Home > Membership > Recognition Awards > Research Mentor Award (RMA)
AGA Institute Council Section Research Mentor Award
The AGA Institute Council Section Research Mentor Award (RMA) acknowledges AGA members for their achievements as outstanding mentors in a specific area of research. Awards are given to AGA Institute Council section members who have research interests in the section research topics and have demonstrated a track record of outstanding mentorship in research. Recipients will be awarded during high-level sessions at Digestive Disease Week® (DDW).
Nominations for the 2022 AGA Institute Council Research Mentor Award cycle will be accepted June 30-Aug. 18, 2021. Both clinical and basic research mentors are accepted, though the following sections will be looking for specific nominations:
- Neurogastroenterology & Motility (NGM) Section: basic research mentor
- Pediatric Gastroenterology and Developmental Biology (PGDB) Section: clinical research mentor
Nominate a colleague today using the online nomination portal. The nomination period will remain open through Aug. 18, 2021.
Eligibility
The nominee:
- Must be a current AGA member at the time of nomination.
- Must be a member of the council section in which they are nominated in.
- Supports DDW through attendance and participation.
- All active AGA members can nominate; however nominees must be affiliated with the section in which they are nominated for the RMA.
- When nominating, please consider diversity of mentors (e.g. gender, race, ethnicity, institution/geographic location and career level).
The current council chair, section leaders and previous RMA recipients are ineligible for nomination.

2018 Pediatric Gastroenterology & Developmental Biology (PGDB) Section Research Mentor recipient Deborah L. Gumucio, PhD, receives her award with Mark Ronald Frey, PhD, then PGDB vice chair (2017-2019).
Eligibility
The nominee
- Must be a current AGA member at the time of nomination.
- Must be a member of the council section in which they are nominated in.
- Supports DDW through attendance and participation.
- All active AGA members can nominate; however nominees must be affiliated with the section in which they are nominated for the RMA.
- When nominating, please consider diversity of mentors (e.g. gender, race, ethnicity, institution/geographic location and career level).
The current council chair, section leaders and previous RMA recipients are ineligible for nomination.

2018 Pediatric Gastroenterology & Developmental Biology (PGDB) Section Research Mentor recipient
Deborah L. Gumucio, PhD, receives her award with Mark Ronald Frey, PhD, then PGDB vice chair (2017-2019).
Nomination submission
To nominate an AGA member for the Section Research Mentor Award, the following documents are required:
- REQUIRED: Letter of nomination outlining the nominee’s mentoring activities. A list of the nominee’s mentees, their topics of research and their current status included in this letter is strongly encouraged.
- REQUIRED: Nominee’s curriculum vitae.
- OPTIONAL: Up to three additional supporting letters.
All are welcome to submit a nomination of an AGA member affiliated with the particular section. Please contact AGA Institute Council staff should you have any questions or issues completing the form. For best results, please use Chrome or Firefox. You may need to adjust your pop-up settings to ensure they are not blocked.

2018 Pancreatic Disorders (PAN) Section Research Mentor recipient
Suresh T. Chari, MD, receives his award with Santhi Swaroop Vege, MD, MBBS, DM, AGAF, former PAN section chair, 2016-2019.
Previous award recipients
Click the toggles below to see our recipients.
2020 – Peter H. R. Green, MD
2019 – Wayne I. Lencer, MD, AGAF
2018 – Gary D. Wu, MD
2017 – Nicholas O. Davidson, MD, DSc, AGAF
2016 – Kim E. Barrett, PhD, AGAF
2015 – Jerrold R. Turner, MD, PhD, AGAF
2013 – Joseph H. Sellin, MD, AGAF
2011 – James Lee Madara, MD, AGAF
2022 – Jason C. Mills, MD, PhD, AGAF
2020 – Linda C. Samuelson, PhD
2019 – Mark Donowitz, MD, AGAF
2018 – Charalabos Pothoulakis, MD
2017 – Nigel W. Bunnett, PhD
2016 – James R. Goldenring, MD, PhD, AGAF
2014 – Juanita L. Merchant, MD, PhD
2012 – Pauline Kay Lund, PhD
2022 – Thomas F. Imperiale, MD, FACP, AGAF, FASGE
2020 – John M. Inadomi, MD, AGAF
2019 – Linda Rabeneck, MD, MPH
2018 – Amnon Sonnenberg, MD, MSc
2017 – Ernst Johan Kuipers, MD, PhD, AGAF
2016 – Not Awarded
2014 – Dawn Provenzale, MD, MS, AGAF
2012 – Robert S. Sandler, MD, MPH, AGAF
2022 – David A. Katzka, MD, AGAF
2020 – Joel E. Richter, MD, FASGE
2019 – Stuart Jon Spechler, MD, AGAF
2018 – Nicholas J. Shaheen, MD, MPH, AGAF
2017 – Prateek Sharma, MD
2016 – John E. Pandolfino, MD, AGAF
2015 – David Y. Graham, MD
2013 – Michael Fredrick Vaezi, MD, PhD, MSc
2011 – James M. Scheiman, MD, AGAF
2020 – Subhas Banerjee, MD, AGAF
2019 – Irving Waxman, MD
2018 – Michael B. Wallace, MD, MPH, AGAF
2017 – Kenneth K. Wang, MD, AGAF
2016 – William R. Brugge, MD, AGAF, FASGE
2014 – Gary W. Falk, MD, MS, AGAF
2012 – Grace H. Elta, MD, AGAF, FASGE
2022 – Marcia R. Cruz-Correa, MD, PhD, AGAF
2020 – Dennis J. Ahnen, MD, AGAF
2019 – Richard M. Peek, Jr., MD, AGAF
2018 – Randall W. Burt, MD, AGAF
2017 – Jun Yu, MD, PhD, AGAF
2016 – John M. Carethers, MD, AGAF
2015 – Stephen J. Meltzer, MD
2013 – Anil K. Rustgi, MD, AGAF
2011 – C. Richard Boland, MD, AGAF
2022 – Uma Mahadevan, MD, AGAF
2020 – Maria T. Abreu, MD, AGAF
2019 – Edward V. Loftus, Jr., MD, AGAF
2018 – Claudio Fiocchi, MD
2017 – Gordon R. Greenberg, MD (posthumously)
2016 – William J. Sandborn, MD, AGAF
2014 – Lloyd Mayer, MD
2012 – Paul L. Beck, MD, PhD
2022 – Kenneth E. Sherman, MD, PhD, AGAF
2020 – Anna Mae Diehl, MD
2019 – David A. Brenner, MD
2018 – Scott L. Friedman, MD
2017 – Arun J. Sanyal, MD
2016 – Not Awarded
2014 – M. Bishr Omary, MD, PhD
2012 – Nicholas F. LaRusso, MD, AGAF
2022 – Beth A. McCormick, PhD
2020 – Fergus Shanahan, MD
2018 – R. Balfour Sartor, MD
2018 – Jeffrey I. Gordon, MD
2017 – John F. Cryan, PhD (inaugural)
2022 – Beverley Greenwood-Van Meerveld, PhD, AGAF, FACG, FASPET
2020 – Henry P. Parkman, MD
2019 – Gianrico Farrugia, MD, AGAF
2018 – Richard W. McCallum, MD, AGAF
2017 – Raj Goyal, MD
2016 – Jackie D. Wood, PhD, AGAF, RFF
2015 – Michael Camilleri, MD, AGAF
2013 – Yvette Taché, PhD
2011 – Joseph H. Szurszewski, PhD, AGAF
2022 – Stephen J.D. O’Keefe, MD, PhD, AGAF
2020 – Dennis D. Black, MD, AGAF
2019 – Kelly A. Tappenden, PhD, RD
2018 – Lee M. Kaplan, MD, PhD, AGAF
2017 – David H. Alpers, MD, AGAF
2016 – Patrick Tso, PhD
2015 – Samuel Klein, MD
2013 – Eugene B. Chang, MD, AGAF
2011 – Khursheed N. Jeejeebhoy, PhD, MBBS, AGAF
2022 – Stephen J. Pandol, MD
2020 – Vay Liang W. Go, MD, AGAF
2019 – Fred S. Gorelick, MD
2018 – Suresh T. Chari, MD
2017 – Peter A. Banks, MD
2016 – David C. Whitcomb, MD, PhD, AGAF
2014 – Eugene P. DiMagno, MD
2012 – John A. Williams, MD, PhD
2022 – Maria Oliva-Hemker, MD, AGAF
2020 – D. Brent Polk, MD, AGAF
2019 – Anne Marie Griffiths, MD
2018 – Deborah L. Gumucio, PhD
2017 – Paul Erick Hyman, MD
2016 – Samuel Nurko, MD, MPH
2015 – Richard J. Grand, MD
2013 – W. Allan Walker, MD, AGAF
2011 – Susan J. Henning, PhD, AGAF
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Basic & Clinical Intestinal Disorders (BCID)
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Cellular & Molecular Gastroenterology (CMG)
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Clinical Practice (CP)
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Endoscopy, Technology & Imaging (ETI)
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Esophageal, Gastric & Duodenal Disorders (EGD)
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Gastrointestinal Oncology (GIONC)
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Immunology, Microbiology & Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IMIBD)
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Liver & Biliary (LB)
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Microbiome & Microbial Therapy (MMT)
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Neurogastroenterology & Motility (NGM)
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Obesity, Metabolism & Nutrition (OMN)
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Pancreatic Disorders (PAN)
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Pediatric Gastroenterology & Developmental Biology (PGDB)
Basic & Clinical Intestinal Disorders (BCID)
Peter H. R. Green, MD
Cellular & Molecular Gastroenterology (CMG)
Linda C. Samuelson, PhD
Clinical Practice (CP)
John M. Inadomi, MD, AGAF
Endoscopy, Technology & Imaging (ETI)
Subhas Banerjee, MD, AGAF
Esophageal, Gastric & Duodenal Disorders (EGD)
Joel E. Richter, MD, FASGE
Gastrointestinal Oncology (GIONC)
Dennis J. Ahnen, MD, AGAF
Immunology, Microbiology & Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IMIBD)
Maria T. Abreu, MD, AGAF
Liver & Biliary (LB)
Anna Mae Diehl, MD
Microbiome & Microbial Therapy (MMT)
Fergus Shanahan, MD
Neurogastroenterology & Motility (NGM)
Henry P. Parkman, MD
Obesity, Metabolism & Nutrition (OMN)
Dennis D. Black, MD, AGAF
Pancreatic Disorders (PAN)
Vay Liang W. Go, MD, AGAF
Pediatric Gastroenterology & Developmental Biology (PGDB)
D. Brent Polk, MD, AGAF