NEW ORLEANS – MAY 2, 2010 – The American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) will honor important contributions to the field of endoscopy during the sixth annual ASGE Crystal Awards on Sunday, May 2, 2010. Hosted by ASGE and the ASGE Foundation, this year's event will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans.
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 2010 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, Jacques Van Dam, MD, PhD, FASGE, ASGE Foundation Chair, Robert A. Ganz, MD, FASGE, various ASGE leaders and Master of Ceremonies, ASGE Past President and Foundation Trustee, David Carr-Locke, MD, FASGE.
Rudolf V. Schindler Award
C. Paul Swain, MD, Royal London Hospital, London, England
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
Bret T. Petersen, MD, FASGE, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
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
Steven A. Edmundowicz, MD, FASGE, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
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 Mentoring Award
Amitabh Chak, MD, FASGE, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio
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
Todd H. Baron, MD, FASGE, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, 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.
President's Award
David G. Woods, PENTAX Medical Company, Montvale, New Jersey
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.
Congressional Service Awards
This award acknowledges individuals within the U.S. Congress who consistently show dedication and leadership in the advancement of healthcare issues related to digestive health and gastroenterological services and care.
Congressman Jesse L. Jackson Jr. (D-IL)
Congressman Henry A. Waxman (D-CA)
Career Development Awards
The Career Development Awards support junior investigators who are working toward an independent research career in any area of endoscopic research. These awards are supported by educational grants from Cook Medical and Olympus America.
2010 Cook Medical Career Development Award
Gregory A. Cote, MD, MS, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
2010 Olympus Career Development Award
Ziad F. Gellad, MD, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
Olympus Senior Investigator Mentoring Award
Deborah A. Fisher, MD, MHS, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
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 Olympus Medical Charitable Foundation.
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. The objective is to foster research in GI endoscopy both within and outside of academic centers. These awards are supported by the ASGE Foundation.
Edward L. Irions, MD, Medical University of South Carolina, South Carolina
Joseph W. Leung, MD, FRCP, FASGE, Sacramento VA Medical Center, California
Joseph Romagnuolo, MD, FASGE, MScEpid, Medical University of South Carolina, South Carolina
Michael V. Sivak, Jr., MD, FASGE, Endoscopic Research Award
Matthew R. Atkinson, MD, Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, Ohio
Quality Endoscopic Research Award
Douglas O. Faigel, MD, FASGE, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon
Kalpesh H. Thakkar, MD, Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas
NYSGE Florence Lefcourt Award
Jenny Sauk, MD, Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York
Supported by the ASGE Foundation NYSGE Fund through a generous grant from the Ellen J. Scherl, MD Research Fund.
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. Three awards are available annually: two for ASGE members in North America to travel abroad to an ASGE-member site, and one for an international member to come to a North American ASGE-member site. 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.
Ivan R. Jovanovic, MD, PhD, Clinical Center of Serbia, Clinic for Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Belgrade, Serbia
Fernando Marson, MD, California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco, California
Do Hyun Park, MD, PhD, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea
Cook Medical Marsha Dreyer Awards
Marsha Dreyer began her career in 1970 when she joined Jack Vennes, MD, in his endoscopy practice. A year later, she and Vennes performed the first endoscopic sphincterotomy in the United States. She 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 Cook Medical Marsha Dreyer Award developed to provide up to four scholarships for international physicians to attend DDW annually.
Jayan Mannath, MD, MRCP, Queens Medical Centre, East Midlands, United Kingdom
Leon Moons, MD, PhD, Erasmus MC University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Alan Moss, MBBS, FRACP, Westmead Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Tae Jun Song, MD, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea
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.
Gender Research Award
Nandhakumar Kanagarajan, MD, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Minority Research Award
Ritesh Jha, MD, John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County, Chicago, Illinois
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®.
Audiovisual Award Winner
Tae Hee Lee, MD, Soon Chun Hyang College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
Audiovisual Award Recipient
Gottumukkala S. Raju, MD, FASGE, University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
PENTAX Advanced Fellows Video Awards
These awards are supported by a grant from Pentax Medical Company.
Elie S. Aoun, MD, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Haritha Avula, MD, Indiana University, Indianapolis, Indiana
Ravi N. Sharaf, MD, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California
ASGE ConMed Award
Field F. Willingham, MD, MPH, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
The ConMed Award recognizes an outstanding manuscript written by a fellow and published in GIE:Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. This award is supported by an educational grant provided by ConMed Endoscopic Technologies.
NOSCAR® Research Awards
NOSCAR, a joint initiative supported by ASGE and the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES), provides grants to support fundamental research in the emerging transdisciplinary therapy known as NOTES®, an approach that could ultimately represent a major paradigm shift in minimally invasive therapy and patient care. The NOSCAR Research Subcommittee announced five grant recipients in December 2009. Funding for these awards was provided through a grant from Olympus Medical Systems.
Olympus Medical Systems Research Fund
Mohammad A. Al-Haddad, MD, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
Juliane Bingener-Casey, MD, PhD and Erica A. Moran, MD, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
Elena Dubcenco, MD, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Canada
Eric S. Hungness, MD, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois
Erica A. Moran, MD, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
2010 Endowed Lectures
The 2010 endowed lectures are sponsored by the ASGE Foundation.
ASGE Plenary Session - Monday, May 3
J. Edward Berk, MD, DSc, FASGE State-of-the-Art Endowed Lecture
"Optimal Utilization of Colonoscopy"
Robert E. Schoen, MD, MPH, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Jack A. Vennes, MD and Stephen E. Silvis, MD State-of-the-Art Endowed Lecture
"Propofol Sedation for Endoscopy: What's Next?"
Douglas K. Rex, MD, FASGE, Indiana University Medical Center, Indianapolis, Indiana
Annual Postgraduate Course - Wednesday, May 5
Basil I. Hirschowitz, MD Endowed Lecture
"The Future of Endoscopy"
Robert H. Hawes, MD, FASGE, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
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 in gastrointestinal endoscopy. ASGE, with more than 11,000 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.