Our Leadership Team

This committee is responsible for developing and overseeing the implementation of the basic science and clinical programs for the annual CDDW™ conference. Chaired by the CAG President-Elect, the committee includes the VP of Education Affairs, VP of Research Affairs and the CAG President, and is supported by the CAG National Office.

The Administrative Affairs committee is responsible for supporting the structure of the organization, ensuring its viability and growth as well as accountability, transparency and inclusivity.

Sub-Committee descriptions:

Admissions - Encourages membership and reviews and recommends approval from the Board of Directors all applications for membership from qualified professionals.

Advocacy Committee - Raising awareness on key topics from our regional partners, and it is working closely with government and decision-makers to ensure that our issues are heard

Climate Change - Focused on promoting awareness and action towards environmental sustainability and advocating for policies and practices that mitigate the impact of climate change.

Equity Diversity Inclusion Reconciliation Accessibility (EDIRA) - Identifies important issues related to equity, gender, identified and under-represented groups and communities for discussion and action.

Ethics - Establishes/updates guidelines for ethical standards in patient care, research, education, and industry interaction, and increases understanding of biomedical ethics in gastroenterology.

Publications/Archives - Responsible for all the CAG publications/communications including the website and archives. Its chair is a member of the Journal of the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology-Oxford University Press (JCAG-OUP) Advisory Group.

GIWomenCAN! - A group of physicians advocating for women in clinical gastroenterology and gastrointestinal research in Canada. The goal is to improve the experiences of Canadian women physicians and researchers working in gastroenterology.

Women's Mentorship Program - To provide female residents and newer gastroenterologists access to mentors from diverse GI practices, academic departments, and geographic regions. We hope to foster casual dialogue between mentors and mentees, while affording trainees the opportunity to gain valuable guidance and career advice from faculty not accessible to them in their training programs.

The Clinical Affairs committee supports the needs of practitioners and enhances the CAG’s ability to respond to the concerns of practitioners. It also the develops Clinical Practice Guidelines and partners with complementary associations.

Sub-Committee descriptions:

Endoscopy - Represents the CAG on matters relating to endoscopy and promotes competence and training in the field, including development of credentialing guidelines in endoscopic procedures.

Pediatrics - Represents the interests of pediatric gastroenterologists and researchers.

Practice Affairs - Provides a forum to address issues relevant to clinical members of the CAG including ongoing training, knowledge dissemination, practice-related issues, Clinical Practice Guidelines, and position papers.

Regional Representation - Serves as a channel of communication between the CAG and provincial/regional gastroenterology associations.

The Education Affairs committee ensures diverse learning opportunities and programs that promote and expand members’ clinical, scientific, and procedural skills in a rapidly changing environment based on the latest evidence-based information to ultimately enhance patient care and improve health outcomes. The primary target audience includes specialists in gastroenterology/hepatology and trainees entering the practice of gastroenterology.

Sub-Committee descriptions:

NEW: Gastroenterology Mentorship & Advancement Program (GI-MAP) – A national mentorship initiative that connects internal medicine residents (mentees) with gastroenterology fellows (mentors) to provide guidance, foster professional development, and support early interest in a career in gastroenterology. The program supports one-on-one mentoring relationships across institutions, based on subspecialty interest and personal preferences and is positioned along the educational continuum between the Scholars’ and GRIT programs. It is also designed to encourage future mentorship and leadership within the CAG.

Gastroenterology Residents-In-Training (GRIT) - A high-caliber, internationally recognized, annual training program for gastroenterology/hepatology residents held in association with CDDW™. It is designed to provide trainees with experience presenting posters orally; cover timely topics of interest and obtain up-to-date information in a context that allows critical evaluation; interact and network with other residents; and interact closely with a small number of recognized, effective Canadian teachers.

Maintenance of Certification (MOC) - Reviews and approves submissions for Section One and Section Three RCPSC accreditation of educational events. It serves to increase the quality of gastrointestinal educational events in Canada; facilitate participation of the CAG membership in the Royal College MOC program; and provide physician and non-physician organizations with a single point of contact for accreditation of educational programs related to the gastroenterology specialty.

The MOC is guided by the following principles: to adhere to the rules and regulations outlined by the Royal College concerning the MOC accreditation process; maintain the integrity of the accreditation process; provide an efficient process for industry and non-industry groups; and ensure the process will be transparent.

Scholars' - Is held in conjunction with CDDW™ and provides an opportunity for exceptional internal medicine and pediatric residents (PGY1/PGY2), and medical students in the final 2 years of their program (3rd/4th year in a 4-year program, 2nd/3rd year in a 3-year program) to explore a career in gastroenterology. The annual program accepts 32 candidates – including both adult and pediatric-focused participants – as well as two positions reserved for BIPOC candidates.

Skills Enhancement for Endoscopy™ (SEE™) - A national hands-on educational program for Canadian practising endoscopists. The SEE™ Program consists of three accredited courses: Colonoscopy Skills Improvement (CSI) (designed for all practising endoscopists). The CSI Course provides up-skilling and improvement of colonoscopy skills; Train-the-Endoscopy-Trainer (TET) (designed for teachers of endoscopy), with specific aims to improve teaching skills and procedural conscious competence needed to teach endoscopy; Endoscopic Polypectomy Improvement Course (EPIC) (designed for all practising endoscopists). The course provides a didactic lecture (Approach to Polypectomy: Diagnosis of polyps; Polypectomy techniques; Case-based discussion) and a practical hands-on session using an ex-vivo porcine model.

The Quality Affairs committee ensures that limited human and other resources are optimally utilized for patient care.

Sub-Committee descriptions:

Innovation - Evaluates how best to develop quality metrics and assess how effective they are at improving quality.

Quality Practice Guidelines - Develops quality guidelines relevant to endoscopic and clinical practice.

C-GRS - Oversees the Canada-Global Rating Scale (C-GRS) quality initiative which allows participating sites to record their responses to the bi-annual questionnaire to help them reflect on and track the quality of both clinical and patient services they provide.

IBD-GRS - Oversees the IBD-Global Rating Scale (IBD-GRS) quality initiative, a web-based self-assessment tool allowing clinics and healthcare professionals to review the quality of their care delivery, and the impact of any improvements to care services.

Reporting - Makes recommendations for content and standards related to point-of-care medical record systems that incorporate quality measures.

Choosing Wisely - Performs an annual review of the current Choosing Wisely Canada (CWC) recommendations as submitted by the CAG, reviews CAG clinical practice guidelines to identify recommendations that may be suitable for Choosing Wisely List, solicits recommendations for new gastrointestinal-related lists, and reviews and considers recommendations put forth by CWC.

The Research Affairs committee oversees several key initiatives including the CAG research funding program, development of the basic science educational content for CDDW™ and conducting the annual abstract review and selection process.

Sub-Committee description:

Research Topics - An annual meeting where basic science and clinical trainees come together to present their research, participate in career workshops, and network.

This committee identifies and nominates members to stand for election as Director of the Board, when a vacancy or vacancies occur.