• Oppenheimer, Crohn & Ginsberg

    In November, a small group of physicians forms the Society for the Advancement of Gastroenterology. They perceive the need for an association for physicians with a clinical or research interest in gastrointestinal (GI) diseases.

    December 27: The society is incorporated by twelve physicians from New York City, Brooklyn, and Long Island.

  • Plans for expansion of the Society for the Advancement of Gastroenterology are detailed in an undated document, probably written sometime this year.

    The society’s flagship publication, The Review of Gastroenterology, makes its debut in March. One of the society’s charter members, Samuel Weiss, MD, of New York City, is selected as editor.

    In September, the organization’s name is changed to the National Society for the Advancement of Gastroenterology.

  • In June, the society’s first annual scientific convention takes place in Atlantic City, New Jersey. A total of twelve papers are presented.

  • Gastroscope

    At a special meeting of the membership, the name of the society is changed again to the National Gastroenterological Association.

    In January, the first headquarters opens in New York City with a staff of three.

  • The number of issues of the review is increased from four to six per year. Because of the association’s many Latin American members, a Spanish edition is initiated.

  • Daniel Weiss is appointed as the association’s first executive director

  • The Bulletin of the National Gastroenterological Association is first published; it would cease publication in 1982.

    The association holds its first postwar scientific convention, which is a huge success. An annual prize contest is inaugurated for the best unpublished contribution to gastroenterology. The contest is discontinued in 1973.

  • On October 10, the commissioned Ryan Report, A Study on Organization of the National Gastroenterological Association, is issued. On November 17, the Executive Board receives the report.

    The number of issues of The Review of Gastroenterology is increased from six to twelve per year.

  • The Board of Trustees revises the constitution and bylaws and reorganizes the administration of the association. Limits are placed on the terms of office, and a vice president is elected from each of four designated regions of the country.

  • President William Morrison helps establish the association’s first postgraduate course.

  • The association’s leaders establish the Board of Governors, which replaces the old National Council.

  • The Ladies’ Auxiliary, which has supplied helpful support to the organization through the years, is formed.

  • The annual convention format is changed to three days of meetings followed by the postgraduate course.

    The Review of Gastroenterology is renamed The American Journal of Gastroenterology.

    At a membership meeting in Washington, DC, the name American College of Gastroenterology is adopted.

  • The name of the organization is officially changed from the National Gastroenterological Association to the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG).

    The inaugural meeting of the Board of Governors is announced by its first chair, Henry Baker, MD.

  • Upon the renewal of the meetings of the World Organization of Gastroenterology (OMGE), the College begins sending representatives to all OMGE meetings.

  • First editor-in-chief Samuel Weiss retires and is named editor emeritus.

  • The Samuel S. Weiss Award for outstanding service to the College is created, to be awarded biannually.

  • The Stuart Distinguished Lecture is inaugurated to honor physicians who have made exceptional contributions to gastroenterology.

  • An Advisory Council of Past Presidents is formed.

  • Richard Marshak, radiologist at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, establishes an award for the best radiological paper published in the journal.

  • The Henry Baker Presidential Lectureship is established.

  • ACG is designated a separate and alternate delegate to the American Medical Association House of Delegates.

    ACG establishes the David Sun Memorial Lecture, to be given annually at the postgraduate course.

    The College sends an official delegation to the First International Conference on Gastrointestinal Cancer, held in Israel.

  • The Ladies’ Auxiliary establishes a lecture to be given annually by an outstanding woman in the field of gastroenterology.

  • The first retreat of the Board of Trustees is held at Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.

  • Daniel Weiss, executive director for forty years, retires.

    ACG leaders recruit a management firm, the Professional Relations & Research Institute, to manage the business affairs of the College. Gardner McCormick is recruited to serve as executive director.

    A Board of Governors’ task force meets at the Rye Town Hilton in New York to discuss the future of the Board of Governors and its relation to the membership and the Board of Trustees.

    The College serves as the host organization for the Inter-American Society of Gastroenterology held in Bal Harbour, Florida.

  • The College celebrates its fiftieth anniversary.

    Guidelines for the training of gastroenterologists are prepared and published.

  • The constitution and bylaws are revised to further streamline the organization.

    The Research Committee becomes a standing committee.

    Clinical research awards are established, and the first three winners are announced.

  • ACG begins offering a board review course in alternating years at the annual meeting.

    The three U.S.-based societies devoted to GI medicine—the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE), and the ACG—hold their first joint conference.

    Daniel Barrett of the Professional Relations & Research Institute replaces Gardner McCormick as executive director.

    The National Affairs Committee is established.

  • The Ad Hoc Membership Committee sets goals to increase membership among women, trainees, and the academic community.

    John Papp testifies on Capitol Hill regarding proposals for methods by which Medicare will pay physicians.

  • ACG retains the Washington-based firm Health & Medicine Counsel of Washington, and later Medical Advocacy Services, Inc., to represent clinical gastroenterological interests politically.

    In January, Thomas Fise becomes the fourth executive director of the College. The first ACG Clinical Achievement Award is presented to Leonidas Berry, MD, in recognition of a lifetime of distinguished contributions to clinical gastroenterology.

  • ACG headquarters moves to Arlington, Virginia.

    The first ACG self-assessment test is introduced.

    At ACG’s annual meeting, the first practice management seminar is introduced to aid members in coping with practice management problems.

  • The Board of Governors now has representation from every state.

    The title of master of the American College of Gastroenterology (MACG) is introduced.

    A governor is designated for every province in Canada.

    ACG develops “Current Topics in Gastroenterology.”

    “The Governor’s Update” is designed to encourage all ACG governors to communicate regularly with their constituents at the local and state levels.

    In May, Chesley Hines, Jr., MD, FACG, and Sarkis J. Chobanian, MD, MACG, are invited to testify before the House Ways and Means Committee.

    Thomas Fise is appointed ACG Washington representative to work with the National Affairs Committee.

  • Regional postgraduate courses are initiated.

    The Regional Council of Governors is established.

    The ACG Patient Care Committee Speakers’ Manual program is initiated.

    The Ad Hoc Committee on Women in Gastroenterology is formed.

    President Ronald Reagan is awarded the American College of Gastroenterology’s Distinguished Service Award.

  • ACG initiates challenge to the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) on global surgery and the Resource-Based Relative Value Scale (RBRVS) fee schedule.

  • The ACG, AGA, ASGE, and the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) establish the Gastroenterology Leadership Council (GLC).

  • As a result of President Clinton’s proposed national health care reforms, ACG mandates a special dues assessment in March to marshal resources to participate in health care reform and to begin the push for a Medicare colorectal cancer screening benefit. ACG initiates a working relation-ship with Patton Boggs as legislative counsel.

    ACG sponsors its first summer camp for children with GI conditions. The first ACG legislative fly-in takes place.

    AGC’s first GI physiology course is held in conjunction with the annual scientific meeting and postgraduate course.

  • The ACG Institute for Clinical Research & Education (ACG Institute) is established. During the first year, more than $8 million is raised to educate physicians and the public about common GI diseases.

    Astra Merck Inc. awards grant to AGA for H. pylori research.

  • ACG practice management publications are released to aid the GI practitioner.

    The International Relations Committee initiates an international training grants program that supports bringing selected physicians from around the world to the United States or Canada for additional education, training, and clinical research under ACG supervision.

  • The ACG Institute, with support from Astra Merck, initiates the ACG National Public Information and Education Campaign on GERD.

    The first ACG Board of Governors course is held.

    The William D. Carey Award, Freshman Governor’s Award, and Senior Governor’s Award are established.

  • In May, ACG trustees visit the White House to receive a briefing from leading Clinton administration officials on the Medicare program, the prospect on legislation to enact preventive benefits for colorectal cancer screening, HCFA’s anticipated rule-making on practice expenses, and the recently concluded balanced budget agreement.

    In August, President Clinton signs into law the bill enacting a Medicare colorectal cancer screening benefit.

    The first GI structure and function course is held in conjunction with the annual scientific meeting and postgraduate course.

    The ACG Institute initiates a Junior Faculty Development Award. This two-year award is designed to support a junior faculty member or midcareer clinical investigator of outstanding promise and to assist in facilitating his/her progress into an independent productive career in gastroenterology or hepatology. In the first year of the program, the grant is $30,000 per year for two years.

    The Stuart Distinguished Lecture is changed to the J. Edward Berk Lecture to honor this past president.

    Representative Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD), a dedicated champion of the issue of colorectal cancer screening in Congress, is awarded the ACG’s Distinguished Service Award at the annual scientific meeting.

  • Christina M. Surawicz is elected as the College’s first woman president.

    The Junior Faculty Development Award grant is increased to $40,000 per year for two years.

  • The first GI pharmacology course is held in conjunction with the annual scientific meeting and postgraduate course.

  • In July, ACG President-elect Rowen K. Zetterman (also acting as chair-elect of the Board of Regents of the American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine) presented testimony before the House Energy and Commerce Committee relating to HCFA’s site-of-service differential policy, including the proposed legislative fix crafted by ACG’s National Affairs Committee.

    Virginia state Senator Emily Couric is awarded the American College of Gastroenterology’s Distinguished Service Award in October for her successful efforts in sponsoring Virginia’s new colon cancer screening law, which is the most comprehensive in the nation.

  • The Junior Faculty Development Award grant is increased to $50,000 per year for two years.

  • The ACG Institute begins a capital campaign with the goal of doubling its grant-making capacity and resources available for educational programs.

    In November, the College introduces an irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) education campaign with the publication of evidence-based recommendations on IBS treatment as a supplement to The American Journal of Gastroenterology.

  • The ACG Clinical Achievement Award is renamed the Berk/Fise Clinical Achievement Award in honor of J. Edward Berk and Thomas Fise. First ACG Governors fly-in to Washington, DC, is held.

    The College introduces the patient education component of the multiyear, multimedia IBS campaign initiative.

    The American Journal of Gastroenterology Lecture is initiated at the annual meeting. Joel Richter, MD, MACG and Nicholas Talley, MD, PhD, FACG become the first co-editors of The American Journal of Gastroenterology.

  • The first GI recertification course is held in conjunction with the annual scientific meeting and postgraduate course.

    The annual David Y. Graham Lecture is established at the annual scientific meeting.

  • In February, ACG moves to its new headquarters building in Bethesda, Maryland.

    The Junior Faculty Development Award grant is increased to $75,000 per year for two years.

    The first phase of the ACG Institute’s $12 million

    Edgar Achkar, MD, FACG appointed ACG Institute Director.

  • Thomas Fise, Esq., retires as Executive Director; Bradley C. Stillman, Esq., becomes the College’s fifth Executive Director.

    ACG introduces ACG Education Universe, an online, self-directed continuing medical education program.

    ACG introduces the online self-assessment test, a detailed examination for trainees and established practitioners.

    The Emily Couric Lecture is founded to honor the Virginia state senator who helped establish state-based guidelines for colorectal cancer screening.

  • ACG Education Universe: An online portal expands access to CME and training resources.

    "Saturday with GI Experts" - Innovative series of local courses feature expert faculty.

    ACG SmartBrief Bi-weekly e-newsletter offers media headlines for busy GI clinicians

    First ACG Minority Health Service Award to Dr. LaSalle D. Leffall, Jr.

  • Obesity Initiative tackles challenge of GI complications of overweight and obesity.

    UK-based Nature Publishing adds the Red Journal to its family of journals.

    Advancing public policy and representing clinical GI before Congress and the regulatory agencies.

    The College mourns the loss Jack Berk, M.D., MACG, Past President and great friend to ACG.

  • Collaboration with World Gastroenterology Organisation (WGO) involves ACG in "Train the Trainer" and World Digestive Health Day.

    ACG celebrates WGO's World Digestive Health Day on IBS.

    ACG Colorectal cancer screening guideline first to recommend African Americans begin at age 45.

    GI Cirlce launches: an online professional networking community for ACG members.

    ACG and ASGE launch quality benchmarking registry: GI Quality Improvement Consortium "GIQuIC."

    ACG Institute Tops $10 million in clinical GI research support.

  • ACG introduces podcasts for patients on CRC, IBD, and common GI topics.

    ACCME Accreditation with Commendation.

    Hands-on Workshops come to ACG Annual Meeting.

    ACG takes on the public health challenge of chronic viral hepatitis C infection in the U.S.

    Dr. Moayyedi and Dr. Chey take the reigns as Co-Editors and increase AJG's impact factor

  • ACG Institute surpasses $1 million annual grant support.

    Social Media gains traction at ACG for GI health awareness.

    5 K race for digestive health with GutrunnersTM.

    Dr. Eamonn M.M. Quigley receives Inaugural ACG Internaional Leadership Award.

  • Dr. DiMase of Rhode Island recognized in 2011 for efforts to increase colorectal screening among the uninsured with first ACG Community Service Award. He died in 2012.

    New AJG audio podcasts feature Red Journal's clinical highlights.

  • Introducing ACG Case Reports Journal

    Mohammad Yaghoobi, MD, MSc, Editor-in-Chief, ACG Case Reports Journal

    ACG introduces Hepatitis School

  • President Ronald J. Vender, MD, FACG, attends launch of NCCRT “80% by 2018” colorectal cancer campaign with American Cancer Society’s Dr. John R. Seffrin and U.S. Asst. Secretary for Health Dr. Howard K. Koh

    Launch of online communities: ACGCCFA IBD Circle and Hepatitis Circle

    ACG Institute launches Edgar Achkar Visiting Professors Program

    Brian E. Lacy, MD, PhD, FACG, Editorin- Chief of CTG

    Ryan J. Law, DO, Editor-in-Chief, ACGCRJ

  • ACCME awards Accreditation with Commendation for the second time

    Nicholas J. Shaheen, MD, MPH, FACG, appointed ACG Institute Director

    David C. Whitcomb, MD, PhD, FACG, becomes CTG Editor-in-Chief

    Launch of the “SCOPY”: Service Award for Colorectal Cancer Outreach, Prevention and Year- Round Excellence

    Rena H. Yadlapati, MD, Editor-in- Chief, ACG Case Reports Journal

  • ACG launches social media campaign for March Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month

    Social media presence expands as ACG joins LinkedIn, Instagram

    Brian E. Lacy, MD, PhD, FACG, & Brennan M.R. Spiegel, MD, MSHS, FACG, become AJG Co-Editors-in- Chief

    Katie Couric authors AJG Red Section article, “An Unexpected Turn: My Life as a Cancer Advocate”

    Matthew A. Chin, MD, Editor-in- Chief, ACG Case Reports Journal

  • Glenn M. Eisen, MD, MPH, takes over as GIQuIC President & Director from Irving M. Pike, MD, FACG, who served since inception in 2009

    New online communities launched: Women in GI Circle and Functional GI Health & Nutrition Circle

    ACG Magazine makes its debut as the College retires ACG Update newsletter

    ACG hosts World Congress of Gastroenterology at ACG 2017 with World Gastroenterology Organisation

    ACG introduces IBD School

    Governors and Officers visit Capitol Hill to press ACG’s legislative agenda

    Parth J. Parekh, MD, Editor-in- Chief, ACG Case Reports Journal