Award Nomination Guidelines - American College of Gastroenterology

The ACG Awards Committee is seeking nominations from all members for the following distinguished awards:

Berk/Fise Clinical Achievement Award

The intent of the Berk/Fise Clinical Achievement Award (formerly known as the Clinical Achievement Award) is to recognize an individual who has provided distinguished contributions to clinical gastroenterology, which could include: (a) clinical medicine, (b) technology application, (c) health care delivery, and (d) related factors such as humanism and ethical concern. It is not intended that this award be given in honor of one’s laboratory research accomplishments.

To be eligible for the award, the nominee must be a member in good standing of the American College of Gastroenterology and may not be a member of the Awards Committee at the time of selection. It is intended that the award recipient will have made contributions over a significant period of work in clinical gastroenterology, and the award is not intended to recognize achievements within the current year. The decision to grant any award within a given year, as well as the selection of the award winner, is at the discretion of, and upon the recommendation of, the College’s Awards Committee, and upon approval of the Board of Trustees of the American College of Gastroenterology. When writing letters of recommendation for a nominee, please include information on the specific criteria for the Berk/Fise Clinical Achievement Award which may include:

A career of distinguished practice of gastroenterology, plus
Recognition as an outstanding clinician by one’s colleagues and patients
Contributions to clinical science, including scientific publications on clinical topics of merit
Contributions to clinical education at the undergraduate, postgraduate and/or continuing medical education levels
Technological application and innovation
Participation in public education, ethical concerns, and community service

Community Service Award

The Community Service Award is bestowed upon an ACG Member who has initiated or has been involved in numerous volunteer programs/activities or has provided significant 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 educational 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
Political work on committees for comprehensive health insurance or other issues

To be eligible for the award, the nominee must be a member in good standing of the American College of Gastroenterology and may not be a member of the Awards Committee at the time of selection. Nominations are solicited and reviewed by the Awards Committee with input from the Board of Governors. Nominations should be accompanied by two letters of recommendation that address the candidate’s community service work, and a CV. Supporting letters for the candidate may include letters from people who benefited from his or her work. The recipient must be approved by the ACG Board of Trustees. The award will be given when appropriate at the ACG Annual Meeting and may not necessarily be given annually.

Distinguished Mentorship and Teaching Award

The Distinguished Mentorship and Teaching Award recognizes an ACG Member who has provided meaningful and sustained contributions to trainees/colleagues in gastroenterology. Such contributions could include mentorship or teaching to help develop the mentees’: (1) overall scientific growth and career or life planning; (2) practice of high-level clinical gastroenterology; (3) skills to perform high quality clinical research; (4) skills to present and publish results of clinical research, or quality improvement; (5) involvement in professional society, healthcare organization or leadership development.

To be eligible for the award, the nominee must be a member in good standing of the American College of Gastroenterology and may not be a member of the Awards Committee at the time of selection. It is intended that the award recipient will have made contributions over a significant period of time in gastroenterology. Such contributions may be via academic affiliation as well as in private practice or an integrated (government or non-government) health system. Recognizably, each of these specific pathways has provided impactful mentorship to many individuals, hence any of these backgrounds would be suitable for this award.

The decision to grant any award within a given year, as well as the selection of the award winner, is at the discretion and recommendation of the ACG Awards Committee, and upon approval of the ACG Board of Trustees. This award is not necessarily to be given annually and may be awarded to more than one individual. When writing letters of recommendation for a nominee, please include details on the specific criteria that make this individual a candidate for the award.

Distinguished NP/PA Teaching Award

The intent of the Distinguished NP/PA Teaching Award is to recognize a distinguished nurse practitioner or physician assistant who has shown long-standing contributions to educating and mentoring NPs/PAs in the field of gastroenterology and hepatology (GIH). The candidate has made meaningful contributions in teaching by demonstrating mentorship, preceptorship, curricula development and/or other activities that have an impact in educating and developing future NPs/PAs in the field of GIH.

To be eligible for the award, the nominee must be a member in good standing of the American College of Gastroenterology and may not be a member of the Awards Committee at the time of selection. Additionally, the nominee must be a nationally certified nurse practitioner or physician assistant through their respective accrediting organizations, and currently practicing within GI and hepatology with a minimum of 8 consecutive years of experience in GI and hepatology. All nominations must be accompanied by three letters of recommendation: First letter must be from an ACG member who is either a nurse practitioner, physician assistant or physician; Second letter must be from one of the following: education colleague/administrator (program or medical director of a program or fellowship), practice administrator, faculty clinical advisor; Third letter must be from a previous student/mentee. Letters of recommendation should highlight the nominee’s teaching excellence as an NP/PA in the field of gastroenterology as outlined by the eligibility criteria below:

Demonstrates excellence in GIH education, for example:
1. Develops education standards for NPs/PAs in GIH.
2. Serves as program director/faculty/preceptor of NP/PA GIH fellowship.
3. Receives education recognition/award(s) from professional and/or public groups.
4. Receives outstanding student/mentee reviews.
Curriculum Development:
1. Develops innovative teaching methods, curricula, and educational materials used to advance APP training specific to GIH.
Mentors and demonstrates leadership in GIH education, for example:
1. Shows extensive expertise as a mentor and educator for colleagues and/or students.
2. Attains additional higher education degree, training and/or certification(s) applicable to an education or mentorship role.

The decision to grant any award within a given year, as well as the selection of the award winner, is at the discretion and recommendation of the ACG Awards Committee, and upon approval of the ACG Board of Trustees. This award may be awarded to more than one individual. The award will be given when appropriate at the ACG Annual Meeting and may not necessarily be given annually.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award

The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award recognizes an ACG Member whose work in the areas of clinical practice, research, teaching and/or leadership has demonstrated an emerging or sustained commitment to the values of diversity, health equity and inclusion. These efforts are demonstrated by the awardee’s significant contributions to promote diversity, inclusion, and/or cultural competency including, but not limited to, the development of educational programs or curricula, community engagement initiatives, research, or promotion of pathways or programs to support individuals from racial, ethnic, and/or gender groups that are under-represented in medicine. Such endeavors may be through mentorship, sponsorship or cultivation of partnerships that advance the diversity, equity or inclusion within medicine.

To be eligible for the award, the nominee must be a member in good standing of the American College of Gastroenterology and may not be a member of the Awards Committee at the time of selection. The decision to grant any award within a given year, as well as the selection of the award winner, is at the discretion and recommendation of the ACG Awards Committee, and upon approval of the ACG Board of Trustees. This award is not necessarily to be given annually. When writing letters of recommendation for a nominee, please include details on the specific criteria that make this individual a candidate for the award.

International Leadership Award

The International Leadership Award is given to an ACG Member in recognition of outstanding and substantial contributions to gastroenterology, to the College and to the international gastroenterology community. Substantial contributions internationally may include, but are not limited to the following:

The training of individuals from other countries who have gone on to become leaders in gastroenterology in their community
Leadership in international organizations that has resulted in improvement in the care of patients
Participation in humanitarian efforts

To be eligible for the award, the nominee must be a member in good standing of the American College of Gastroenterology and may not be a member of the Awards Committee at the time of selection. Nominations are solicited and reviewed by the Awards Committee with input from the International Affairs Committee and the Board of Governors. Nominations should be accompanied by two letters of recommendation that address the candidate’s contributions to the College and specifically to the international GI community, and a CV. The recipient must be approved by the ACG Board of Trustees. The award will be given when appropriate at the ACG Annual Meeting and may not necessarily be given annually.

Master of the American College of Gastroenterology

Masters of the American College of Gastroenterology shall have been ACG Fellows who, because of their recognized stature and achievement in clinical gastroenterology and because of their contribution to the College in service, leadership, and education, have been recommended by the Awards Committee to the Board of Trustees for designation as Masters. To be eligible for appointment as Master of the American College of Gastroenterology, the nominee shall have been an ACG Fellow for at least ten years, be at least 20 years post GI Fellowship, may not have served in an elected position on the ACG Board of Trustees for at least two years, and may not be a member of the Awards Committee at the time of selection. Recipients of the Samuel Weiss or Berk/Fise Clinical Achievement Awards, past or present, shall not be excluded from consideration. Masters would be eligible for these named awards in the future, and retain their rights and obligations to full fellowship. Nominees who are not selected will be retained as active candidates for a period of three years. Renomination after that time would be accepted. Letters of recommendation should include information on the nominee’s achievements in clinical gastroenterology and his/her contributions to the ACG (i.e., service, leadership, education).

NP/PA Award for Clinical Excellence

The NP/PA Award for Clinical Excellence recognizes a distinguished nurse practitioner or physician assistant who is an ACG APP Member and has shown long-standing contributions to advancing clinical practice in the field of gastroenterology (GI) and hepatology. The candidate has made substantial contributions in GI practice by demonstrating practice expertise, leadership, and collaborative activities that have an impact at the state, regional, national or international level.

To be eligible for the award, the nominee must be a member in good standing of the American College of Gastroenterology and may not be a member of the Awards Committee at the time of selection. Additionally, the nominee must be a nationally certified nurse practitioner or physician assistant through their respective accrediting organizations, and currently practicing within GI and hepatology with a minimum of 8 consecutive years of experience in GI and hepatology. All nominations must be accompanied by three letters of recommendation: First letter must be from an ACG member who is either a nurse practitioner, physician assistant or physician; Second letter must be from a supporting physician who directly works with the nominee; and Third letter may be from a practice administrator such as division or practice chair, APP supervisor/manager or equivalent practice/office manager. Letters of recommendation should highlight the nominee’s clinical excellence as a nurse practitioner or physician assistant in the field of gastroenterology and hepatology as outlined by the eligibility criteria below:

Demonstrates excellence in clinical practice expertise, for example:
1. Expands certification(s) applicable to practice
2. Receives recognition/award(s) for practice expertise from professional and/or public groups
3. Consistently receives outstanding peer reviews or patient satisfaction surveys for patient care
Demonstrates leadership in GI practice expertise, for example:
1. Demonstrates initiative to develop practice standards or improve quality
Develops innovative collaborative care initiatives, for example:

Collaborates with colleagues and leads implementation of practice-related activities or projects
Serves on related work groups or committees at the local, regional or national level such as free clinics, local government committees, or teaching health education in under-served populations to improve patient care

Samuel S. Weiss Award

The Samuel S. Weiss Award is given to an ACG Fellow or Master in recognition of outstanding service to the American College of Gastroenterology over the course of an individual’s career. The award was traditionally presented every other year, but on occasion has been presented more frequently at the discretion of the Awards Committee and the ACG Board of Trustees. There have been 38 award recipients since the initial award was granted in 1972.

Individuals must be a Fellow or Master of the American College of Gastroenterology in order to be eligible for consideration. Nominees may not be a member of the Awards Committee at the time of selection. Letters of recommendation should include information on the nominee’s contributions to the ACG (i.e., service, leadership, education).

Nomination Requirements

All nominations must be accompanied by two letters of recommendation (three for the NP/PA Award) addressed to Francis A. Farraye, MD, MSc, MACG, Chair, ACG Awards Committee (letters may be submitted separately)
Include the nominee’s CV
Conform to the specific requirements listed
Be unsolicited by the nominee

Submit A Nomination