American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy

The American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) was founded in 1941 as the American Gastroscopic Club to provide a forum in which physicians practicing gastroscopy-now known as endoscopy-could address the methodology and instrumentation of their work and promote its use by properly trained personnel. Gastrointestinal endoscopy is the examination of the interior of certain areas of the digestive system through use of a flexible, illuminated instrument. The ASGE currently has approximately 7,000 members and is dedicated to the education of its physician members in the appropriate use of endoscopic techniques for the diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal diseases. The Society’s membership consists of domestic and international gastroenterologists, surgeons, and other medical specialists who utilize endoscopy as a diagnostic and therapeutic method of treatment for diseases of the digestive tract. The ASGE, in partnership with the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), established the American Digestive Health Foundation to support research and education in digestive diseases. The Foundation awards research funding in endoscopy; the study of diseases affecting the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, including the esophagus, stomach, gallbladder, intestines, and bile duct (gastroenterology); and the study of diseases affecting the liver (hepatology). In addition, through the Foundation’s education arm, the ASGE and its partners have targeted ulcers, colorectal cancer, and hepatitis for aggressive, multifaceted consumer and physician education campaigns. In 1995, the ASGE and several additional professional associations also formed the “Federated Societies of Gastroenterology and Hepatology” (FSGH), a federation that serves as a vehicle for advocating its members’ positions on managed care, clinical practice, government relations, and training and research issues. In addition, the ASGE’s Washington, D.C. office advocates its positions on policy and reimbursement issues to members of Congress and federal agencies. The Society’s publications “ASGE News” and “ASGE Update” keep members informed concerning current government relations activities. The ASGE also hosts an Annual Meeting as well as annual and interim postgraduate courses that focus on current practices and standards of care of gastrointestinal endoscopy. The ASGE Annual Meeting is an international conference devoted to the science and practice of gastroenterology and hepatology. Its sessions focus on the latest advances in the clinical and basic science of gastroenterology and hepatology and the use of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. The Society also provides a variety of professional publications and educational aides including the ASGE’s monthly scientific journal “Gastrointestinal Endoscopy”; handbooks; status evaluations; practice guidelines; “Clinical Updates,” which are single-topic publications distributed quarterly to members and primary care physicians dealing with subjects of relevance to gastrointestinal endoscopists; and educational programs for individual physicians including video cassette programs and clinical teaching projects.