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And Your Healio Disruptive Innovators Are ...
The Healio Social Media Influencer
This award goes to a health care professional who makes a positive impact on social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc.) and led the tidal change in HCP use within gastroenterology. The awardee regularly makes the top influencers via Symplur while attending DDW, ACG, etc. and acts as a trusted resource for his or her peers amidst the din of social media.
David T. Rubin, MD, joined Twitter in 2009 and has amassed more than 7,500 followers. He was the physician face of #fightwus, a social media campaign to push payers to reconsider their coverage of IBD drugs and put a spotlight on the arduous appeals process many of us experience in the IBD field. He wields the power of the Tweet for better patient care and education of his fellow gastroenterologist.
Woman Disruptor of the Year, presented in conjunction with Women in Interventional Endoscopy
This award goes to a woman in the field who emerged as a leader and an example to younger women of how a successful career can unfold. The awardee may have a career of positive disruption or more recent advancements through which she has made a positive impact within the specialty.
Sunanda V. Kane, MD, FACG, cements her position as woman disruptor of the year as she accepts the torch of ACG President at this very meeting. Kane not only sets an example for other women in the field of gastroenterology, but she pushes all of us to better understand how IBD and other GI disorders disproportionately affect women and how they should be managed with fertility and other considerations.
Rising Disruptive Innovator
This award goes to an up and coming physician who is already disrupting the status quo in the field whether it be through new techniques, new thoughts, questioning methods or breakthrough research. The awardee can be in fellowship, just entering private practice or recently appointed to a faculty position, but consistently comes to mind when we discuss “the next big thing.”
Austin Chiang, MD, MPH, clearly received an ‘A’ in our Peer Testing. Recently appointed to Clinical Assistant Professor at Thomas Jefferson in Philadelphia, Chiang also took on the title of Chief Medical Social Media Officer. Setting a high bar for disseminating information and absorbing the latest in endoscopic techniques, his name is quick to rise to the top when discussing up and coming talent in gastroenterology.
Clinical Innovation Award, presented by Healio and ACG
This award goes to a physician or institution that changed the face of the gastroenterology practice. The awardee is seen as an example of how patient care can be bettered through changes in administration, technique, or the delivery of value-based care.
Miguel Regueiro, MD, introduced us to the IBD Medical Home in 2015. He and his colleagues created a place where the gastroenterologist could act as the primary physician for a patient living with chronic inflammatory bowel disease. The gastroenterologist led a truly multidisciplinary team in caring for these patients, leading to better overall care for the patient and a simultaneous decrease in health expenditures for the institution. This example paved the way for integration of nutrition and mental health into GI practice.
Industry Breakthrough
This award goes to a product that stands out as a major disruption to the practice of gastroenterology. The awardee will have been acknowledged in practice guidelines and enthusiastically integrated into practice by practicing gastroenterologists.
According to a leading advanced endoscopist, the AXIOS Stent and Electocautery Enhanced Delivery System, invented by Ken Binmoeller, MD, and acquired by Boston Scientific, is a leader in the revolution in interventional endoscopy. These lumen apposing metal stents allow for a less invasive way of managing patients with symptomatic pancreatic pseudocysts and walled-off necrosis. As Douglas Adler, MD, said, “Transluminal procedures are extremely gratifying, both for physicians and patients. You feel as if you’re doing something you’re not technically supposed to do, but we are doing it repeatedly and reliably.”
The Patient Voice
This award goes to a patient advocate or advocacy group that moved the needle on a disease regarding discussion in the public sphere, better communication between patients and providers and/or advocacy for legislative or regulatory action (drug approvals, insurance coverage, etc.). The awardee is recognized by physicians as a resource for patients and/or an equal in discussion of the disease state.
Dan Sharp launched his official patient advocate site 3 years ago and stands out as a name both practitioners and patients know in the field of IBD. Working with experts such as our Social Medial Influencer, Rubin, Dan has led the charge for better communication between patients and providers via his work on social media, advisory boards, support groups and public speaking.
Lifetime Disruptor
This award goes to a gastroenterologist or hepatologist that consistently pushed the gastroenterology field forward through innovative treatments, practice management, patient care or research. The awardee is recognized as a leader in his or her subspecialty and incoming physicians recognize the contributions made to the field.
Carol Burke, MD, stands out for her career-long commitment to gastroenterology, setting an example of how passion and dedication can advance one’s position. As a leader at Cleveland Clinic and within ACG, Burke furthered the reach of colorectal cancer screening and her commitment to addressing physician burnout before it became a hot topic puts her at the edge of disruption.