Canadian Association of Gastroenterology: Strategic Plan 2016–2020

Copyright © 2016 Canadian Association of Gastroenterology. This open-access article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (CC BY-NC), which permits reuse, distribution, and reproduction of the article, provided that the original work is properly cited and the reuse is restricted to noncommercial purposes. The CAG is a professional organization that seeks to promote the discipline of gastroenterology in Canada and internationally through a series of activities aligned with a Strategic Plan (renewed and updated every five years) in order to advance our mandate of (i) supporting and engaging in the study of the organs of the digestive tract in health and disease, (ii) promoting the advancement of the science and art of gastroenterol-ogy by providing leadership in patient care, research, education , and continuing professional development (CPD), and (iii) promoting and maintaining the highest ethical standards (OC))). The OC recruits CAG members to serve on standing committees or dedicated taskforces directed towards implementation of CAG's Strategic Plan. The Canadian Digestive Health Foundation (CDHF) is the CAG's Foundation with the CAG Board members being the only voting members of the CDHF [1]. The CAG Board provides oversight and general direction to the CDHF Governing Board of Directors to ensure alignment with the CAG's Strategic Plan. With a new governance structure in place, the 2010–2015 Strategic Plan was implemented with remarkable success as presented in the CAG news page [2]. For instance, surveys of perceived learning needs of the membership identified the need for improved quality in endoscopic skills and endoscopic teaching of trainees. This led to the development of the highly successful Skills Enhancement in Endoscopy© (SEE©) programme that will be a flagship programme for years to come. Similarly, education is a major component of the CAG mandate and CAG as an accrediting body is a recognized leader in accreditation amongst national associations/societies in Canada. Canadian Digestive Diseases Week6 is the flagship educational event for CAG, in collaboration with the CASL, with increasing numbers of delegates each year. The CAG Board and OC exist solely to serve the needs of the members of the CAG; the CAG provides regular updates on the CAG and the CDHF activities by monthly emails to all members (e-blasts), a frequently updated website (https://www.cag-acg.org/), an annual report, and reporting at the annual general meeting at CDDW. Communication with the membership is central to the success of the CAG. At the …