2025 Early Career Leadership Cohort
Elevating Great Doctors into Great Leaders
The Early Career Leadership Program (formerly the Young Physician Leadership Scholars Program) develops future leaders in clinical gastroenterology by providing leadership and policy training to early-career physicians. These physicians have completed one full year of practice after their terminal GI or hepatology fellowship and are in their first five years of clinical practice. Participants are immersed in coursework covering effective leadership, impactful networking, emotional intelligence, group dynamics, and team building. The ACG Institute is excited to welcome the ninth cohort of the Early Career Leadership Program in 2026.
The Early Career Leadership Program in-person course will take place on June 5-7, 2026 in Washington, DC, as part of Leadership YOU. Leadership YOU will convene the four distinct leadership programs offered by The ACG Institute and The Center for Leadership, Ethics and Equity and will provide attendees with the opportunity to network with participants in all four cohorts, as well as provide cohort specific professional development.
2026 Application portal will be open: September 15 – November 14, 2025 (APPLICATION NOW CLOSED)
2026 In-Person Course Date: June 5-7, 2026 (Renaissance Capital View Hotel; Washington, DC)
Course Directors: Jianhua (Andy) Tau, MD & Judy A. Trieu, MD, MPH
Course Components:
Planned Fly-in Activities:
- Arrive in Washington, D.C. to participate in a full day of policy advocacy on Capitol Hill at the Hyatt Regency Washington (April 16-17, 2026)
- Participate in ACG Governors’ meeting.
Course Topics:
- Leadership Styles & Behaviors
- Self-talk, Self-Confidence, & Leadership Trajectory
- Promoting Inclusive Environments
- Art of Delegation
- Building Positive/Collaborative Work Environments
- Disruption & Innovation
- Successful Mentorship
- Building a Network
- Self-Promotion & Overcoming the Imposter Syndrome
To Apply:
Open to ACG member physicians 1-5 years out of fellowship (completed one full year of practice after their terminal GI or hepatology fellowship and are in their first five years of clinical practice.) Applicants will need to submit their curriculum vitae, complete the online application and provide a letter of recommendation. Please note that the requirement for the letter of nomination has been changed from a standard narrative to 3 focused questions to be completed by the nominator. The questions and form can be found here.
There is no registration fee for the program – it is by invitation only.
Eligibility & Evaluation Criteria:
To select participants, the Institute will evaluate the extent to which an applicant meets the eligibility criteria of the Early Career Leadership Program. Applicants who are ACG member physicians in good standing, are currently practicing within the United States, and are 1 – 5 years out of fellowship (completed a fellowship program between 2020 and 2025) will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
- Strong statements of background experience and skills development that demonstrate a strong interest in Leadership training and Public Policy
- A strong letter of nomination from a person (active ACG member preferred) who has direct knowledge of the applicant’s qualifications and leadership potential and who meets one or more of the following criteria:
- Your Past GI Program Director
- Chief of GI, Division Director, or equivalent position
- ACG Board of Trustees Member
- Senior partner, equity partner, or owner in a private practice setting
- ACG Governor
- A fellow of ACG – FACG, MACG
- Please note that the requirement for the letter of nomination has been changed from a standard narrative to 3 focused questions to be completed by the nominator. The questions and form can be found here.
- Commitment of the applicant to travel to Washington, DC and attend the Governors’ Fly-In April 16-17, 2026 (travel coordinated by ACG)
The ACG Institute seeks a diverse applicant pool from which to select a diverse cohort of participants with respect to several factors that include practice type, race and ethnicity, gender identity, and geographic location.
2026 LE&E Early Career Leadership Program Cohort
Taiwo A. Ajose, MD
Yasser Alsamman, MD
Muhammad H. Bashir, MD
Meghana Doniparthi, MD
Nikki Duong, MD
Holly Samantha Greenwald, MD
Nghiem Bao Ha, MD, MAS
Christian Lee Horn, MD
Amrit K. Kamboj, MD
Shruti Khurana, MD
Pujitha Kudaravalli, MD
Kishore Kumar, MD, FACG
Ahmed Toufic Kurdi, MD
Megan Kathleen Lutz, MD
Daphne Moutsoglou, MD, PhD
Chuma G. Obineme, MD
Sahaj Rathi, MD, MRCP
Joseph Warren Rinaldi, MD
Laura Charles Sahyoun, MD
Priscila Santiago, MD
Rucha Mehta Shah, MD
Aditi Mulgund Stanton, MD, MPH
Eric Swei, MD, MS
Siri Anne Urquhart, MD
Wei Zhang, MD
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