I am asking you to support a cause important to me and equally important to you. Please ensure that scientific discoveries and medical breakthroughs in the field of digestive diseases continue by making a tax-deductible gift to the AGA Research Foundation today.
Scientific discovery helps you successfully practice medicine
Dr. Martin Brotman
As clinicians we benefit from advances in clinical care made possible by scientific discovery. Widespread use of fiber-optic endoscopes beginning in the 1960s later led to retrograde colonoscopy of the entire colon and endoscopic excision of polyps, helping to significantly reduce colon cancer mortality rates. Barry J. Marshall and J. Robin Warren’s discovery that peptic ulcer disease was primarily caused by Helicobacter pylori helped revolutionize the treatment of the disease.
These are just a couple of examples of the highest-profile advances in the field. There are many more. Most every diagnostic decision you make and every treatment protocol you follow has its origins in bench science and clinical trials.
Imagine your practice without these advances
Sometimes we take for granted the things we do every day. But, where would we be as clinicians without scientific discovery and the people behind these important medical breakthroughs? Would most internal conditions only be diagnosed or treated with open surgery? Would the treatment of patients with peptic ulcer disease focus on hospitalization, bed rest, and prescription of special bland food?
More importantly, where will the field be if we don’t continue to invest in scientific discovery and ensure the ongoing pipeline of young investigators who will contribute to future advances? The AGA Research Foundation funds promising young investigators who might not receive funding otherwise at crucial times in their early careers.
Donate a colonoscopy symbolically by contributing your physician fee for one screening colonoscopy.
The research of these individuals, while important to the field, if left unfunded, could end prematurely. That’s something the field can’t afford, and that’s why I’ve supported the AGA Research Foundation over the years through my donations.
Show support, donate a colonoscopy
Donate a colonoscopy? Yes, symbolically. I earlier mentioned colonoscopy as one of my examples of how advances in the field help us deliver more effective patient care. Many of us perform colonoscopies on a regular basis. By donating your physician fee for just one screening colonoscopy (about $400-$800), you can make the difference in the lives of the young basic science and clinical investigators who are supported by the AGA Research Foundation through its research awards program. It’s a way for you to show your gratitude and give back to the field.
If you don’t perform colonoscopies, aren’t sure of the physician fee, or would like to give a different amount, that’s fine.
You can demonstrate your support by sending your tax-deductible gift of $400, $800, $1,000, or any amount you can give. You can make a secure online donation at www.gastro.org/contribute.
Your gift will go toward an endowment that will support young investigators on an ongoing basis, making it a gift that keeps on giving. Remember to give by Dec. 31, 2012, to receive a tax credit for this year.
Thank you in advance for your support. Best wishes for a happy, healthy holiday season and prosperous New Year.
Martin Brotman, M.D., AGAF, is Chair Elect of the AGA Research Foundation. He also is Senior Vice President of Education, Research, and Philanthropy at CPMC Sutter Health, San Francisco.
