Governance

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CAG Volunteer Sign Up

 

Board of Directors

The Board of Directors are responsible for managing the properties and activities of the CAG. The Board welcomes members' comments and suggestions which may be forwarded via the National Office by email.

 


President
2024-2026

Lawrence Hookey


 


 

Past President
2024-2026

Paul Moayyedi

 
Francois

President-Elect
2024-2026

Francois Boudreau


 

Secretary
2023-2026

Laura Sly


 
Mark

Treasurer
2024-2027

Mark Borgaonkar

 

 

Past Presidents

YearsNameUniversity
2022-2024Kevin WaschkeMcGill University
2020-2022Nicola JonesUniversity of Toronto
2018-2020David ArmstrongMcMaster University
2016-2018Derek McKayUniversity of Calgary
2014-2016Daniel SadowskiUniversity of Alberta
2012-2014David MorganMcMaster University
2010-2012Ronald BridgesUniversity of Calgary
2008-2010William PatersonQueen’s University
2006-2008Desmond J LeddinDalhousie University
2004-2006Philip M ShermanUniversity of Toronto
2002-2004John L WallaceUniversity of Calgary
2000-2002Richard FedorakUniversity of Alberta
1998-2000Gary A LevyUniversity of Toronto
1996-1997J Joseph ConnonUniversity of Toronto
1994-1996D Grant GallUniversity of Calgary
1993-1994Stephen M CollinsMcMaster University
1992-1993Richard H HuntMcMaster University
1991-1992Suzanne E LemireUniversité Laval
1990-1991Eldon A ShafferUniversity of Calgary
1989-1990Iain G CleatorUniversity of British Columbia
1988-1989Aubrey GrollQueen’s University
1987-1988Alan BR ThomsonUniversity of Alberta
1986-1987C Noel WilliamsDalhousie University
1985-1986Claude C RoyUniversité de Montréal
1984-1985William C WatsonUniversity of Western Ontario
1983-1984Laurington R DaCostaQueen’s University
1982-1983Cameron HarrisonUniversity of British Columbia
1981-1982Gordon G ForstnerUniversity of Toronto
1980-1981Jacques KesslerMcGill University
1979-1980Florent ThibertUniversité de Montréal
1978-1979Wilfred M WeinsteinUniversity of Alberta
1977-1978Leslie S ValbergUniversity Western Ontario
1976-1977Bernard J PereyUniversité de Sherbrooke
1975-1976Richard R GilliesUniversity of Ottawa
1974-1975Jacques O GagnonUniversité de Montréal
1973-1974Joseph J SidorovDalhousie University
1972-1973James F LindUniversity of Manitoba
1971-1972John M FinlayUniversity of Toronto
1970-1971J Alan L GilbertUniversity of Alberta
1969-1970Douglas G KinnearMcGill University
1968-1969Abraham BogochUniversity of British Columbia
1967-1968Ivan T BeckQueen’s University
1966-1967KJR WightmanUniversity of Toronto
1965-1966Paul LetendreUniversité de Montréal
1964-1965Eric M NansonUniversity of Saskatchewan
1963-1964Walter C MackenzieUniversity of Alberta
1962-1963Robert C DicksonDalhousie University
1961-1962Richard D McKennaMcGill University

 

Operations Committee

The Operations Committee will work as a group to accomplish the strategic (as defined by the Strategic Plan), operational and financial goals of the CAG. Together, the Operations Committee will be responsible for the oversight and delivery of the programs and services of the CAG and will report to the Board by way of meeting minutes and monitoring reports from time to time.

 


Chair, Operations Committee
2021-Present

Stuart Johnston


 

VP, Administrative Affairs
2023-2026

Jerry McGrath


 
governance frances tse 2024

VP, Clinical Affairs
2024-2027

Frances Tse


 

VP, Education Affairs
2021-2027

Steven Gruchy


 

VP, Quality Affairs
2020-2026

Geoffrey Nguyen


 
governance premysl bercik

VP, Research Affairs
2024-2027

Premysl Bercik


 

 

Board Committees

To view committee members, please click on the Committees below:

 

Administrative Affairs

 

Sub-Committee descriptions:

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

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion - 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.

 

Sub-CommitteeNameRole
  Jerry McGrath, St. John's, NF V.P.
Admissions Sarvee Moosavi, Vancouver, BC Chair
  Jennifer Leonard, St. John's, NF Member
Equity Diversity Inclusion
Reconciliation Accessibility
(EDIRA)
Chadwick Williams, Darthmouth, NS Chair
Alberto Caminero, Hamilton, ON Member
Milli Gupta, Calgary, AB Member
Larry Jacob James, Halifax, NS Member
Prévost Jantchou, Montreal, QC Member
Yasmin Nasser, Calgary, AB Member
Pape-Mamadou Sene, Montreal, QC Member
Sowmya Sharma, Halifax, NS Member
Harminder Singh, Winnipeg, MB Member
Laura Targownik, Toronto ON Member
Ethics Ian Epstein, Halifax, NS Chair
Publications/Archives Jean-Eric Ghia, Winnipeg, MB Chair
GIWomenCAN! Laura Targownik, Toronto, ON Chair
Talia Zenlea, Toronto, ON Vice-Chair
Rowena Almeida, Toronto, ON Member
Natasha Bollegala, Toronto, ON Member
Colette Deslandres, Montreal, QC Member
Deanna Gibson, Vancouver, BC Member
Milli Gupta, Calgary, AB Member
Smita Halder, Hamilton, ON Member
Dana Philpott, Toronto, ON Member
Lana Bistritz, Edmonton, AB Member
Melissa Kelley, Kingston, ON Member
Trainee Representative Parul Tandon, Toronto, ON  
Women's Mentorship Program Smita Halder, Hamilton, ON Co-Chair
Lara Hart, Hamilton, ON Co-Chair

Clinical Affairs

 

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.

 

Sub-CommitteeNameRole
  Frances Tse, Hamilton, ON V.P.
Endoscopy Jeff Mosko, Toronto, ON Chair
Pediatrics Nick Carman, Toronto, ON Chair
Practice Affairs Nauzer Forbes, Calgary, AB Chair
Regional Representation Mark MacMillan, Fredericton, NB Chair
Melanie Belanger, Montreal, QC Member
Nazira Chatur, Vancouver, BC Member
Emily Ching, Hamilton, ON Member
Steven Gruchy, Halifax, NS Member
Naseem Hoque, St. Albert, AB Member
James McHattie, Regina, SK Member
Chetty Muthiah, Winnipeg, MB Member

Education Affairs

 

Sub-Committee descriptions:

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.

 

Sub-CommitteeNameRole
  Steven Gruchy, Halifax, NS V.P.
Gastroenterology Residents-In-Training (GRIT) Orlee Guttman, Vancouver, BC Chair
Jordan Green, Thunder Bay, ON Incoming Chair
Jason Silverman, Edmonton, AB Past Chair
Orlee Guttman, Vancouver, BC Incoming Chair
Stephanie Canning, Ottawa, ON Faculty
Michael Stewart Faculty
Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Amindeep Sandhu, London, ON Chair
Pushpa Sathya, St. John's, NF Vice Chair
Robert Berger, Halifax, NS Member
Maria Cino, Toronto, ON Member
Ted Xenodemetropoulos, Hamilton, ON Member
Program Director (RCPSC) Catharine Walsh, Toronto, ON Chair
Scholars' Lara Hart, Toronto, ON Co-Chair
John Igoe, Halifax, NS Co-Chair
Skills Enhancement for Endoscopy™ (SEE™) Kevin Waschke, Montreal QC Senior Co-Chair
Dana Farina, Montreal, QC Vice Co-Chair
Charles Ménard, Sherbrooke, QC Vice Co-Chair
Catharine Walsh, Toronto, ON Junior Co-Chair
Eric Greenwald, Hamilton, ON Senior Member
Eric Lam, Vancouver, BC Junior Member
Trainee Representative Rachel Sullivan, Halifax, NS  

Quality Affairs

 

Committee and 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.

 

CommitteeNameRole
  Geoffrey Nguyen, Toronto, ON V.P.
Choosing Wisely Sub-Committee Des Leddin, Halifax, NS Chair
Brian Craig, Rothesay, NB Member
Mark MacMillan, Fredericton, NB Member
Harminder Singh, Winnipeg, MB Member
Adam Weizman, Toronto, ON Member
C-GRS Sub-Committee Nicky Marwaha, Burlington, ON Chair
Dan Sadowski, Edmonton, AB Co-Chair
Stephanie Carpentier, St. John's, NL Member
Val Ginzburg, Richmond Hill, ON Member
Dana Moffatt, Winnipeg, MB Member
Rabin Persad, Edmonton, AB Member
Harminder Singh, Winnipeg, MB Member
Jennifer Telford, Vancouver, BC Member
IBD-GRS Sub-Committee Alain Bitton, Montreal, QC Chair
Nancy Fu, Vancouver, BC Member
Geoffrey Nguyen, Toronto, ON Member
Adam Weizman, Toronto, ON Member
Innovation Natasha Bollegala, Toronto, ON Co-Chair
Adam Weizman, Toronto, On Co-Chair
Quality Practice Guidelines Jennifer Jones, Halifax, NS Chair
Reporting Peter Rossos, Toronto, ON Chair
Trainee Representative Malini Hu, Toronto, ON  

Research Affairs

 

Sub-Committee descriptions:

Research Affairs 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.

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

 

Sub-CommitteeNameRole
  Premysl Bercik, Hamilton, ON V.P.
  Heather Armstrong, Edmonton, AB Member
  Marie-Josée Boucher, Sherbrooke, QC Member
  Kirk Bergstrom, Vancouver, BC Member
  Antoine Dufour, Calgary, AB Member
  Alex Gregorieff, Montreal, QC Member
  Vivian Huang, Toronto, ON Member
  Tae-Hee Kim, Toronto, ON Member
  Giada de Palma, Hamiton, ON Member
  Nauzer Forbes, Calgary, AB Member
  Lisa Reynolds, Victoria, BC Member
Research Topics Veronique Giroux, Sherbrooke, QC Co-Chair
Yasmin Nasser, Calgary, AB Co-Chair
  Alberto Caminero, Hamilton, ON Faculty
Trainee Representative Nathalia Malacco, Montreal, QC  

Nominations

NameRole
Lawrence Hookey, Kingston, ON Chair
François Boudreau, Sherbrooke, QC Co-Chair
Laura Sly, Vancouver, BC Co-Chair
Chadwick Williams, Darthmouth, NS Co-Chair
TBA Member
TBA Member
TBA Member
 

View the CAG Governance Policies and Orientation Manual - Approved June 28, 2022