ASGE President Steven A. Edmundowicz, MD, FASGE, invites DDW^® attendees to join him for coffee, doughnuts and the latest updates in gastrointestinal endoscopy during the annual ASGE Presidential Plenary on Saturday, May 18. The theme for this year’s plenary session, Endoscopic Innovation at Center Stage, will be reflected in spirited debates on controversial topics, endowed lectures from world-renowned luminaries in GI endoscopy and the presentation of ASGE’s top-rated abstracts.

“Over recent years, global endoscopy devices have been witnessing growth due to various driving factors, including the rising need for minimally invasive procedures, a diversity in patient populations, increasing obesity rates and a shift toward more geriatric patients,” Dr. Edmundowicz said.

These trends, he said, illustrate how important it is for GI endoscopists to stay on the leading edge of innovation. To that end, the presentations planned for the ASGE Presidential Plenary will examine the latest science and practice trends, as well as the most controversial issues in endoscopic techniques and technologies.

“The plenary is designed to facilitate learning on critical trends, studies and anticipated new best practices from experts in the GI endoscopy field who are integrating innovative approaches and improving the quality of patient care,” Dr. Edmundowicz said.

The three-hour program includes two “hot topic” debates — one on the use of Hemospray^® versus over-the-scope clipping in severe nonvariceal upper GI bleeding, and the other on prophylactic hemoclipping of large colon polyp resection sites. Each debate will be preceded by an abstract presentation featuring new information on the debate topic.

“We also will have five state-of-the-art lectures by top experts who will examine where we stand with various procedures and techniques in our field and, in particular, will educate our audience about important quality and safety issues, evidence-based best practices and a glimpse into what may be on the horizon,” Dr. Edmundowicz said. “There will also be an important lecture on gender disparity in gastroenterology, which will address career pathways for our future women leaders in gastroenterology and GI endoscopy. We’ll hear about past challenges, the progress made and barriers yet to be addressed.”

In the first of two endowed lectures, Michael B. Wallace, MD, MPh, FASGE, professor of medicine and consultant in the division of gastroenterology and hepatology at Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, will deliver this year’s J. Edward Berk Lecture on “New Paradigms in Improving ADR.” Later in the program, Anne Marie Lennon, MD, PhD, FASGE, clinical director of gastroenterology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, will deliver the Jack A. Vennes, MD, and Stephen E. Silves, MD, Endowed Lecture on “Pancreatic Cystic Neoplasms, What Testing Do We Need?”

During the annual ASGE Presidential Address, Dr. Edmundowicz will reflect on the society’s accomplishments over the past year and offer his thoughts on the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead. Dr. Edmundowicz is professor of gastroenterology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and medical director of the Digestive Health Center at University of Colorado Hospital, Aurora.

“This has been an outstanding year for the ASGE and for me personally as its president,” Dr. Edmundowicz said. “Over the past year we have continued to explore areas of collaboration with other GI societies and are in active discussions with them, and with ABIM (American Board of Internal Medicine) on the restructuring of the Maintenance of Certification program.”

ASGE’s highlights in the past year include the development of a public service campaign to alert people with chronic heartburn to see their physician and be screened for Barrett’s esophagus, and the creation of the ASGE GI Organizational Leadership Development (GOLD) program to foster leadership skill development in early career members.

“We have also begun reorganizing our committee structure and initiated new educational programs for GI fellows,” Dr. Edmundowicz said. “We’re excited about the new initiatives, new treatments and new technologies that are being developed in the field of endoscopy. The outlook for our specialty remains very bright, and it has been an absolute pleasure for me to have been associated with this society and its members for the past 31 years.”

Immediately following Dr. Edmundowicz’s presidential address, John J. Vargo II, MD, MPH, FASGE, chair of the department of gastroenterology and hepatology at Cleveland Clinic, OH, will be inaugurated as the 2019-2020 ASGE president.