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The mission of the American College of Gastroenterology shall be to advance the medical treatment and scientific study of gastrointestinal disorders. The College will strive to serve the evolving needs of physicians in the delivery of high quality scientific, humanistic, clinical, ethical, and cost-effective health care to gastroenterology patients.
Our goals are:
- To provide continuing medical education to clinicians through scientific publications, meetings, and multimedia, web-based offerings;
- To represent the clinician in national and local health care policy issues to ensure that the best interests of patient care and clinical medicine are served;
- To promote and provide assistance in education to clinical gastroenterologists and fellows-in-training in cost-effective, efficient, and high quality practice management;
- To promote, encourage and support clinical research in gastroenterologic disorders through the ACG Institute for Clinical Research;
- To be a source of educational information for patients with gastrointestinal disorders and their families and to provide liaison with patient advocacy organizations for those with gastrointestinal and hepatic disorders.

More than 10,000 physicians from 75 countries are members
of the ACG. Through annual scientific meetings, the American
Journal of Gastroenterology, regional postgraduate
training courses and research grants, the ACG provides
its members with the most accurate and up-to-date scientific
information on digestive health and the etiology, symptomatology
and treatment of GI disorders. ACG's advocacy in the
public policy arenas, and the work of the ACG's 22
committees have made tremendous strides with many premiere
accomplishments to improve the future of clinical gastroenterology
and the quality of care available to patients with
GI conditions and diseases, today. The information
exchange and training acquired through College membership
provide physicians with the knowledge necessary to
offer the most effective patient care and to meet the
challenges of today's changing health care system.
For more information about becoming a member, click
here.

A gastroenterologist is a physician who specializes
in disorders and conditions of the gastrointestinal
tract, also called the digestive tract. This organ
system includes: the esophagus, liver, pancreas and
biliary, small intestine and colon. After completing
their general medical education, gastroenterologists
train for at least two years to attain Board Certification
in Internal Medicine. Then, gastroenterologists study
for an additional 2 - 3 years specifically for conditions
of the GI tract. For more details, click
here to download a brochure entitled, "What is
a Gastroenterologist".
Find a gastroenterologist
in your area.


Eamonn M.M. Quigley graduated MB BCh BAO (hons) from UCC in 1976. Following internship, he completed the medicine rotation in Glasgow, Scotland (1977-81) becoming MRCP (UK) in 1979. Funded by a Fogarty fellowship by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and an Ainsworth Scholarship by UCC, he pursued research with Dr. Sidney Phillips at the Mayo Clinic from 1981 to 1983. These studies defined the physiology and pharmacology of ileo-colonic junctional motility in an animal model and in man. These studies were funded by the NIH; human studies were performed in an NIH-funded CRC.
On moving to the University of Manchester, UK as lecturer in medicine (chair: Prof. (now Lord) Leslie Turnberg) he completed accreditation in general medicine and gastroenterology and studied mucosal defense in the upper gastrointestinal tract, describing, for the first time, a lumen-to-mucosal pH gradient in man. In 1986, he joined the section of gastroenterology and hepatology at the University of Nebraska Medical Centre (UNMC) as an Assistant Professor, subsequently advancing to Associate Professor and Professor of Medicine and Physiology and Chief of the Section. He developed a clinical research center for the study of gastrointestinal motility and pursued parallel studies in in vitro and in vivo animal models. Pioneering studies described the effects of chronic liver disease, high dose chemo-radio therapy and intestinal failure and transplantation on motor function. He was funded through the Veterans Administration Merit Review program and investigator-initiated grants from pharmaceutical and medical devices companies. Prof. Quigley mentored 13 fellows, 6 residents and 5 students and attracted over $2.6m in extra-mural research funds.
In 1998, Prof. Quigley returned to UCC as Professor of Medicine and Human Physiology and was the first Head of the Medical School (2000-7). He is a principal investigator in the Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre (APC), funded by Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) in 2003 with a five-year budget of €16m. His research focuses on immune activation and gut flora-mucosa interactions in gastrointestinal disorders and has identified pro-inflammatory cytokine activation in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and demonstrated symptomatic benefit, in IBS, for a specific probiotic. These studies recently attracted a further award from SFI. Currently, clinical studies are carried out in a small clinical trials unit at Cork University Hospital.
Prof. Quigley is President of the World Gastroenterology Organisation and President of the American College of Gastroenterology and, in 2003, completed a second term as Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of Gastroenterology.
He has published over 500 original articles, reviews, editorials, book chapters, other publications and media items; authored or co-authored six books and monographs and has presented on his research at major meetings and symposia throughout the world.
Awards include Doctor Honoris Causa by the University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj, Romania; Election to Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians, London as a distinguished doctor; Frank J. Troncale Visiting Professorship, St. Raphael’s Hospital and Yale University; J. Edward Berk Distinguished Lectureship, American College of Gastroenterology; Richard W. Sherbaniuk and Ronald H. Wensel Lectureship Award in Gastroenterology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta; Burton Schatz Visiting Professor, Washington University, St. Louis, MO; Windle Prize, National University of Ireland, Cork; John Walker Moore lecturer, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY; Mohammed Mashaly Memorial Lecturer and Honorary Membership, Egyptian Society for the Study of Gastroenterology and Endoscopy; Honorary Professor, Faculty of Medicine of the Universidad de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay; Mike Moshal Memorial lecturer, South African Gastroenterological Society.

OFFICERS:
| President: |
Eamonn M.M. Quigley, M.D., FACG, Cork, Ireland |
| President-elect: |
Philip O. Katz, M.D., FACG, Philadelphia, PA |
| Vice President: |
Delbert L. Chumley, M.D., FACG, San Antonio, TX |
| Secretary: |
Lawrence R. Schiller, M.D., FACG, Dallas, TX |
| Treasurer: |
Ronald J. Vender, M.D., FACG, New Haven, CT |
| Immediate Past Pres.: |
Amy E. Foxx-Orenstein, D.O., FACG, Rochester, MN |
| Past President: |
David A. Johnson, M.D., FACG, Norfolk, VA |
| Director, ACG Institute: |
Edgar Achkar, M.D., MACG, Cleveland, OH |
| Chair, Board of Gov.: |
Samir A. Shah, M.D., FACG, Providence, RI |
| Vice Chair, Board of Gov. |
David A. Greenwald, M.D., FACG, Bronx, NY |
| Trustee for Administrative Affairs: |
John W. Popp, Jr., M.D., FACG, Columbia, SC |
| Co-Editor, AJG: |
Joel E. Richter, M.D., MACG, Philadelphia, PA |
| Co-Editor, AJG: |
Nicholas J. Talley, M.D., Ph.D., FACG, Jacksonville, FL |
| Editor, Nature |
Stephen B. Hanauer, M.D., FACG, Chicago, IL |
Carol A. Burke, M.D., FACG, Cleveland, OH
Edward L. Cattau, Jr., M.D., FACG, Germantown, TN
Francis A. Farraye, M.D., FACG, Boston, MA
Anthony N. Kalloo, M.D., FACG, Baltimore, MD
Sunanda V. Kane, M.D., MSPH, FACG, Rochester, MN
W. Elwyn Lyles, M.D., FACG, Alexandria, LA
Irving M. Pike, M.D., FACG, Virginia Beach, VA
Harry E. Sarles, Jr., M.D., FACG, Garland, TX
Mitchell L. Shiffman, M.D., FACG, Richmond, VA
Roy K.H. Wong, M.D., FACG, Washington, DC

The ACG provides a wide range of educational programs
emphasizing clinically oriented topics. Besides the Annual
Scientific Meeting and regional
meetings, the ACG also offers Postgraduate
Courses and many educational materials designed
to help its members in their ongoing efforts to improve
the health of their patients with digestive disorders.

The ACG provides conceptual and financial support
for clinically relevant investigative studies. Annually,
the Board of Trustees awards competitive grants through
the ACG Institute for Clinical Research and Education.
The results of these and other ACG-sponsored projects
are presented at the College's national and local meetings.

- American
Journal of Gastroenterology (published
monthly)
Published monthly since 1934, the American Journal
of Gastroenterology is the College's official
peer-reviewed journal. The goal of the Journal is
to publish scientific papers relevant to the practice
of clinical gastroenterology. It features outstanding
original research, review articles and consensus
papers related to new drugs and therapeutic modalities.
The ACG Editorial Board encourages submission of
original manuscripts, review articles and letters
to the editor from members and non-members.
- Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Nature
Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology,
published by Nature Publishing Group, provides timely
interpretations of key developments in medical research,
translating the latest findings into Reviews.
Editor-in-Chief Stephen B. Hanauer, M.D., FACG, and
an international Advisory Board ensure comprehensive
coverage of topical issues throughout the year, with
the highest standards of editorial quality and integrity.
Published monthly in print and online, Nature
Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology includes
editorial and opinion pieces, highlights from the
current literature, commentaries on the application
of recent research to practical patient care, comprehensive
reviews, and in-depth case studies. You’ll
find coverage on pathology, diagnosis, and treatment
of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, liver,
pancreas, gall bladder, and biliary tract, such as
functional gastrointestinal disorders, inflammatory
diseases, cancer, infection and nutritional disorders.
- ACG Update newsletter (a
bi-monthly members only publication)
This bi-monthly newsletter chronicles the activities,
meetings and events sponsored by the College, and
serves as a forum for ACG Members and Fellows to
exchange information regarding socioeconomic and
practice management issues.
- ACG SmartBrief (twice
weekly members only publication)
ACG SmartBrief, emailed twice weekly to
ACG members, provides summaries of the latest news
in gastroenterology. You’ll find news coverage
of Clinical Updates, Legal & Regulatory, Practice
News, Business & Market Trends, Patient Perspectives,
and more. If you are an ACG member and are not currently
receiving ACG SmartBrief, update your member
record by adding your email address information.
- This Week:
Legislative Updates (a members only publication)
This communication is distributed periodically to
keep members informed of important legislative developments
in Congress, the federal regulatory agencies such
as the Centers for Medicare/Medicaid Services and
the Food & Drug Administration, and to solicit member
involvement in legislative issues.
- Patient
Brochures
- Online
Education Universe
- Online Self-Assessment Tests
- Purchase
Self-Assessment Tests
- Course
Syllabuses

During the first week of February 2005, the American
College of Gastroenterology moved into its new national
headquarters building located in Bethesda, Maryland.
In recognition of the continued outstanding growth
in membership and programming, the move is designed
to permit the College's administrative staff to better
serve the needs of the organization and its members.
The new space provides a significant upgrade in the
amount of work-space and will permit the College to
meet its administrative staffing needs for the foreseeable
future.
The move to increase administrative capacity is an
outgrowth of the review of the College's capabilities
and resources that began in 2001 with then President
Edgar Achkar's appointment of a strategic planning
committee and culminated with the ratification of the
ACG Strategic Plan in 2002. The College's Board of
Trustees believes all members will benefit from an
increased level of service and new and exciting programs
that build on the ACG's unique role as champion of
clinical gastroenterology.


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