News Release

ASGE holds Crystal Awards Dinner as part of Digestive Disease Week

Grant and Award Announcement

American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy

SAN DIEGO – MAY 20, 2012 – The American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) will honor important contributions to the field of endoscopy during the eighth annual ASGE Crystal Awards on Sunday, May 20, 2012. Hosted by ASGE and the ASGE Foundation, this year's event will begin at 7:00 p.m. at San Diego's PETCO Park, home of the San Diego Padres.

Held in conjunction with Digestive Disease Week (DDW®), the ASGE Crystal Awards symbolize the finest in leadership, research and scientific pursuit. The event will recognize the 2012 award and grant recipients who have shared their expertise and strengthened the specialty and the Society. Newly designated ASGE Fellows and facilities participating in the ASGE Endoscopy Unit Recognition Program will also be recognized at this event. Proceeds from the event will benefit the ASGE Foundation in support of GI endoscopy-related research, physician education and training, and public outreach initiatives.

The event will feature live music, dinner and presentations to honorees by ASGE President Gregory G. Ginsberg, MD, FASGE, ASGE Foundation Chair, Robert A. Ganz, MD, FASGE, ASGE leaders and Master of Ceremonies and ASGE Past President David L. Carr-Locke, MD, FASGE.

Award Recipients

Rudolf V. Schindler Award

Dennis M. Jensen, MD, West Los Angeles VA Healthcare Center, Los Angeles, California
ASGE's highest honor, this award is given to a member whose accomplishments in endoscopic research, teaching and/or service to ASGE exemplifies the standards and traditions of Rudolf V. Schindler, MD, founder of the American Gastroscopic Club, the forerunner of ASGE.

Distinguished Service Award

Glenn D. Littenberg, MD, Gastroenterology Associates, Pasadena, California
This award is granted to an individual who has made long-term contributions to GI endoscopy in the areas of equipment research and development, as well as an individual who has been a strong supporter of the educational and research mission of the society.

Distinguished Educator Award

Douglas A. Howell, MD, FASGE, Portland Gastroenterology Center, Portland, Maine
Physician as educator is the focus of this award, recognizing contributions to the education of fellows through endoscopy seminars, participation in national postgraduate courses and published scholarly reviews or educational materials, including videos.

Distinguished Endoscopic Research Mentoring Award

Michael B. Wallace, MD, MPH, FASGE, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida
This award recognizes outstanding career achievement by an ASGE member in the mentoring of faculty or gastroenterology trainees in clinical or lab-related endoscopic research. This distinguished honor recognizes mentors who have devoted substantial time and effort to develop and nurture the next generation of endoscopic investigators.

Master Endoscopist Award

Martin L. Freeman, MD, FASGE, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
This award recognizes physicians who spend the majority of their time in patient care and are recognized regionally or nationally for their expertise and longitudinal contributions to the practice of gastrointestinal endoscopy.

International Service Award

Ibrahim Mostafa, MD, Theodor Bilharz Research Institute, Cairo, Egypt
This award was created to recognize outstanding service by an international member who has made long-term contributions to GI endoscopy, as well as an individual who has been a strong supporter of the educational and research mission of the society.

Honorary Membership Award

Hirohumi Niwa, MD, Japan Gastroenterological Endoscopy Society, Tokyo, Japan
An honorary member of the ASGE is selected by the society for their contributions to GI endoscopy. The individual being honored this year has made outstanding and enduring contributions to the specialty and continues to support GI endoscopy through education, research, and leadership. Ongoing clinical studies and practice as well as producing numerous articles, chapters and papers underscore their dedication to the specialty and the Society.

President's Award

David E. Fleischer, MD, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, Arizona
Awarded at the discretion of the ASGE President, the President's Award distinguishes an individual as making exceptional contributions to the Society and its mission. Whether through organized volunteer opportunities or singular initiatives supporting the goals of ASGE, the honoree is recognized for this assistance by the President.

Covidien Senior Investigator Mentoring Award

Thomas F. Imperiale, MD, FASGE, Indiana University Medical Center, Indianapolis, Indiana
This award provides support for endoscopic investigators to allow them protected time to devote to patient-oriented research and to act as endoscopy research mentors for clinical fellows. This award is supported by a grant from Covidien.

Endoscopic Research Awards (ERA)

After undergoing a rigorous peer-review process, ERA grants are awarded to physicians who received the highest scores for projects in basic and clinical endoscopic technology research, fostering research in GI endoscopy both within and outside of academic centers. These awards are supported by the ASGE Foundation and The Fujinon Fund.

Mohammad A. Al-Haddad, MD, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
Lauren B. Gerson, MD, FASGE, Stanford University, Stanford, California
Sarah A. Rodriguez, MD, The Oregon Clinic West Hills Gastroenterology, Portland, Oregon
Jewel Samadder, MD, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah

Quality Endoscopic Research Award

Robert E. Schoen, MD, University of Pittsburgh Physicians Digestive Disorders Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
This award recognizes measurements or improvements in quality of care and/or efficiency in gastrointestinal endoscopy. It also fosters research relating to measuring quality in gastrointestinal endoscopy both within and outside of academic centers. These awards are supported by the ASGE Foundation and the ASGE Foundation Fujinon Fund through a grant from the Endoscopy Division of FUJIFILM Medical Systems USA, Inc.

Cook Medical Don Wilson Awards

The Don Wilson Award provides advanced fellows or junior faculty with the opportunity to train outside of their home country with a premier GI endoscopist or group to advance their training. The award was named to honor Dr. Don Wilson, who was a strong advocate and supporter of international education and training in GI endoscopy. The awards are underwritten by a grant from Cook Medical.

Rees Cameron, MD, Wellington Hospital, Wellington, New Zealand
Muhammad Dawwas, MD, The Freeman Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
Hyoung-Chul Oh, MD, PhD, Chung-Ang University Health Care System, Seoul, South Korea

Cook Medical Marsha Dreyer Awards

Marsha Dreyer was passionately committed to the support of continuing education opportunities for GI professionals around the globe. In a fitting tribute to her, Cook Medical has established the Marsha Dreyer Award developed to provide up to four scholarships for international physicians to attend DDW® annually. These awards are underwritten by a grant from Cook Medical.

Sergio Coda, MD, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
Meike MC Hirdes, MD, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
Bronte A. Holt, MBBS, Westmead Hospital, Sydney, Australia
Payal Saxena, MBBS, FRACP, Westmead Hospital, Sydney, Australia
Nicholas J. Tutticci, MBBS, The Prince Charles Hospital, Brisbane, Australia

Diversity Awards

The Diversity Award is granted to physicians who submitted outstanding abstracts for DDW®, promoting gender– and minority–related healthcare research. The Diversity Awards are supported by the ASGE Foundation Fujinon Fund through a grant from the Endoscopy Division of FUJIFILM Medical Systems USA, Inc.

Ethnicity
Sabeen Abid, MD, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Gender
Ioana Smith, MD, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia

Endoscopic Audiovisual Awards

The Audiovisual Awards recognize outstanding educational productions related to GI endoscopy techniques. The videos demonstrate accepted techniques or show difficult cases, complications or innovations within the field of endoscopy and are showcased at the ASGE Video Forum at DDW®.

Endoscopic Audiovisual Award Winner
Won Young Cho, MD, Soonchunhyang University Hospital, Seoul, South Korea

Endoscopic Audiovisual Award Honorable Mention
Joo-Young Cho, MD, Soonchunhyang University Hospital, Seoul, South Korea

PENTAX Advanced Fellows Video Editing Awards

Produced by GI fellows, these compelling videos are recognized for their unique and outstanding efforts in addressing issues in GI endoscopy. These awards are supported by a grant from PENTAX Medical Company.

Barham Abu Dayyeh, MD, MPH, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
Ingrid Gonzalez, MD, University of California, San Diego, California
Suresh Pola, MD, University of California San Diego Health Systems, San Diego, California

ASGE Outstanding Manuscript Award

The ASGE Manuscript Award recognizes an outstanding manuscript written by a fellow and published in Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.

Eun Hee Seo, MD, Haeundae Paik Hospital, Inje University School of Medicine, Busan, Republic of Korea

ASGE Community Outreach Awards

This ASGE Community Outreach Award for Trainees recognizes Trainees for doing good works in their community related to digestive health. The 2012 award is for raising awareness about colon cancer screening by sending the most ASGE colon cancer screening eCards.

Antonio Mendoza Ladd, MD, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York, New York
Michelle Nazareth, MD, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California

2012 Endowed Lectures

The 2012 endowed lectures are sponsored by the ASGE Foundation.

Annual Postgraduate Course - Sunday, May 20

Basil I. Hirschowitz, MD Endowed Lecture
M. Brian Fennerty, MD, FASGE
Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon
"The Future of Innovation in Endoscopy: Challenges and Solutions"

ASGE Presidential Plenary Session - Monday, May 21

J. Edward Berk, MD, DSc, FASGE Endowed Lecture
Kenneth J. Chang, MD, FASGE
University of California Irvine Medical Center, Orange, California
"Opportunities for Therapeutic EUS"

Jack A. Vennes, MD & Stephen E. Silvis, MD Endowed Lecture
Kenneth R. McQuaid, MD, FASGE
San Francisco VA Medical Center, San Francisco, California
"Quality In Colonoscopy, What Does It Mean?"

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About the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy

Since its founding in 1941, the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) has been dedicated to advancing patient care and digestive health by promoting excellence and innovation in gastrointestinal endoscopy. ASGE, with more than 12,000 members worldwide, promotes the highest standards for endoscopic training and practice, fosters endoscopic research, recognizes distinguished contributions to endoscopy, and is the foremost resource for endoscopic education. Visit www.asge.org and www.screen4coloncancer.org for more information and to find a qualified doctor in your area.

About Endoscopy

Endoscopy is performed by specially-trained physicians called endoscopists using the most current technology to diagnose and treat diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Using flexible, thin tubes called endoscopes, endoscopists are able to access the human digestive tract without incisions via natural orifices. Endoscopes are designed with high-intensity lighting and fitted with precision devices that allow viewing and treatment of the gastrointestinal system.

About Digestive Disease Week (DDW®)

DDW is the largest international gathering of physicians, researchers and academics in the fields of gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy and gastrointestinal surgery. Jointly sponsored by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute, the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract, DDW takes place May 19 - 22, 2012, at the San Diego Convention Center. The meeting showcases more than 5,000 abstracts and hundreds of lectures on the latest advances in GI research, medicine and technology. For more information, visit www.ddw.org.

To make a tax-deductible contribution to the ASGE Foundation, stop by the ASGE Store or ASGE Learning Center at DDW® or visit www.asge.org or call (630) 573-0600 or (800) 343-ASGE (2743).


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