New Chair Dr. Nick LaRusso Outlines Winning Plans for AGA Foundation
Nicholas F. LaRusso, FDHN Chair
At DDW 2010, Nick LaRusso, MD, AGAF assumed his new role as Chair of the AGA Foundation. “The Foundation is the flagship of the AGA’s support of research programs,” he said. “My goal as Chair is to assure that adequate dollars flow into the Foundation from multiple revenue streams to help fund the AGA research awards program.”
Dr. LaRusso hopes to engage more AGA members in support of the AGA research awards program by encouraging them to become donors to the AGA Foundation. “As a result of their gifts,” he noted, “AGA members contribute significantly to the body of knowledge that helps patients and will keep our subspecialty viable and robust throughout the 21st century.”
Dr. LaRusso, currently the Charles H. Weinman Endowed Professor of Medicine and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Mayo Clinic, served as AGA President in 2007. As foundation chair, he succeeds Sidney Cohen, MD, AGAF, who completed a three-year term as chair. “Dr. Cohen has been instrumental in assuring the Foundation’s success and future. I thank him for his hard work and dedication and am deeply honored to be asked to serve the AGA Foundation in this capacity,” said Dr. LaRusso.
In the last 25 years the AGA and its foundations have raised and distributed over $40 million to more than 500 researchers in gastroenterology and hepatology. This includes significant post-doctoral awards (the three-year Research Scholar Award) as well as Student Research Fellowships to high school students, undergraduates, and medical and graduate students.
Dr. LaRusso plans to expand existing foundation giving programs and develop new initiatives. “Essentially the AGA Foundation is the fundraising arm of the AGA for support of our research awards program,” he said. “We need to expand the dollars flowing in annually, increase the endowment, expand estate and planned gifts, and increase participation of the AGA membership in all these activities. We also need to reduce our reliance on industry support as we simultaneously maintain and increase our efforts to garner industry dollars.”
In November 2009, Dr. LaRusso met with the AGA Institute presidential officers: Drs. Gail Hecht, Ian Taylor and Rick Boland as well as AGA and Foundation staff to brainstorm new ideas to increase revenue streams for the Foundation. As a result of that meeting and other reorganization efforts, the AGAI Governing Board will review and approve a strategic plan for the AGA Foundation at its July meeting.
“As a result of changes in the governance structure, improved transparency, the new strategic plan, and with the loyalty of our current supporters and the likelihood that our members will expand their support,” Dr. LaRusso observed, “I believe the foundation can grow its support for GI research.”
“The Foundation, through support of GI research, contributes to the knowledge base and to the discovery efforts of our subspecialty,” he said. “All of our members and, most importantly, our patients benefit from these discoveries.”
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AGA Foundation for Digestive Health and Nutrition
4930 Del Ray Avenue
Bethesda, MD 20814
The mission of the Foundation is to provide funds for research and public education in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure of digestive diseases.
For more information on ways to give, click here
Celebrate the 60th Anniversary of NIDDK through a Gift to GI research
This year, the NIDDK celebrates 60 years of supporting basic and clinical research that has contributed to the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure of digestive diseases. The AGA and its Foundation also have played an important role in medical research, funding the work of some 550 scientists, many of them in the earlier stages of their research careers and who, without our support, may not have gone on to secure funding from the NIDDK and, in turn, make important contributions to the field of gastroenterology.
A generous gift of $500 or more to the AGA Foundation will help guarantee protected research time for young investigators who otherwise may not go on to productive careers in research. Please remit your gift by clicking here.
Your gift now, combined with those of others, will go a long way to supporting young investigators who are conducting the research to improve patient care and find cures.
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