|
North American Conference of GI Fellows (NACGF)
ACG offers the North American Conference of GI Fellows (NACGF) as an annual
program for fellows. Sponsored by the American College of Gastroenterology
and endorsed by the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology, NACGF includes
research presentations by the Fellows, along with lectures, breakout sessions
and coaching by a distinguished faculty of gastroenterologists. The conference
is normally held in March and attendance at the conference is limited to forty
Fellows and is by invitation only. To contend for an invitation, Fellows must
submit an abstract of their research via the website, www.nacgf.org. Abstract
submissions usually take place between mid-October through mid-December. Updated
information regarding the program can be found on this website.
A Fellow may submit up to three abstracts. The research should be based
on clinical or basic science gastroenterology projects with which the Fellows
have been involved, including work in progress, work published within the
past year or case reports with comprehensive literature reviews. Fellows
will be
selected competitively to receive invitations, based on their submitted abstracts.
All Fellows attending the conference will be honored with a certificate of
attendance. Three Fellows attending the conference will be selected to receive
Distinguished Achievement Awards, which include a $1000 travel award to the
ACG Annual Meeting held in October of the same year.
Covered expenses for Fellows attending the conference include hotel accommodations,
group meals, round-trip coach airfare and transfer between the hotel and
the airport. Departures will not be scheduled before Sunday morning. Spouses/Guests
are not included in the conference or at any conference activities, including
meals. Spouses/Guests may accompany the Fellow on the trip at their own
expense. Although the conference is held at a prime family vacation area, it
is a
three-day
working conference and each Fellow’s attendance is expected at all
events. Children, other family members and guests are discouraged from
attending with
the Fellow unless absolutely necessary.
The goals of this conference include providing Fellows an opportunity to
present their research to colleagues in a less pressured environment
than at national
meetings, and to receive coaching on presentation skills from experienced
faculty. Educational objectives for this part of the conference include
the following:
-
Design a poster presentation layout, or PowerPoint® slide presentation,
that clearly and appropriately illustrates the research project
to the audience
- Discuss orally a poster presentation, or a PowerPoint® podium
presentation, of research that clearly and concisely communicates
the research project to
the audience within a specified time limit
The Educational Advisory Committee reviews all submitted abstracts
and selects forty. Once selected, invited fellows will receive invitations
to the conference.
The invitation includes information on whether the presentation will
be an oral PowerPoint® presentation or a poster presentation.
Details on the specific guidelines for the presentations will also
be included with the invitation,
as will the general criteria by which the Fellows will be judged
for the Distinguished Achievement Award. Note that, when submitting
your abstract, you will be asked
to verify that your Program Director has given permission for you
to submit an abstract, and that the Program Director is supportive
of you attending the
conference in March, if the abstract is selected.
To learn about
the agenda, faculty and fellows who participated at the 2007 NACGF
conference, click
here. The 2007 NACGF conference was supported by an educational grant from Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals.
ACG National Fellows Forum
An additional training program for fellows is the National Fellows Forum in
Digestive Diseases. Normally held in June of each year, the conference is designed
to provide a relaxed atmosphere in which fellows can exchange ideas with other
trainees. The small meeting format allows ample opportunity for interaction
between trainees and experts.
All fellows in gastroenterology and hepatology
are invited to submit clinical cases or case series that illustrate unusual
presentations of common GI diseases
or cases of rare GI conditions that demonstrate important diagnostic, therapeutic,
or teaching points. Information on the abstract submission process is normally
released on this website and Program Directors and ACG trainee members are
also notified. All submitted abstracts will be peer-reviewed and ranked on
the basis of educational/teaching merit by a faculty of experts. Only 1 abstract
per fellow will be considered. On average, a total of 30 abstracts are accepted.
Ten of the abstracts are selected for oral presentation. Twenty abstracts
are presented as posters. All accepted abstracts are included in an abstract
booklet
that will be distributed at the meeting.
Three of the 30 fellows selected to
present will be supported to attend the annual meeting of the ACG of that
year. To be eligible for this award, the
fellow must submit the abstract to the ACG annual meeting.
In addition to the
clinical cases and case series, the expert faculty will provide “state-of-the-art” reviews
on topics of interest to the fellows. The scientific sessions begin in the
afternoon on Friday and conclude
with dinner that evening. On Saturday morning the scientific program begins
after breakfast and ends in the early afternoon. An awards banquet is held
Saturday evening where the three award winners are announced.
Each fellow will
be provided with air travel and lodging expenses (room and tax). Fellows
will be responsible for any additional expenses related to upgrades
or travel expenses for spouses or guests.
The 2008 forum is sponsored by the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) and supported by an educational grant from AstraZeneca.
Click here for submission instructions.
2nd Year Fellows Course
The ACG has an exciting and unique opportunity for 2nd year fellows across North America. The College, through its Training Committee, is sponsoring a weekend course from January 23 – 25, 2009 in Orlando, Florida designed specifically for the 2nd year GI fellow. ACG will cover the travel, lodging and meal expenses for fellows-in-training to attend this meeting.
This year there will be two general sessions. One will focus on procedures and the other on the interpretation of radiologic studies. In addition, there will be five breakout sessions on the following topics: Esophagus/Manometry, IBD, Liver Transplant/Hepatitis C, Pancreaticobiliary and Diarrhea. Attendees will rotate through the five breakout sessions in small groups. These case centered discussions by the experts will follow a meet-the-professor format, and will encourage two-way discussion between the fellows and the faculty. The focus will be practical, i.e. how you would approach this patient and what tests you would order, in addition to the form of therapy.
Nomination forms will be sent directly to the GI Program Directors in late October who will then nominate a second year fellow from their program to attend this meeting. Space will be limited to approximately 125 fellows from across North America. Selection of attendees will be designed to maximize the number of programs participating as well as geographic balance.
The 2009 Second Year Fellows Course will be supported by an educational grant from AstraZeneca LP.
Southern Region 1st Year GI Fellows Conference
The Annual Southern Region 1st Year GI Fellows Conference, will be held August
29 - 31 and is sponsored by the American College of Gastroenterology
and is supported by an educational grant from AstraZeneca. The program agenda
consists of lectures and breakout sessions by a distinguished faculty of gastroenterologists.
Program directors from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana,
Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, and Tennessee
are asked to nominate 1st Year Fellows from their own program to attend this
meeting. Attendance at the conference is limited to forty-five Fellows and
is on a first come, first serve basis. Nomination forms for the 2008 meeting
will be mailed to Program Directors in June.
Covered expenses for Fellows attending the conference include hotel accommodations,
group meals, round-trip coach airfare and transfer between the hotel and the
Orlando airport. The conference will begin at 6:30 a.m. on Saturday, and end
at 12:15 p.m. on Sunday. Spouses/Guests are not included in
the conference or at any conference activities, including meals. Spouses/Guests
may accompany the Fellow on the trip at their own expense.
Trainees Forum
The Trainees Forum is held each year during the Postgraduate
Course at the Annual Meeting. In 2008, the Forum will be on Sunday, October
5th from 5:15p.m.-6:45p.m. Typically the session focuses on finding the
ideal job and negotiating the ideal contract.
All
Trainees
should
plan
to
attend this event, which is available without charge to trainees in gastroenterology
and hepatology. Refreshments are served and there is an opportunity for social
interchange.
Handouts
from the 2006 Trainees Forum
|
