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Trainees' Section

Trainee Meetings

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

 

 

Trainees' Resources

ACG Trainee Membership

GI Fellowship Match

GI Fellowship Programs

GI Training Curriculum

Career Corner

ACG Training Committee

GI Jeopardy Competition

Trainee Meetings

Board Review Question of the Week

Self-Assessment Test

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