Distinguished Mentor Award

Established in 2004, the Distinguished Mentor Award recognizes an individual for his or her achievements as an outstanding mentor over a lifelong career.

Eligibility

The recipient should be an individual who has made lifelong efforts dedicated to the mentoring of trainees in the field of gastroenterology. AGA membership is required at the time of nomination.

Solicitation of Nominations

Nominations are solicited by the AGA Chair via a "Call for Nominations" letter in July to the following constituencies: AGA Governing Board, council section chairs, committee chairs, task force chairs and membership-at-large; deans of U.S. medical schools and academic-based chiefs of medicine; GI division chiefs and training directors of major academic institutions; and trainee members of the AGA.

Process of Selection

The Selection Committee is comprised of the Chair of the AGA Institute Research Policy Committee and three previous Distinguished Mentor Award recipients, appointed by the chair of the Research Policy Committee. Nomination packages are forwarded to the Selection Committee for review by November 22. Candidates are chosen by the Selection Committee based primarily on their lifelong contributions to mentoring and training in the field of gastroenterology. Nominees not selected will automatically be carried over to the next year (carry over is for one year only), unless the nominator wishes to withdraw the nomination. The Selection Committee’s recommendation is presented at the February AGA Governing Board meeting.

Award Recognition

The recipient is presented with a crystal award and a certificate at Digestive Disease Week®. 

Nomination Submission Process

The deadline for receipt of nominations is midnight November 11. The nomination package must contain the following: a primary nomination letter of no more than 2 pages highlighting the nominees contributions, curriculum vitae, up to eight letters of recommendation (maximum 2 pages, per letter) that identify the specific accomplishments of the nominee, and a list of the nominees trainees and their current positions. The above documents must be combined into one PDF file and emailed to awards@gastro.org. The nomination file must be titled by the nominee’s last name and first initial. Hard copies will not be accepted. Please forward all questions about this and other AGA Recognition Awards to (301) 222-4012 or via e-mail to wvailor@gastro.org.  

Revised: Approved by the AGA Governing Board, (17) VOTED, February 2010

Past Recipients (2005-2011)

2011 Chung Owyang, MD
2010 Tadataka Yamada, MD, AGAF
2009 Jerry S. Trier, MD, AGAF
2008 Michael Field, MD
2007 Henry J. Binder, MD
2006 Young S. Kim
2005 Nicholas F. La Russo