American College of Gastroenterology Announces Winners of Sixth Annual SCOPYs: Service Award for Colorectal Cancer Outreach, Prevention, and Year-Round Excellence

Bethesda, MD (October 26, 2020) – The American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) announces the winners of the 2020 SCOPY Awards (Service Award for Colorectal Cancer Outreach, Prevention, and Year-Round Excellence) to recognize the achievements of ACG members in their community engagement, education and awareness efforts for colorectal cancer prevention.

“A total of 16 SCOPY Awards will be presented to an outstanding slate of CRC awareness champions,” said ACG Public Relations Committee Chair Sophie M. Balzora, MD, FACG. “In soliciting applications for the SCOPY awards, we recognized the difficult position members of our College grapple with — addressing the present danger of COVID-19 and the reality that in the absence of CRC screening, incidence of this preventable cancer may rise,” she added.

The winning projects were selected by judges Dr. Balzora and Jacques Beauvais, MD, of the NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, NY.

“This year’s initiatives demonstrated sustained engagement with community members, effective collaboration to deliver comprehensive CRC awareness campaigns, a commitment to improving accessibility of CRC screening, and the use of humor to communicate this significant, but under-addressed, public health issue,” Dr. Balzora remarked.

The winners will be honored at the SCOPY Awards Ceremony & Workshop on Saturday, October 24, at 8:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time via the Virtual ACG 2020 Meeting Platform and in the 2020 SCOPY Awards Booklet.

Details of the awards can be found in the 2020 SCOPY Awards Booklet. http://bit.ly/SCOPY-Awards-2020

SCOPY AWARDS for 2020

Best CRC Community Outreach During COVID Allegheny Health Network and Highmark Health Pittsburgh, PA COLOVID-19: The 2020 Story Before, During, and After

Best Culturally Inclusive Social Media Event Duke Division of Gastroenterology/Durham County Colorectal Cancer Screening Workgroup Durham, NC Duke Cancer Institute Facebook Live Event for Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month

Best Culturally Conscious Social Media Campaign Rachel Issaka, MD, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA Darrell M. Gray, II, MD, MPH, FACG, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH Folasade P. May, MD, PhD, MPhil, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA #ItsTimeGetScreened     

Best International Effort Mukesh Sharma Paudel, MD Lumbini City Hospital, Butwal, Nepal Colorectal Cancer and Colonoscopy Lecture, Video, and Poster

Best Multi-Channel Colorectal Cancer Awareness Initiative Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital Houston, TX Colorectal Cancer Awareness – “Go Blue and Get Your Screen On”

Best Multi-Faceted Health Initiative by a Hospital Sita S. Chokhavatia, MD, MACG & The Valley Hospital Ridgewood, NJ CRC Community Awareness and Educational Programs at The Valley Hospital – 2020

Best Patient-Provider Communication Instruction Adewale Ajumobi, MD, FACG; Eliane Coffler, MD; Joline De Castro, MD; Sushant Soni, MD; and Eisenhower Health Rancho Mirage, CA Colonoscopy During the COVID-19 Pandemic & How to Discuss CRC Screening with Your Patient Via Telemedicine

Best Polypectomy Video Ronald Hsu, MD, FACG Sutter Roseville Endoscopy Center, Roseville, CA Colon Cancer Prevention Education Video: Choices

Best Public Health Intervention for a Medically Underserved Patient Population UC San Diego Health San Diego, CA The UC San Diego Health-Family Health Centers of San Diego Colon Health Program: A Partnership to Screen Those Most At-Risk

Best Public Service Announcement Written and Delivered by a Gastroenterologist Louis J. Wilson, MD, FACG & Wichita Falls Gastroenterology Associates Wichita Falls, TX Wichita County Health Department 2020 Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month Message

Best TV PSA Featuring an ACG Governor Alyn L. Adrain, MD, FACG Gastroenterology Associates, Inc., Providence, RI Don’t Die of Embarrassment – Get Screened Today

Grand SCOPY Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Office of Outreach and Health Disparities Houston, TX Light the Night Blue: A Colorectal Cancer Awareness Initiative     

Making CRC Awareness Fun Award University of Alabama at Birmingham, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Birmingham, AL Love Your Bum: Get It Screened 2020 Campaign

Most Inspirational Original Cancer Awareness Song Carlos Keebo Santos Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL Cancer Doesn’t Discriminate

SCOPY Best Bi-Lingual CRC Screening Video Renugadevi Swaminathan, MD, MPH & Arturo Lopez, MD Louisiana State University Health, Shreveport, LA A Clean Colon is Half Your Colonoscopy   

SCOPY Social Media Acumen and Authentic Leadership Award Aline Charabaty, MD Johns Hopkins Sibley Memorial Hospital, Washington, DC #ColonCancerAwareness Month: #ScreenMoreFearLess

About the American College of Gastroenterology

Founded in 1932, the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) is an organization with an international membership of over 15,000 individuals from 86 countries. The College’s vision is to be the pre-eminent professional organization that champions the evolving needs of clinicians in the delivery of high-quality, evidence-based, and compassionate health care to gastroenterology patients. The mission of the College is to advance world-class care for patients with gastrointestinal disorders through excellence, innovation and advocacy in the areas of scientific investigation, education, prevention, and treatment. www.gi.org

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