotiations, Promotions, and Complications
  During this session, attendees will obtain effective negotiation techniques and learn how to navigate difficult situations in clinical and research environments.
• June 3, 6-7 p.m.
  AGA Early Career Networking Hour
  This event is open to all DDW trainee and early career GI attendees and provides a casual atmosphere to bond with your peers. Complimentary food and drinks will be available. 
• June 4, 4–5:30 p.m.
  Advancing Clinical Practice: Gastroenterology Fellow–Directed Quality-Improvement Projects
  This trainee-focused session will showcase selected abstracts from GI fellows based on quality improvement with a state-of-the-art lecture. Attendees will be provided with information that defines practical approaches to quality improvement from start to finish. A limited supply of coffee and tea will be provided during the session.
• June 5, 1:30–5:30 p.m.
  Board Review Course
  This session, designed using content from DDSEP^® 8, serves as a primer for third-year fellows preparing for the board exam as well as a review course for others wanting to test their knowledge. Session attendees will receive a $50 coupon to use at the AGA Store at DDW to purchase DDSEP 8.

UPCOMING EVENTS
 

June 4-8, 2018
Exosomes/Microvesicles: Heterogeneity, Biogenesis, Function, and Therapeutic Developments (E2)
Deepen your understanding of the structural and functional complexity of extracellular vesicles, their biogenesis and function in health and disease, cargo enrichment, potential as ideal biomarkers, and breakthroughs in their use as therapeutic targets/agents.
Breckenridge, CO

June 13-14; Aug. 15-16; Sept. 19-20; Oct. 10-11, 2018
Two-Day, In-Depth Coding and Billing Seminar
Become a certified GI coder with a two-day, in-depth training course provided by McVey Associates, Inc.
Nashville, TN (6/13-6/14); Baltimore, MD (8/15-8/16); Atlanta, GA (9/19-9/20); Las Vegas, NV (10/10-10/11)

Aug. 10–12, 2018
Principles of GI for the NP and PA
Hear from the experts as they provide you with critical updates on treating and managing patients with a variety of GI disorders.
Chicago, IL

Aug. 18-19, 2018
James W. Freston Conference: Obesity and Metabolic Disease – Integrating New Paradigms in Pathophysiology to Advance Treatment
Collaborate with researchers and clinicians to help advance obesity treatment and enhance the continuum of obesity care.
Arlington, VA

Feb. 7-9, 2019
Crohn’s & Colitis Congress™ (A Partnership of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation and American Gastroenterological Association)
Expand your knowledge, network with IBD leaders, spark innovative research and get inspired to improve patient care.
Las Vegas, NV

For more information about upcoming events and award deadlines, please visit http://www.gastro.org/education and http://www.gastro.org/research-funding.

June 2-5, 2018
DIGESTIVE DISEASE WEEK^® (DDW) 2018 – WASHINGTON, DC
DDW^® is the premier meeting for the GI professional. Every year, it attracts approximately 15,000 physicians, researchers, and academics from around the world who desire to stay up to date in the field.

AGA Trainee and Early-Career GI Sessions

Join your colleagues at special sessions to meet the unique needs of physicians who are new to the field. Participants will learn about all aspects of starting a career in clinical practice or research, have the opportunity to network with mentors and peers, and review board material.

• June 2, 8:15 a.m.–5:30 p.m.; June 3, 8:30 a.m.–12:35 p.m.
  AGA Postgraduate Course: From Abstract to Reality
  Attend this multi-topic course to get practical, useful information to push your practice to the next level. The 2018 course will provide a comprehensive look at the latest medical, surgical, and technological advances over the past 12 months that aim to keep you up to date in a field that is rapidly changing. Each presenter will turn abstract ideas into concrete action items that you can immediately implement in your practice. AGA member trainees and early-career GIs receive discounted pricing for this course.
• June 3, 4–5:30 p.m.
  Difficult Conversations: Navigating People, Negotiations, Promotions, and Complications
  During this session, attendees will obtain effective negotiation techniques and learn how to navigate difficult situations in clinical and research environments.
• June 3, 6-7 p.m.
  AGA Early Career Networking Hour
  This event is open to all DDW trainee and early career GI attendees and provides a casual atmosphere to bond with your peers. Complimentary food and drinks will be available. 
• June 4, 4–5:30 p.m.
  Advancing Clinical Practice: Gastroenterology Fellow–Directed Quality-Improvement Projects
  This trainee-focused session will showcase selected abstracts from GI fellows based on quality improvement with a state-of-the-art lecture. Attendees will be provided with information that defines practical approaches to quality improvement from start to finish. A limited supply of coffee and tea will be provided during the session.
• June 5, 1:30–5:30 p.m.
  Board Review Course
  This session, designed using content from DDSEP^® 8, serves as a primer for third-year fellows preparing for the board exam as well as a review course for others wanting to test their knowledge. Session attendees will receive a $50 coupon to use at the AGA Store at DDW to purchase DDSEP 8.

UPCOMING EVENTS
 

June 4-8, 2018
Exosomes/Microvesicles: Heterogeneity, Biogenesis, Function, and Therapeutic Developments (E2)
Deepen your understanding of the structural and functional complexity of extracellular vesicles, their biogenesis and function in health and disease, cargo enrichment, potential as ideal biomarkers, and breakthroughs in their use as therapeutic targets/agents.
Breckenridge, CO

June 13-14; Aug. 15-16; Sept. 19-20; Oct. 10-11, 2018
Two-Day, In-Depth Coding and Billing Seminar
Become a certified GI coder with a two-day, in-depth training course provided by McVey Associates, Inc.
Nashville, TN (6/13-6/14); Baltimore, MD (8/15-8/16); Atlanta, GA (9/19-9/20); Las Vegas, NV (10/10-10/11)

Aug. 10–12, 2018
Principles of GI for the NP and PA
Hear from the experts as they provide you with critical updates on treating and managing patients with a variety of GI disorders.
Chicago, IL

Aug. 18-19, 2018
James W. Freston Conference: Obesity and Metabolic Disease – Integrating New Paradigms in Pathophysiology to Advance Treatment
Collaborate with researchers and clinicians to help advance obesity treatment and enhance the continuum of obesity care.
Arlington, VA

Feb. 7-9, 2019
Crohn’s & Colitis Congress™ (A Partnership of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation and American Gastroenterological Association)
Expand your knowledge, network with IBD leaders, spark innovative research and get inspired to improve patient care.
Las Vegas, NV

For more information about upcoming events and award deadlines, please visit http://www.gastro.org/education and http://www.gastro.org/research-funding.

June 2-5, 2018
DIGESTIVE DISEASE WEEK^® (DDW) 2018 – WASHINGTON, DC
DDW^® is the premier meeting for the GI professional. Every year, it attracts approximately 15,000 physicians, researchers, and academics from around the world who desire to stay up to date in the field.

AGA Trainee and Early-Career GI Sessions

Join your colleagues at special sessions to meet the unique needs of physicians who are new to the field. Participants will learn about all aspects of starting a career in clinical practice or research, have the opportunity to network with mentors and peers, and review board material.

• June 2, 8:15 a.m.–5:30 p.m.; June 3, 8:30 a.m.–12:35 p.m.
  AGA Postgraduate Course: From Abstract to Reality
  Attend this multi-topic course to get practical, useful information to push your practice to the next level. The 2018 course will provide a comprehensive look at the latest medical, surgical, and technological advances over the past 12 months that aim to keep you up to date in a field that is rapidly changing. Each presenter will turn abstract ideas into concrete action items that you can immediately implement in your practice. AGA member trainees and early-career GIs receive discounted pricing for this course.
• June 3, 4–5:30 p.m.
  Difficult Conversations: Navigating People, Negotiations, Promotions, and Complications
  During this session, attendees will obtain effective negotiation techniques and learn how to navigate difficult situations in clinical and research environments.
• June 3, 6-7 p.m.
  AGA Early Career Networking Hour
  This event is open to all DDW trainee and early career GI attendees and provides a casual atmosphere to bond with your peers. Complimentary food and drinks will be available. 
• June 4, 4–5:30 p.m.
  Advancing Clinical Practice: Gastroenterology Fellow–Directed Quality-Improvement Projects
  This trainee-focused session will showcase selected abstracts from GI fellows based on quality improvement with a state-of-the-art lecture. Attendees will be provided with information that defines practical approaches to quality improvement from start to finish. A limited supply of coffee and tea will be provided during the session.
• June 5, 1:30–5:30 p.m.
  Board Review Course
  This session, designed using content from DDSEP^® 8, serves as a primer for third-year fellows preparing for the board exam as well as a review course for others wanting to test their knowledge. Session attendees will receive a $50 coupon to use at the AGA Store at DDW to purchase DDSEP 8.

UPCOMING EVENTS
 

June 4-8, 2018
Exosomes/Microvesicles: Heterogeneity, Biogenesis, Function, and Therapeutic Developments (E2)
Deepen your understanding of the structural and functional complexity of extracellular vesicles, their biogenesis and function in health and disease, cargo enrichment, potential as ideal biomarkers, and breakthroughs in their use as therapeutic targets/agents.
Breckenridge, CO

June 13-14; Aug. 15-16; Sept. 19-20; Oct. 10-11, 2018
Two-Day, In-Depth Coding and Billing Seminar
Become a certified GI coder with a two-day, in-depth training course provided by McVey Associates, Inc.
Nashville, TN (6/13-6/14); Baltimore, MD (8/15-8/16); Atlanta, GA (9/19-9/20); Las Vegas, NV (10/10-10/11)

Aug. 10–12, 2018
Principles of GI for the NP and PA
Hear from the experts as they provide you with critical updates on treating and managing patients with a variety of GI disorders.
Chicago, IL

Aug. 18-19, 2018
James W. Freston Conference: Obesity and Metabolic Disease – Integrating New Paradigms in Pathophysiology to Advance Treatment
Collaborate with researchers and clinicians to help advance obesity treatment and enhance the continuum of obesity care.
Arlington, VA

Feb. 7-9, 2019
Crohn’s & Colitis Congress™ (A Partnership of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation and American Gastroenterological Association)
Expand your knowledge, network with IBD leaders, spark innovative research and get inspired to improve patient care.
Las Vegas, NV

President Trump signed a $1.3 trillion omnibus appropriations package that includes notable increases for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) last week. This funding and language is a major victory for digestive disease research and patients. AGA thanks everyone who joined our call to Congress to increase funding for research. Your advocacy matters and makes a difference!

NIH

NIH is a big winner in the omnibus and will receive $37.1 billion for fiscal year 2018, an 8.8% increase over the previous year’s funding, which represents the largest increase for NIH since the doubling period over a decade ago.

The omnibus also includes language pushed by AGA to require NIH to provide Congress with an update on the implementation of the recommendations of the National Commission on Digestive Diseases. AGA applauds Congress for including language that will help increase digestive disease research.

Congress also included funding for young researchers and continues to take action to reduce the average age of a new NIH-supported investigator. AGA appreciates the appropriators including this language, which has been a longstanding priority of AGA in supporting young investigators and ensuring that our best and brightest scientists have the support and funding that they need to start their careers.

Language was also included that prohibits the administration from capping administrative and facility fees paid to research institutions.

The All of Us Precision Medicine initiative received an increase of $60 million and antibiotic resistance initiatives received an increase of $50 million.
 

Opioid funding

The bill includes $4.65 billion to address the opioid epidemic across various government agencies. NIH would receive $1 billion to research opioid addiction and alternative pain management and treatment.

CDC

The CDC would receive $8.3 billion in funding, rejecting President Trump’s call for $900 million in cuts.

President Trump signed a $1.3 trillion omnibus appropriations package that includes notable increases for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) last week. This funding and language is a major victory for digestive disease research and patients. AGA thanks everyone who joined our call to Congress to increase funding for research. Your advocacy matters and makes a difference!

NIH

NIH is a big winner in the omnibus and will receive $37.1 billion for fiscal year 2018, an 8.8% increase over the previous year’s funding, which represents the largest increase for NIH since the doubling period over a decade ago.

The omnibus also includes language pushed by AGA to require NIH to provide Congress with an update on the implementation of the recommendations of the National Commission on Digestive Diseases. AGA applauds Congress for including language that will help increase digestive disease research.

Congress also included funding for young researchers and continues to take action to reduce the average age of a new NIH-supported investigator. AGA appreciates the appropriators including this language, which has been a longstanding priority of AGA in supporting young investigators and ensuring that our best and brightest scientists have the support and funding that they need to start their careers.

Language was also included that prohibits the administration from capping administrative and facility fees paid to research institutions.

The All of Us Precision Medicine initiative received an increase of $60 million and antibiotic resistance initiatives received an increase of $50 million.
 

Opioid funding

The bill includes $4.65 billion to address the opioid epidemic across various government agencies. NIH would receive $1 billion to research opioid addiction and alternative pain management and treatment.

CDC

The CDC would receive $8.3 billion in funding, rejecting President Trump’s call for $900 million in cuts.

President Trump signed a $1.3 trillion omnibus appropriations package that includes notable increases for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) last week. This funding and language is a major victory for digestive disease research and patients. AGA thanks everyone who joined our call to Congress to increase funding for research. Your advocacy matters and makes a difference!

NIH

NIH is a big winner in the omnibus and will receive $37.1 billion for fiscal year 2018, an 8.8% increase over the previous year’s funding, which represents the largest increase for NIH since the doubling period over a decade ago.

The omnibus also includes language pushed by AGA to require NIH to provide Congress with an update on the implementation of the recommendations of the National Commission on Digestive Diseases. AGA applauds Congress for including language that will help increase digestive disease research.

Congress also included funding for young researchers and continues to take action to reduce the average age of a new NIH-supported investigator. AGA appreciates the appropriators including this language, which has been a longstanding priority of AGA in supporting young investigators and ensuring that our best and brightest scientists have the support and funding that they need to start their careers.

Language was also included that prohibits the administration from capping administrative and facility fees paid to research institutions.

The All of Us Precision Medicine initiative received an increase of $60 million and antibiotic resistance initiatives received an increase of $50 million.
 

Opioid funding

The bill includes $4.65 billion to address the opioid epidemic across various government agencies. NIH would receive $1 billion to research opioid addiction and alternative pain management and treatment.

CDC

The CDC would receive $8.3 billion in funding, rejecting President Trump’s call for $900 million in cuts.

We are proud to announce the 2018 AGA Recognition Award recipients who are honored for their outstanding contributions to the field of gastroenterology and hepatology. The recipients will be formally recognized during Digestive Disease Week^® (DDW) 2018 in Washington, D.C., but you can congratulate your colleagues now in the AGA Community.

2018 Recognition Award Recipients

Julius Friedenwald Medal

Loren A. Laine, MD


Distinguished Achievement Award in Basic Science

T. Jake Liang, MD, AGAF


William Beaumont Prize in Gastroenterology

Mary K. Estes, PhD, AGAF


Distinguished Educator Award

James D. Lewis, MD, MSCE, AGAF


Distinguished Clinician Award

Private Practice: Bertha (Nice’) E. Toriz, MD

Clinical Academic Practice: Michael L. Kochman, MD, AGAF


Distinguished Mentor Award

Mary K. Estes, PhD, AGAF


Young Investigator Awards

Clinical Science: David S. Goldberg, MD, MSCE

Basic Science: Andrew D. Rhim, MD

You can read more about each award recipient and the awards themselves at gastro.org/about/awards.

[email protected]

We are proud to announce the 2018 AGA Recognition Award recipients who are honored for their outstanding contributions to the field of gastroenterology and hepatology. The recipients will be formally recognized during Digestive Disease Week^® (DDW) 2018 in Washington, D.C., but you can congratulate your colleagues now in the AGA Community.

2018 Recognition Award Recipients

Julius Friedenwald Medal

Loren A. Laine, MD


Distinguished Achievement Award in Basic Science

T. Jake Liang, MD, AGAF


William Beaumont Prize in Gastroenterology

Mary K. Estes, PhD, AGAF


Distinguished Educator Award

James D. Lewis, MD, MSCE, AGAF


Distinguished Clinician Award

Private Practice: Bertha (Nice’) E. Toriz, MD

Clinical Academic Practice: Michael L. Kochman, MD, AGAF


Distinguished Mentor Award

Mary K. Estes, PhD, AGAF


Young Investigator Awards

Clinical Science: David S. Goldberg, MD, MSCE

Basic Science: Andrew D. Rhim, MD

You can read more about each award recipient and the awards themselves at gastro.org/about/awards.

[email protected]

We are proud to announce the 2018 AGA Recognition Award recipients who are honored for their outstanding contributions to the field of gastroenterology and hepatology. The recipients will be formally recognized during Digestive Disease Week^® (DDW) 2018 in Washington, D.C., but you can congratulate your colleagues now in the AGA Community.

2018 Recognition Award Recipients

Julius Friedenwald Medal

Loren A. Laine, MD


Distinguished Achievement Award in Basic Science

T. Jake Liang, MD, AGAF


William Beaumont Prize in Gastroenterology

Mary K. Estes, PhD, AGAF


Distinguished Educator Award

James D. Lewis, MD, MSCE, AGAF


Distinguished Clinician Award

Private Practice: Bertha (Nice’) E. Toriz, MD

Clinical Academic Practice: Michael L. Kochman, MD, AGAF


Distinguished Mentor Award

Mary K. Estes, PhD, AGAF


Young Investigator Awards

Clinical Science: David S. Goldberg, MD, MSCE

Basic Science: Andrew D. Rhim, MD

You can read more about each award recipient and the awards themselves at gastro.org/about/awards.

[email protected]

Building on the success of this year’s inaugural Crohn’s & Colitis Congress™, the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation and the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) are pleased to announce the second annual Crohn’s & Colitis Congress. Be sure to save the date: Feb. 7-9, 2019 at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.

The Crohn’s & Colitis Congress is the must-attend meeting for all inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) professionals. It offers a bold, multidisciplinary approach to learning in the IBD space as one care team. All health care professionals and research investigators interested in IBD are invited to attend.

By bringing all audiences together to learn from each other, the Congress embodies how IBD research and patient care needs to be approached – it is not “one-size-fits-all” and it requires collaboration from a variety of health practitioners.

By attending the Crohn’s& Colitis Congress, attendees will:

• Build a powerful network and share solutions with IBD thought leaders.

• Discover cutting-edge basic, translational and clinical research in the IBD space.

• Determine best practices at every stage of the patient’s disease journey.

• Explore new technologies and products from IBD-related exhibitors.

• Earn CME and MOC points.

• Improve skills and patient outcomes.

• Learn together as one multidisciplinary care team.

Get ready to expand your knowledge, network with IBD leaders, and be inspired. Stay tuned at www.crohnscolitiscongress.org for more details coming in later this spring.
 

Building on the success of this year’s inaugural Crohn’s & Colitis Congress™, the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation and the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) are pleased to announce the second annual Crohn’s & Colitis Congress. Be sure to save the date: Feb. 7-9, 2019 at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.

The Crohn’s & Colitis Congress is the must-attend meeting for all inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) professionals. It offers a bold, multidisciplinary approach to learning in the IBD space as one care team. All health care professionals and research investigators interested in IBD are invited to attend.

By bringing all audiences together to learn from each other, the Congress embodies how IBD research and patient care needs to be approached – it is not “one-size-fits-all” and it requires collaboration from a variety of health practitioners.

By attending the Crohn’s& Colitis Congress, attendees will:

• Build a powerful network and share solutions with IBD thought leaders.

• Discover cutting-edge basic, translational and clinical research in the IBD space.

• Determine best practices at every stage of the patient’s disease journey.

• Explore new technologies and products from IBD-related exhibitors.

• Earn CME and MOC points.

• Improve skills and patient outcomes.

• Learn together as one multidisciplinary care team.

Get ready to expand your knowledge, network with IBD leaders, and be inspired. Stay tuned at www.crohnscolitiscongress.org for more details coming in later this spring.
 

Building on the success of this year’s inaugural Crohn’s & Colitis Congress™, the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation and the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) are pleased to announce the second annual Crohn’s & Colitis Congress. Be sure to save the date: Feb. 7-9, 2019 at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.

The Crohn’s & Colitis Congress is the must-attend meeting for all inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) professionals. It offers a bold, multidisciplinary approach to learning in the IBD space as one care team. All health care professionals and research investigators interested in IBD are invited to attend.

By bringing all audiences together to learn from each other, the Congress embodies how IBD research and patient care needs to be approached – it is not “one-size-fits-all” and it requires collaboration from a variety of health practitioners.

By attending the Crohn’s& Colitis Congress, attendees will:

• Build a powerful network and share solutions with IBD thought leaders.

• Discover cutting-edge basic, translational and clinical research in the IBD space.

• Determine best practices at every stage of the patient’s disease journey.

• Explore new technologies and products from IBD-related exhibitors.

• Earn CME and MOC points.

• Improve skills and patient outcomes.

• Learn together as one multidisciplinary care team.

Get ready to expand your knowledge, network with IBD leaders, and be inspired. Stay tuned at www.crohnscolitiscongress.org for more details coming in later this spring.
 

A top priority for AGA this year is to call on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), other payors, and Congress to alleviate some of the regulatory burden that currently falls on physicians. Reevaluating prior authorization, step therapy, and Stark reform would allow physicians to devote more time and resources to provide high-quality care. A more comprehensive breakdown of the following key areas is available along with other top issues.

Prior authorization

• AGA urges payors to standardize prior authorization requirements and criteria and make them transparent and easily accessible. The services subject to prior authorization vary by payor, including CMS, as well as by plan type within a given payor. Physicians and physician practices are forced to comply with an increasing and unmanageable number of prior authorization requirements.

• AGA urges payors, including CMS, to develop and implement processes that allow for true “peer-to-peer” dialogues. Gastroenterologists seeking prior authorization for prescription drug or biologic therapy on behalf of a patient should be routed to a physician specialist in the same or similar discipline with expertise in the given condition to discuss the request.
 

Step therapy

• Step therapy, also known as “fail first,” occurs when an insurer requires patients to try and fail one or more lower-cost prescription drug or biologic therapies before covering the therapy originally prescribed by their health care provider.

• AGA urges insurers to reduce the burden of step therapy on physicians and physician practice. AGA supports The Restoring the Patient’s Voice Act (H.R. 2077), legislation introduced by Rep. Brad Wenstrup, R-Ohio, and Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-Calif., both physicians, that would provide a clear and timely appeals process when a patient has been subjected to step therapy.
 

Stark reform

• Stark self-referral laws prohibit physicians from referring patients to an entity in which they have a financial interest, which limits their ability to participate in many advanced alternative payment models (APMs). These prohibitions stifle care delivery innovation by inhibiting practices from incentivizing their physicians to deliver patient care more efficiently, because the practices cannot use resources from designated health services in rewarding or penalizing adherence to new clinical care pathways.

• AGA supports S. 2051/H.R. 4206, the Medicare Care Coordination Improvement Act, which would provide CMS with the regulatory authority to create exceptions under the Stark law for APMs and to remove barriers in the current law to the development and operation of such arrangements.
 

[email protected]

A top priority for AGA this year is to call on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), other payors, and Congress to alleviate some of the regulatory burden that currently falls on physicians. Reevaluating prior authorization, step therapy, and Stark reform would allow physicians to devote more time and resources to provide high-quality care. A more comprehensive breakdown of the following key areas is available along with other top issues.

Prior authorization

• AGA urges payors to standardize prior authorization requirements and criteria and make them transparent and easily accessible. The services subject to prior authorization vary by payor, including CMS, as well as by plan type within a given payor. Physicians and physician practices are forced to comply with an increasing and unmanageable number of prior authorization requirements.

• AGA urges payors, including CMS, to develop and implement processes that allow for true “peer-to-peer” dialogues. Gastroenterologists seeking prior authorization for prescription drug or biologic therapy on behalf of a patient should be routed to a physician specialist in the same or similar discipline with expertise in the given condition to discuss the request.
 

Step therapy

• Step therapy, also known as “fail first,” occurs when an insurer requires patients to try and fail one or more lower-cost prescription drug or biologic therapies before covering the therapy originally prescribed by their health care provider.

• AGA urges insurers to reduce the burden of step therapy on physicians and physician practice. AGA supports The Restoring the Patient’s Voice Act (H.R. 2077), legislation introduced by Rep. Brad Wenstrup, R-Ohio, and Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-Calif., both physicians, that would provide a clear and timely appeals process when a patient has been subjected to step therapy.
 

Stark reform

• Stark self-referral laws prohibit physicians from referring patients to an entity in which they have a financial interest, which limits their ability to participate in many advanced alternative payment models (APMs). These prohibitions stifle care delivery innovation by inhibiting practices from incentivizing their physicians to deliver patient care more efficiently, because the practices cannot use resources from designated health services in rewarding or penalizing adherence to new clinical care pathways.

• AGA supports S. 2051/H.R. 4206, the Medicare Care Coordination Improvement Act, which would provide CMS with the regulatory authority to create exceptions under the Stark law for APMs and to remove barriers in the current law to the development and operation of such arrangements.
 

[email protected]

A top priority for AGA this year is to call on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), other payors, and Congress to alleviate some of the regulatory burden that currently falls on physicians. Reevaluating prior authorization, step therapy, and Stark reform would allow physicians to devote more time and resources to provide high-quality care. A more comprehensive breakdown of the following key areas is available along with other top issues.

Prior authorization

• AGA urges payors to standardize prior authorization requirements and criteria and make them transparent and easily accessible. The services subject to prior authorization vary by payor, including CMS, as well as by plan type within a given payor. Physicians and physician practices are forced to comply with an increasing and unmanageable number of prior authorization requirements.

• AGA urges payors, including CMS, to develop and implement processes that allow for true “peer-to-peer” dialogues. Gastroenterologists seeking prior authorization for prescription drug or biologic therapy on behalf of a patient should be routed to a physician specialist in the same or similar discipline with expertise in the given condition to discuss the request.
 

Step therapy

• Step therapy, also known as “fail first,” occurs when an insurer requires patients to try and fail one or more lower-cost prescription drug or biologic therapies before covering the therapy originally prescribed by their health care provider.

• AGA urges insurers to reduce the burden of step therapy on physicians and physician practice. AGA supports The Restoring the Patient’s Voice Act (H.R. 2077), legislation introduced by Rep. Brad Wenstrup, R-Ohio, and Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-Calif., both physicians, that would provide a clear and timely appeals process when a patient has been subjected to step therapy.
 

Stark reform

• Stark self-referral laws prohibit physicians from referring patients to an entity in which they have a financial interest, which limits their ability to participate in many advanced alternative payment models (APMs). These prohibitions stifle care delivery innovation by inhibiting practices from incentivizing their physicians to deliver patient care more efficiently, because the practices cannot use resources from designated health services in rewarding or penalizing adherence to new clinical care pathways.

• AGA supports S. 2051/H.R. 4206, the Medicare Care Coordination Improvement Act, which would provide CMS with the regulatory authority to create exceptions under the Stark law for APMs and to remove barriers in the current law to the development and operation of such arrangements.
 

[email protected]

Who’s going to negotiate your contract: you or a professional? Lawyer Scott Roman – at a recent AGA Regional Practice Skills Workshop – explained that answering this question early on can help ensure you maximize your contract benefits. His advice for any negotiation is keep to the following in mind:

• Prepare, prepare, prepare. Employers know when you’re winging it.
•  Gain leverage. The more offers you have, the more leverage.
•  Give yourself adequate time to negotiate.
•  Establish your objectives and anticipate objectives of the employer.
•  Determine the best case, worst case, and most likely scenario before you start negotiating.
•  Try to define nonnegotiable issues.
•  Try to get something each time you give something.
•  Don’t negotiate against yourself.
•  Keep cool and remember that these are people you may have to work with.
•  Be flexible.

View the full presentation (login required), which also covers hot topics in negotiating your contract – more than 1-year base salary, bonuses, student loan repayment.

Visit www.gastro.org/education to see all on-demand education designed specifically for trainees and early career GIs.

Who’s going to negotiate your contract: you or a professional? Lawyer Scott Roman – at a recent AGA Regional Practice Skills Workshop – explained that answering this question early on can help ensure you maximize your contract benefits. His advice for any negotiation is keep to the following in mind:

• Prepare, prepare, prepare. Employers know when you’re winging it.
•  Gain leverage. The more offers you have, the more leverage.
•  Give yourself adequate time to negotiate.
•  Establish your objectives and anticipate objectives of the employer.
•  Determine the best case, worst case, and most likely scenario before you start negotiating.
•  Try to define nonnegotiable issues.
•  Try to get something each time you give something.
•  Don’t negotiate against yourself.
•  Keep cool and remember that these are people you may have to work with.
•  Be flexible.

View the full presentation (login required), which also covers hot topics in negotiating your contract – more than 1-year base salary, bonuses, student loan repayment.

Visit www.gastro.org/education to see all on-demand education designed specifically for trainees and early career GIs.

Who’s going to negotiate your contract: you or a professional? Lawyer Scott Roman – at a recent AGA Regional Practice Skills Workshop – explained that answering this question early on can help ensure you maximize your contract benefits. His advice for any negotiation is keep to the following in mind:

• Prepare, prepare, prepare. Employers know when you’re winging it.
•  Gain leverage. The more offers you have, the more leverage.
•  Give yourself adequate time to negotiate.
•  Establish your objectives and anticipate objectives of the employer.
•  Determine the best case, worst case, and most likely scenario before you start negotiating.
•  Try to define nonnegotiable issues.
•  Try to get something each time you give something.
•  Don’t negotiate against yourself.
•  Keep cool and remember that these are people you may have to work with.
•  Be flexible.

View the full presentation (login required), which also covers hot topics in negotiating your contract – more than 1-year base salary, bonuses, student loan repayment.

Visit www.gastro.org/education to see all on-demand education designed specifically for trainees and early career GIs.

How are you feeling today? Simple words but a bit of introspection can go a long way. Physician burnout is characterized by a state of mental exhaustion, depersonalization, and a decreased sense of accomplishment. It affects a physician’s well-being, effectiveness, productivity, and the ability to provide quality care. It also carries personal consequences for physicians including broken relationships, substance abuse, suicide, and depression.

Burnout may affect at least one-third of gastroenterologists. At greater risk are younger physicians, physicians performing high-risk procedures, and physicians experiencing work-life conflicts.

While the root cause of physician burnout varies from provider to provider, an overarching theme is work stress. Work stress may develop for a number of reasons, including issues at the level of the health care system (shifts in reimbursement or payment models, increasing clerical burden of the electronic medical record), organizational issues (e.g., dysfunctional administration, system-wide communication issues), and personal issues.

The key to preventing burnout is to first recognize that it can happen. Because initial symptoms build up internally, it can be easy to overlook. These seven steps can help you prevent burnout:

•  Be self-aware and stay vigilant.
•  Take care of yourself first.
•  Stay connected to family, friends, and coworkers.
•  Exercise.
•  Ensure adequate sleep.
•  Use your vacation time and ensure you disconnect yourself from work.
•  Learn to say no.

A case study published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology delves deeper into how burnout develops, why it matters, and provides pathways to successfully combat it.
 

How are you feeling today? Simple words but a bit of introspection can go a long way. Physician burnout is characterized by a state of mental exhaustion, depersonalization, and a decreased sense of accomplishment. It affects a physician’s well-being, effectiveness, productivity, and the ability to provide quality care. It also carries personal consequences for physicians including broken relationships, substance abuse, suicide, and depression.

Burnout may affect at least one-third of gastroenterologists. At greater risk are younger physicians, physicians performing high-risk procedures, and physicians experiencing work-life conflicts.

While the root cause of physician burnout varies from provider to provider, an overarching theme is work stress. Work stress may develop for a number of reasons, including issues at the level of the health care system (shifts in reimbursement or payment models, increasing clerical burden of the electronic medical record), organizational issues (e.g., dysfunctional administration, system-wide communication issues), and personal issues.

The key to preventing burnout is to first recognize that it can happen. Because initial symptoms build up internally, it can be easy to overlook. These seven steps can help you prevent burnout:

•  Be self-aware and stay vigilant.
•  Take care of yourself first.
•  Stay connected to family, friends, and coworkers.
•  Exercise.
•  Ensure adequate sleep.
•  Use your vacation time and ensure you disconnect yourself from work.
•  Learn to say no.

A case study published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology delves deeper into how burnout develops, why it matters, and provides pathways to successfully combat it.
 

How are you feeling today? Simple words but a bit of introspection can go a long way. Physician burnout is characterized by a state of mental exhaustion, depersonalization, and a decreased sense of accomplishment. It affects a physician’s well-being, effectiveness, productivity, and the ability to provide quality care. It also carries personal consequences for physicians including broken relationships, substance abuse, suicide, and depression.

Burnout may affect at least one-third of gastroenterologists. At greater risk are younger physicians, physicians performing high-risk procedures, and physicians experiencing work-life conflicts.

While the root cause of physician burnout varies from provider to provider, an overarching theme is work stress. Work stress may develop for a number of reasons, including issues at the level of the health care system (shifts in reimbursement or payment models, increasing clerical burden of the electronic medical record), organizational issues (e.g., dysfunctional administration, system-wide communication issues), and personal issues.

The key to preventing burnout is to first recognize that it can happen. Because initial symptoms build up internally, it can be easy to overlook. These seven steps can help you prevent burnout:

•  Be self-aware and stay vigilant.
•  Take care of yourself first.
•  Stay connected to family, friends, and coworkers.
•  Exercise.
•  Ensure adequate sleep.
•  Use your vacation time and ensure you disconnect yourself from work.
•  Learn to say no.

A case study published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology delves deeper into how burnout develops, why it matters, and provides pathways to successfully combat it.