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:

1. To provide continuing medical education to clinicians through scientific publications, meetings, and multimedia, web-based offerings;
   
   
2. 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;
   
   
3. To promote and provide assistance in education to clinical gastroenterologists and fellows-in-training in cost-effective, efficient, and high quality practice management;
   
   
4. To promote, encourage and support clinical research in gastroenterologic disorders through the ACG Institute for Clinical Research;
   
   
5. 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.

OFFICERS:

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.