Nearly 14,500 physicians from 86 countries are members of the ACG. Through annual scientific meetings, The American Journal of Gastroenterology, regional postgraduate training courses and research grants, the ACG provides its members with the most accurate and up-to-date scientific information on digestive health and the etiology, symptomatology and treatment of GI disorders. ACG’s advocacy in the public policy arenas, and the work of the ACG’s 22 committees have made tremendous strides with many premiere accomplishments to improve the future of clinical gastroenterology and the quality of care available to patients with GI conditions and diseases, today. The information exchange and training acquired through College membership provide physicians with the knowledge necessary to offer the most effective patient care and to meet the challenges of today’s changing health care system. For more information about becoming a member, click here.
The newly updated ACG Strategic Plan articulates the College’s key priorities and provides a roadmap for the future of the organization. Addressing ACG’s founding principles of Education and support for Clinical Research, the ACG Strategic Plan also offers a comprehensive vision for ACG’s Governance and Administration, Public Policy priorities, commitment to Quality, and the excellence of our Publications and Communications. A new area of focus for the 2019 Strategic Plan is Wellness and Professionalism, in recognition of the substantial work-related pressures to which clinicians are exposed and their impact on the gastroenterology workforce.
Sunanda V. Kane, MD, MSPH, FACG, a gastroenterologist and Professor of Medicine at Mayo Clinic Rochester, Minnesota, is the 2018-2019 President of the American College of Gastroenterology. Dr. Kane is the Chair of Quality within the Mayo Clinic’s Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, where she is responsible for oversight of all quality improvement projects within the Division, tracking endoscopic quality metrics for the practice, leading annual credentialing reviews, and is an adjunct faculty member to the Mayo Quality Academy.
Dr. Kane received her B.S. in Biological Sciences from the University of California, Irvine and M.S. in Public Health in Biostatistics and Epidemiology from the University of Illinois. After earning her medical degree from Rush Medical College, Dr. Kane completed her internship and residency in Internal Medicine at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center, and then her fellowship in Gastroenterology at the University of Chicago.
Dr. Kane has a busy clinical practice seeing patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and considers herself a clinician first and foremost. She conducts research in the areas of new therapies, gender-specific issues, and medication adherence. Dr. Kane is also actively engaged in teaching, including the second-year medical students in the Mayo Medical School, the medicine residents on the GI inpatient consult service, and gastroenterology fellows in clinic, on hospital service and in the outpatient endoscopy suite.
A member of the ACG Board of Trustees since 2008, Dr. Kane has served as an officer of the College since 2014. In 2017, she was selected by the ACG President to deliver the David Y. Graham Lecture, “On Becoming a Successful Leader: An Amazing Journey or the Road the Nowhere?” Since 2011, Dr. Kane has served on the Board of Directors for the ACG Institute for Clinical Research & Education. Dr. Kane was Director of the College’s Quality Council from 2012 to 2015.
Her numerous contributions to the work of the College include service as a member of the ACG Educational Affairs Committee (2000-2007), the Women in Gastroenterology Committee (2000-2005, Chair, 2005-2008), and the Finance & Budget Committee (2013-2014.) She pioneered ACG’s Fellows Mentoring Program in 2010 and continues to participate as a mentor. Dr. Kane has a longstanding commitment to career development for GI fellows-in-training, first serving as Faculty for the North American Conference of GI Fellows in 2003, then serving as Chair from 2005 to 2017. In 2007, Dr Kane organized and hosted the first Networking and Negotiation Skills Workshop to fill a need in this area. In 2017, along with Dr. David Rubin, she developed and serves as course Co-Director for ACG’s IBD School.
She has co-edited a pocket guide on management of IBD for practitioners and written a book for patients on self-management. She is the Past Chair of the National Patient Education Committee for the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation. She served as the first female Associate Editor for Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics and continues to serve editorial roles for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, Gastroenterology & Hepatology, and the Journal of Crohn’s and Colitis. Dr. Kane sits on the GI Specialty Council of the American Board of Internal Medicine. She has contributed over 135 papers of original research, 50 reviews, and 25 book chapters to the medical literature.
Her hobbies include writing haiku, being commissioner for a fantasy football league, and standup comedy.
During the first week of February 2005, the American College of Gastroenterology moved into its new national headquarters building located in Bethesda, Maryland. In recognition of the continued outstanding growth in membership and programming, the move is designed to permit the College’s administrative staff to better serve the needs of the organization and its members. The new space provides a significant upgrade in the amount of work-space and will permit the College to meet its administrative staffing needs for the foreseeable future.
The move to increase administrative capacity is an outgrowth of the review of the College’s capabilities and resources that began in 2001 with then President Edgar Achkar’s appointment of a strategic planning committee and culminated with the ratification of the ACG Strategic Plan in 2002. The College’s Board of Trustees believes all members will benefit from an increased level of service and new and exciting programs that build on the ACG’s unique role as champion of clinical gastroenterology.
Committee members want to personally recognize the late Albert C. Svoboda, MD, MACG, who prior to his passing, dedicated a great deal of his time to see this project come to fruition. A special acknowledgement of Dr. Svoboda is included in the book.