And your 2022 Healio Disruptive Innovators are...
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Bringing together the leaders in gastroenterology during the American College of Gastroenterology Annual Meeting, Healio recognized eight Disruptive Innovators.
Each of the awardees in the eight categories changed the face of gastroenterology or hepatology and pushed the status quo toward the betterment of the field. And, you, our readers, voted for these winners among a very impressive list of physicians, researchers, influencers and institutions.
This year, Healio joined with new collaborators and Healio Chief Medical Editor Edward V. Loftus Jr., MD, and Ugo Iroku, MD, MHS, a co-founder of the Association for Black Gastroenterologists and Hepatologists, co-hosted the event.
The Healio Disruptive Innovators represent the revolutionary mindset of Healio and the collaborators as each seek to innovate and disrupt the practice of medicine, improving our patients’ health and fulfilling our passion as physicians.
Woman Disruptor of the Year, given in collaboration with Scrubs & Heels
Anita Afzali, MD, MPH, and Aline Charabaty, MD – both former winners of the Social Media Influencer award and the founders of Scrubs & Heels – joined the ceremony to present this award.
This award goes to a woman in the field of GI who leads by example and inspires the next generation of women to build a successful career in the field. The awardee has a career of positive disruption and recent advancements through which she has made a positive impact in GI.
Allison R. Schulman, MD, MPH
Schulman is dually appointed as an associate professor in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology and the department of surgery at the University of Michigan and is a leader in the field of advanced endoscopy where women make up less than 12% of advanced endoscopy fellows and practicing gastroenterologists.
Schulman’s research focuses on the management of complications following bariatric surgery, endoscopic therapy for obesity, and innovation and device development in endoscopy. She regularly speaks to her passion for bariatric endoscopy and encourages more female representation in the field of advanced endoscopy.
The Healio Rising Disruptor, given in collaboration with the Cleveland Clinic
This award goes to an up-and-coming physician who is already disrupting the status quo in the field, whether through new techniques, new thoughts, questioning methods or breakthrough research.
The awardee consistently comes to mind when we discuss “the next big thing.”
The inaugural Clinical Innovation winner – Miguel Regueiro, MD, represented Cleveland Clinic and accepted this award on behalf of the winner.
Lauren D. Nephew, MD, MAE, MSC, BE
Nephew is a hepatologist focused on understanding barriers to liver transplantation for vulnerable populations and disparities in care of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.
In her most recent research, Nephew and colleagues not only examined the barriers for liver transplantation, but also proposed realistic solutions to break them down.
We look forward to seeing where her career takes her as she continues to serve her patients.
The Healio Social Media Influencer
This award goes to a health care professional who makes a positive impact on social media through platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and leads continued innovation in health care practitioner use of new platforms.
The awardee is regularly listed among the top influencers while attending annual conferences and acts as a trusted resource for their peers amid the din of social media.
Austin Chiang, MD, MPH
From a young, ambitious endoscopist who received the first Healio Rising Disruptor Award in 2018 to a TikTok Doc to the founder of the Association for Healthcare Social Media to the Chief Medical Officer for Medtronic GI, Chiang is the definition of a physician influencer who uses his platforms to educate the everyday user.
In 2020, he launched AHSM. In 2021, he was nominated for the GLAAD TikTok Queer Advocate of the Year and named the first Chief Medical Officer for gastrointestinal business at Medtronic. And in 2022, even the Surgeon General acknowledged his far-reaching impact on health care and the LGBTQ+ community via social media.
There is no doubt Chiang will produce plenty of social media content for us to enjoy, repost and share in the future.
Clinical Innovation Award winner, given in long-time partnership with the American College of Gastroenterology
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 improved through changes in administration, technique or the delivery of value-based care.
Violeta Popov, MD, PhD, FACG
Bariatric endoscopy may not be where it is today without the push from Popov. She not only conducted early research in the techniques, but she established the first active bariatric endoscopy program in a veterans’ hospital in the United States.
She pioneered endoscopic treatment options for weight regain after gastric bypass as well as other bariatric complications as well as primary endoscopic weight loss methods.
Today, Popov set her sights on using bariatric endoscopy to treat non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, a looming crisis in our country.
Health Equity Award, given in collaboration with Women in Endoscopy
This award goes to a physician who has made meaningful change to overcome the social determinants of health in gastroenterology.
The awardee is seen as a model of how identifying and addressing social determinants of health can improve patient care. Rabia De Latour, MD, represented WIE and presented the award.
Sandra Quezada, MD, MS
Serving as the AGA Diversity Committee Chair as well as the Associate Dean for Academic and Multicultural Affairs at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Quezada strives daily to bring equity to her academic institution, her patient care and her community.
Quezada took on the role of Course Director for Medical Spanish nearly 10 years ago, redesigning the curriculum to mirror the main medical curriculum used in the School of Medicine. In July 2020, she spearheaded the AGA’s commitment to equity, which includes an active role in pushing the pages of the journal Gastroenterology toward inclusion of health disparities, socioeconomic determinants of health outcomes and population-based studies on disease incidence among different races and ethnicities.
The Healio Lifetime Disruptor
This award goes to a gastroenterologist or hepatologist who consistently pushed their field forward through innovative treatments, practice management, patient care or research.
The awardee is seen as a leader in their subspecialty whose contributions to the field garner recognition of incoming physicians.
Mark B. Pochapin, MD
Since entering the field of gastroenterology, Pochapin has been dedicated to educating the next generation while bringing the human side back to medicine.
Pochapin led both NYU and all of gastroenterology through the COVID-19 pandemic as the president of the American College of Gastroenterology. At the same time, he spoke openly and honestly about the changes needed in medicine and GI to provide more equity among not only patients but physicians as well, putting the needs of the ACG membership and his faculty at NYU Langone first.
The Healio Patient Voice, given in collaboration with the Association for Black Gastroenterologists and Hepatologists
This award goes to an advocate who has moved the needle in public discussions with patients and patient groups, improving communication between patients and providers and using physician and/or personal experience to push legislative or regulatory action.
For the first time, two awards were given in this category.
Jacqueline Gaulin, GastroGirl
Gaulin founded GastroGirl in 2016 after serving as part of the staff of College. She knew her passion lay with patients and made that passion her life’s work. With GastroGirl, Gaulin has also become an integral part of GI OnDemand and continues to work with the College to educate and serve patients.
Melodie Narain-Blackwell, Color of Crohn’s and Chronic Illness.
COCCI, as she calls it, brought a new voice of diversity to the IBD community and looked to empower underrepresented communities to fight for their quality of life when facing chronic illness.
The Healio Industry Breakthrough Award
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.
Cytosponge (Medtronic)
Though Cytosponge has been available for quite some time, research that arose during the pandemic showed that the use of this ‘sponge-on-a-string’ with a TFF3 test could potentially increase the number of people identified with Barrett’s esophagus by a significant margin.
More recent research published just this year positioned Cytosponge as a prioritization tool for endoscopy, possibly allowing for reduction in endoscopy procedures compared with current surveillance of Barrett’s patients.
On behalf of Medtronic, Austin Chiang, MD, MPH, chief medical officer for Medtronic Gastroenterology, accepted this award.