David J. Hass, MD, FACG
Community Service Award
The 2016 Community Service Award winner David J. Hass, MD, FACG, is recognized for his outstanding volunteer service and dedication to serving and educating his community.
About Dr. Hass: David J. Hass, MD, FACG, is a native of Philadelphia, who attended medical school at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University, followed by residency training at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, and Gastroenterology and Hepatology Fellowship training at Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, NY. He currently serves as Associate Clinical Professor at the Yale University School of Medicine, regularly participating in teaching medical students, residents and gastroenterology fellows to guide the development of their clinical and endoscopic skills. He is a partner at Gastroenterology Center of CT, P.C. and currently is the Director of Endoscopy at Yale New Haven Hospital-Saint Raphael Campus. Dr. Hass has served as President of the New Haven County Medical Association and actively participates as a physician advocate on the Connecticut State Medical Society State Council. He is also a certified hypnotherapist, implementing this technique for the treatment of functional abdominal pain and irritable bowel syndrome.
Dr. Hass has always been a passionate advocate for physicians in training. He previously served on the ACG Training Committee for six years and currently serves on the ACG National Affairs Committee. He spearheaded the effort to launch the ACG Mentoring Program, helping our younger colleagues connect and network with experienced individuals within the College, so as to obtain sound career guidance to become impactful and engaged members of the ACG community. This program is still one that the College supports on a yearly basis. In addition, Dr. Hass regularly serves as faculty for the various fellows conferences that the College offers, participating as faculty at the ACG 2nd Year Fellows Course for many years.
Within his local New Haven community, Dr. Hass is a volunteer board member of a
local clinic that caters to the inner city population, and has been instrumental in putting in place a patient navigation process to facilitate screening colonoscopies for the uninsured resulting in an over 90% show rate for procedures. He also volunteers his services through Project Access New Haven which partners with local providers to identify underserved patients with urgent medical needs and connects them with donated medical care and services generously provided by physician volunteers.
Dr. Hass was awarded grant funding through the Physicians’ Foundation, and created a program entitled the Young Physicians’ Leadership Curriculum. The program, now in its third year, aims to provide young physicians with a comprehensive skillset that serves as a foundation for the development of leadership and physician advocacy skills. This allows individuals to influence practice and policy development on a local, regional and national level and become effective advocates for their patients, their colleagues and themselves. The program is a partnership between the Connecticut State Medical Society, the New Haven County Medical Association, the Yale School of Medicine, and the Yale School of Management. Topics include understanding the principles of leadership, developing sound executive decision-making skills, developing effective negotiating skills, and understanding the concept of emotional intelligence. He has been working regularly with the College to develop similar programming for younger physicians and physicians in training.
Dr. Hass credits his success to those who have supported him both personally and
professionally. His family is an unyielding source of support, and his professional family has been of incredible impact as well. He truly appreciates all of those who served and continue to serve as professional mentors in all aspects of his training from medical school through present day, and feels it imperative to pay it forward to our future colleagues.
About the Community Service Award: The Community Service Award is bestowed upon an ACG Allied Health Member, Resident Member, Trainee Member, Member, Fellow, or Master who has initiated or has been involved in volunteer programs or has provided extensive volunteer service post-training. The service must have been performed on a completely voluntary basis and not for the completion of training or position requirements. Such service may include but is not limited to the following: community education programs (e.g., colon cancer awareness); working in free clinics; mentoring advocacy groups or local government committees; teaching in under-served schools related to health education; and political work on committees for comprehensive health insurance or other issues.