PUBLIC RELATIONS COMMITTEE MEMBERS Tauseef Ali, MD, FACG, Chair Manal F. Abdelmalek, MD, MPH, FACG Jessica R. Allegretti, MD, MPH, FACG Sophie M. Balzora, MD, FACG John D. Betteridge, MD Amanda C. Cheung, MD Austin L. Chiang, MD, MPH Maithili V. Chitnavis, MD Reezwana Chowdhury, MD Robin L. Dalal, MD Mohamad El Zein, MD Katie A. Falloon, MD Adam J. Goodman, MD, FACG
Danny Issa, MD Ankur Jain, MD, FACG Allon Kahn, MD Leo C. Katz, MD, FACG Jonathan S. Kung, MD Adam C. Lessne, MD Benjamin H. Levy, III, MD Scot M. Lewey, DO, FACG Phillip C. Lindholm, MD Dana J. Lukin, MD, PhD, FACG Lisa B. Malter, MD, FACG Maen Masadeh, MD Sajan Jiv Nagpal, MD
RESPONSIBILITIES AS STATED IN THE ACG BYLAWS This Committee shall be responsible for coordinating all public relations activities between the College and the professional and lay public.
COMMITTEE REPORT
2020-2021 Highlights: New Ways to Create Engagement and Awareness During Challenging Times #DiversityinGI Virtual 5K This virtual event in the fall of 2020 raised over $30,000 for the ACG Summer Scholars Program thanks to over 500 registrations and generous sponsorship support from Braintree Pharmaceuticals and Ironwood. ACG members embraced a virtual race and celebrated of
Tauseef Ali, MD, FACG
the diversity of the GI profession. When the College launched the ACG 2020 #DiversityinGI Virtual 5K, no one could have imagined the high levels of enthusiasm, intensity of the rivalries, the incredible sense of fun, or the serious depth of commitment among so many ACG members, their friends, families and colleagues—all of whom showed their support and commitment to diversity in GI, and shed a light on a critical issue in gastroenterology and medicine. The social media posts, special runs organized by some of the GI training programs, and the tremendous sense of camaraderie were all so gratifying to race Co-Chairs Dr. Sophie Balzora and Dr. Darrell Gray. Champions from the 5K Race committee—all of them serious runners—added their voices and encouragement, while turning in some impressive race times. 1Fact/1 Myth Social Media Campaign with ACG’s Committee on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion To support the College’s commitment to use facts to help dispel myths and misconceptions about COVID-19 vaccines, the PR Committee collaborated with the ACG Committee on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and supported a campaign developed under the leadership of Francis A. Farraye, MD, MSc, MACG, Freddy Caldera, DO, MS, and Tauseef Ali, MD, FACG. Their leadership was essential to this effort to address COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and promote vaccine confidence. The campaign included a suite of materials and resources 2020–2021 ACG AWARDS & LEADERSHIP | 79
ACG LEADERSHIP
The ACG Public Relations Committee includes an active and dedicated group of clinicians who support the College’s educational priorities and interface with consumer media and the medical press. Key objectives are to identify and promote clinical research findings and to raise awareness of GI and liver diseases. The PR Committee helps to shape the College’s social media presence and participate in the vibrant conversation relating to clinical GI happening on ACG’s social media channels including Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. Among its key priorities are a signature event, the SCOPY Awards, and annual awareness campaign in conjunction with Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. The PR Committee is charged with a review of research abstracts presented at the ACG Annual Scientific Meeting with a goal of identifying innovative and newsworthy GI clinical science as the basis for the College’s media outreach.
Samantha Nazareth, MD, FACG Jose M. Nieto, DO, FACG Francisco C. Ramirez, MD, MACG Mark W. Russo, MD, MPH, FACG Shabnam Sarker, MD Shawn Shah, MD Pooja Singhal, MD, FACG Joshua A. Sloan, DO Christopher D. South, MD, FACG Ellen M. Stein, MD, FACG David W. Victor, MD, FACG
