Victor J. Colon, MD, wins ‘Fighting CRC in the Face of Disaster’ SCOPY award

PHILADELPHIA — Despite the destruction of his office as a result of Hurricane Maria in September 2017, Victor J. Colon, MD, and his staff overcame many obstacles to celebrate March CRC Awareness Month just 6 months later.

Colon, from the Instituto Digestivo de Puerto Rico, in Caguas, Puerto Rico, spoke at the 4th annual SCOPY Awards (Service Award for Colorectal Cancer Outreach) presented at the American College of Gastroenterology Annual Meeting.

Despite challenges including lack of contractors, supplies and the unsure status of his staff as many people considered moving to the mainland after Hurricane Maria, Colon rebuilt his office and went on to orchestrate a successful CRC Awareness Month.

“We were very fortunate and blessed to be back in business again by March,” Colon said. He mentioned his office motto focused on treating patients they way you wish to be treated.

Other SCOPY speakers included Douglas J. Robertson, MD, of White River Junction, Vermont, who spoke on behalf of himself and Jason A. Dominitz, MD, of Seattle Washington. Dominitz and Roberson received the Most Far-Reaching and Impactful Initiative SCOPY Award for their radio interview series. After much planning of source materials provided to the radio stations and scheduling, on March 8, 2018, the two physicians split duties and conducted 20 radio interviews over 5 hours that lasted between 1 and 25 minutes. The estimated audience of both the live interviews and additional interview airings was over 24 million.

“Hopefully, some fraction of this audience of those 24 million people were inspired to action,” Robertson said.

Other awards included:

• Best Bowel Prep Video:

Adewale B. Ajumobi, MD, Rancho Mirage, CA, Instructive Video on How to Use Bowel Cleansing Agents

• Best Community Service Delivery and Comprehensive Community Education Initiative by a Health System: Allegheny Health Network, Pittsburgh, PA, 
Screening Saturdays at Eight Centers, Promotion at Sporting Events, Turning Pittsburgh Blue

• SCOPY Consistent Creativity & Commitment Award: Connecticut GI: Farmington, Glastonbury, Hartford, New Britain, New London, Norwich, and Torrington, CT

• Best Video by GI Fellows-in-Training: 

  The Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation, Greater New York Chapter, Fellows’ Committee, New York, NY. Their “True or Poo,” CRC quiz game with patients, was instrumental in their win.

• Best Social Media Impact for a Coordinated Colorectal Cancer Awareness Campaign: Darrell M. Gray, II, MD, MPH, and The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center’s Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Columbus, OH

• Best Original Tactic:

  GI Associates & Endoscopy Center and Reed B. Hogan II, MD, Flowood, MS. They had plastic butts at their First “Butts and Guts” 5K race.

• Best Community Service Delivery by a Private GI Practice: GI Associates & Endoscopy Center and Reed B. Hogan II, MD, Flowood, MS

• Best Call-to-Action: Jack Goldstein, MD, FACG, and Rancocas Endoscopy Unit, Cooper Digestive Health Institute-Willingboro, MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper, Willingboro, NJ. They created “Wallop the Polyp” for their initiative.

• Best Initiative to Address Health Care Disparities: Jack Goldstein, MD, FACG, Cooper Medical School at Rowan University, Rancocas Endoscopy Unit, Cooper Digestive Health Institute-Willingboro, MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper, Willingboro, NJ. Goldstein created the Burlington County Barbershop Initiative.

• Best Spanish Language Video: Ronald K. Hsu, MD, FACG, Capitol Gastroenterology Consultants, Roseville, CA

• Best Multi-Channel Colorectal Cancer Awareness Campaign by GI Fellows:  

  Jessica Sterling, MD; Jonathan I. Gotfried, MD; Jessica Briscoe, MD; and Temple University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA. Their campaign was “Owls for Bowels.”

• Best Initiative to Advance “80% by 2018” Goal: John Muir Health, Walnut Creek, CA

• Best Public Health Intervention for a Targeted Community: Cousins Koosh Desai, MD, Medical College of Georgia, and Minesh Mehta, MD, University of Louisville, Augusta, GA, and Louisville, KY

• Best Coordinated Community Campaign & SCOPY Healthy Living Award: Licking Memorial Health Systems, Newark, OH 

• Best in Blue: NYU Division of Gastroenterology, New York, NY

• Best Community Media Outreach: Praveen Guturu, MD, FACG, The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, TX

• Best Coordinated Community Health Intervention: Sita S. Chokhavatia, MD, MACG, and The Valley Hospital, Ridgewood, NJ

• SCOPY Quality Improvement Award: Sital Singh, MD; Sooraj Tejaswi, MD, MSPH, FACG; Hershan Johl, MD; Brent Vickers; Kari L. Hazard; Traci Pochardt; Christopher Pacheco; Emily Jing; and Everardo Ramirez, RN, UC Davis Gastroenterology, Sacramento, CA

• Best Multi-Channel Colorectal Cancer Awareness Campaign by a Private GI Practice: Texas Digestive Disease Consultants, Southlake, TX

• Best Hashtag:  

  The Brooklyn Hospital Center, Brooklyn, NY, for their #NoButtsAboutIt hashtag.

• Most Far-Reaching and Impactful Initiative Veterans Health Administration SCOPY Spirit of Collaboration Award: Whitfield L. Knapple, MD, FACG, Chair, ACG Legislative and Public Policy Council, Arkansas Gastroenterology, North Little Rock, AR
  

• Best Coordinated Colorectal Cancer Awareness Campaign and Creative Group Photo by a Private GI Practice: Winchester Gastroenterology Associates, Winchester, VA - by Joan-Marie Stiglich, ELS

Reference : 2018 SCOPY Awards (Service Award for Colorectal Cancer Outreach, Prevention and Year-Round Excellence). Presented at: American College of Gastroenterology Annual Scientific Meeting; Oct. 5-10, 2018; Philadelphia.