Las Vegas, NV (October 25, 2021) – Samir A. Shah, MD, FACG, was elected by the membership as the 2021-2022 President of the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG), a national medical organization representing more than 16,000 clinical gastroenterologists and other specialists in digestive diseases. Dr. Shah is Clinical Professor of Medicine at the Alpert Medical School at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, and Chief of Gastroenterology at the Miriam Hospital. He is a partner with Gastroenterology Associates, Inc., a private practice GI group affiliated with Brown and Lifespan.
Dr. Shah officially takes his position as President during the College’s Annual Scientific Meeting and Postgraduate Course held this week in Las Vegas. In this position, Dr. Shah will direct ACG’s programs, which include continuing medical education in the clinical, scientific, and patient-related skills of gastroenterology, activities involving national and state medical affairs, health policy issues, and clinical investigation.
Dr. Shah earned his BA in Biochemistry magna cum laude at Brown and his MD at Harvard Medical School. After graduating, he completed his residency in internal medicine at the Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. He continued on for a fellowship in gastroenterology at the same institution where he was awarded a Howard Hughes Postdoctoral Fellowship for Physicians and spent two years in the laboratory studying murine models of inflammatory bowel disease.
A member of the ACG Board of Trustees since 2013, Dr. Shah has served as an officer of the College since 2017. From 2002 to 2006, he was elected ACG Governor for Rhode Island and in 2003 received the Freshman Governor’s Award for Outstanding Service. His leadership path with the Board of Governors included a term from 2005 to 2008 as Vice-Chair, and from 2008 to 2010 as Chair. In 2012, Dr. Shah was honored with the distinguished William D. Carey Award for outstanding service to the College and the Board of Governors.
His service to the College has included significant roles in a number of committees, including a long tenure from 2000 to 2017 on the Practice Management Committee, from 2004 to 2005 on the Credentials Committee, Chair of the Membership Committee from 2005 to 2008, and a member of the Awards Committee from 2011 to 2017. He also serves as co-chair of the IBD Circle, an online professional networking community sponsored by The Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation and ACG.
Active and engaged in legislative and regulatory matters impacting GI practices, Dr. Shah became involved as ACG representative to the Digestive Diseases National Coalition (DDNC) and from 2018 to 2020 served as DDNC President.
Dr. Shah has co-authored more than 100 articles, book chapters, and abstracts and has given over 100 invited presentations primarily devoted to inflammatory bowel disease. Dr. Shah is the recipient of numerous honors and awards, including Brown University’s Teaching Recognition Award, the Dean’s Teaching Excellence Certificate, Brown University’s Excellence in Teaching Award for Clinical Faculty, and the Beckwith Family Award for Outstanding Teaching. He has participated in several multi-center clinical trials of cutting-edge therapies for IBD and was co-principal investigator for OSCCAR (Ocean State Crohn’s and Colitis Area Registry). His group participates in the IBD QORUS program through the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation.
“The ACG is the professional home of the clinical gastroenterologist. If an immigrant son of immigrants from India and Kenya can become President of the ACG, the ACG is clearly open to all and a place where anyone can and will thrive,” said Dr. Shah. “So, my message is: if you are engaged in clinical gastroenterology – physician, nurse, advanced practice provider, researcher, etc. – the ACG should be your professional home regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, nationality, academic or private practice,” he added.
Photographs of Dr. Shah are available by contacting Anne-Louise Oliphant, mediaonly@gi.org.
About the American College of Gastroenterology
Founded in 1932, the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) is an organization with an international membership of over 16,000 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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