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Tel: +1 (414) 918-9798 | Fax: +1 (414) 276-3349 | Email: info@worldgastroenterology.org

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For Release February 15, 2018

WGO is Live on LinkedIn

Milwaukee, USA — February 15, 2018 — World Gastroenterology Organisation (WGO) is now on LinkedIn! WGO’s goal is to become more connected with its global network and has decided that LinkedIn is the next logical step in growing its social media presence. With over 100 million users, LinkedIn will allow WGO to reach health care professionals in more than 200 countries globally. As the Global Guardian of Digestive Health, increasing reach is essential to WGO achieving its mission to improve health care outcomes in the developing world and other underserved regions globally.

Connect with WGO on LinkedIn to:

• Receive the latest information about WGO education and training opportunities, new and updated WGO Guidelines and Cascades, WGO membership updates, WGO publication releases, WGO International Conference and World Congress of Gastroenterology news, and other upcoming conferences and meetings that may be of interest to the general gastroenterology community and other related disciplines in the field.

• Join and connect with WGO’s universal network of over 100 Member Societies representing over 50,000 individual gastroenterologists, hepatologists, endoscopists, GI surgeons, and other health care professionals worldwide!

• Become a WGO/WGO Foundation advocate and follow WGO on the path to improve overall health and wellness globally! Share valuable WGO and industry related content and spread influence with colleagues. Sharing free knowledge will help users and their colleagues broaden perspectives, helps to build a user’s profile as an expert, and creates an awareness of the worldwide prevalence and optimal care of gastrointestinal and liver disorders across the globe!

To interact with WGO on LinkedIn, connect at https://www.linkedin.com/company/world-gastroenterology-organisation-wgo-wgo-foundation/!

Like and Follow WGO Everywhere They Are!

Click on the Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn icons below to like and follow WGO today!

ABOUT THE WORLD GASTROENTEROLOGY ORGANISATION

Formed in 1935 and incorporated in 1958, The World Gastroenterology Organisation (WGO) is a federation of over 100 member societies and 4 regional associations of gastroenterology representing more than 50,000 individual members worldwide, focusing on the improvement of standards in gastroenterology and hepatology training and education on a global scale. The WGO Foundation, incorporated in 2007, is dedicated to raising funds to support WGO educational programs and activities. For more information, contact: info@worldgastroenterology.org.

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For more information, press only:

Ashley Huren-Johnson, Program Manager, +1 (414) 918-9798, info@worldgastroenterology.org

For more information on WGO and its Foundation:

World Gastroenterology Organisation - http://www.worldgastroenterology.org

WGO Foundation - http://www.worldgastroenterology.org/wgo-foundation/about-the-wgo-foundation

Dear Colleagues,

As 2017 draws to a close and we prepare to greet the New Year, it is a time of both celebration and reflection.

In October I was honored to assume the role of President of the World Gastroenterology Organisation (WGO). I thank all of the Presidents who have come before me, the Member Societies and Regional Affiliate Associations that support the WGO, and all of the past WGO Officers, and Committee and Interest Group members for your many contributions to WGO. I am humbled by your accomplishments and eager to see your legacies carried into the future.

The success of an organization requires many hands and hearts to be achieved. In our efforts to carry out the mission and vision of WGO, I am joined by the members of the WGO Governing Council. With the support of the members of the WGO Committees and Interest Groups, we endeavor together to coordinate the many WGO activities worldwide.

Please join me in welcoming the members of the 2017-2019 WGO Governing Council:

WGO's mandate to be the global guardian of digestive health is accomplished through a variety of activities organized around four main pillars of service: Train, Educate, Inform and Advocate.

I would like to share with you some examples of the work that is being accomplished under the umbrella of these four pillars.

WGO TRAINS primarily through its flagship program comprised of 23 WGO-endorsed Training Centers. The Training Centers exemplify what is truly unique about our organization. These centers provide training and education opportunities where the need is greatest and where delivery of health interventions and treatment options, as well as the application of expertise and skills, can be retained at the local level in underserved regions globally. WGO supports scholars and trainees who have the opportunity to train in a WGO Training Center. The organization also funded a broad array of training and education activities this past year, all of which are held in the WGO Training Centers.

WGO EDUCATES primarily through its uniquely-formatted Train the Trainers workshops. Train the Trainers workshops bring together trainers in gastroenterology, hepatology and other related disciplines from all corners of the globe who engage in an intensive and highly interactive format designed to develop teaching and training skills. In April 2017, WGO was proud to present its first French-language TTT in Marrakesh, Morocco. And looking ahead to 2018, we are planning to convene the first TTT to take place in Sub-Saharan Africa.

WGO INFORMS over a variety of platforms to communicate with all of our members and other constituents. There is e-WGN, WGO's digital quarterly newsletter, overseen by its Co-Editors, Christine Surawicz (USA) and Mario Reis (Brazil), whose efforts to produce this superb and informative publication we applaud. Over the past year, WGO has also seen its online presence grow through its Facebook and Twitter accounts. Our Facebook and Twitter feeds, along with the WGO website, provide the latest news and information on the society and what is happening in the world of gastroenterology, hepatology, and other related disciplines, while also highlighting all of the exciting events, tools and resources that come out of each annual World Digestive Health Day (WDHD) campaign. In particular, our presence on social media has provided a platform for real-time, direct communication with our members and other constituents. In 2018, WGO will expand its online presence to include LinkedIn, providing yet another opportunity to engage with the greater GI community as well as the general public.

We invite you to join our social network and stay current with WGO, the WGO Foundation (WGOF) and WDHD in 2018.

And finally, WGO ADVOCATES through its annual advocacy and public awareness campaign to create global awareness of digestive health, World Digestive Health Day (WDHD). A yearlong campaign, WDHD is officially celebrated annually on 29 May. Through each WDHD campaign year, WGO aims to put into perspective several aspects related to the annual theme, from prevalence to diagnosis, prevention and treatment. In 2017, WGO focused on Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). A collection of tools and resources were developed around this campaign and are available on the WGO website. WGO is especially grateful to the many WGO members, regional affiliate associations, organizational sponsors and partners, and the general public as they organized and participated in WDHD-dedicated events around the globe. Join us again in 2018 as we bring awareness to Viral Hepatitis, B and C, and strive to lift this global burden!

Any success that WGO has achieved has come through the joint efforts of those who have come before me and the colleagues who will join me over the next two years in service to the WGO. I am honored and grateful for the opportunity to collaborate and work with our Member Societies and Regional Affiliate Associations, and the many individuals who give the gift of their time to the WGO. WGO's programs and initiatives would be impossible without the support and enthusiasm of each member and contributor to our organization. On behalf of the WGO, I thank you.

I look forward to our work together in the months to come.

Best wishes to you and your family for a joyful and safe holiday season and a happy and prosperous New Year!

SAVE THE DATE: Gastro 2018 WGO-GAT International Conference:
Global Perspectives in Gastroenterology

Join WGO on Thursday for the
'Microbiota Hard Talks - LIVE from Texas Medical Center'!

After the LIVE broadcast, download a Certificate of Participation for viewing the webinar directly from the webinar player.

Join the MHT Conversation!
WGO will post LIVE on Twitter and Facebook during the LIVE broadcast to engage followers throughout the world. To join the Microbiota Hard Talks conversation, tag WGO on Facebook (@WorldGastroOrg) and/or Twitter (@WorldGastroOrg), and be sure to include #MHT2017 in the post. To learn more about how to interact with WGO on social media, visit www.worldgastroenterology.org/about-wgo/media-center/social-media.

For more information about the webinar series visit the WGO Educational Programs webpage, www.worldgastroenterology.org/education-and-training/educational-programs/microbiota-hard-talks.

'Microbiota Hard Talks - Live From Texas Medical Center' is supported by an unrestricted medical education grant from .

Would you like to give us your feedback on this issue of e-WGN or suggest topics for future issues? Please contact us at info@worldgastroenterology.org.

WGO offers our readers this electronic publication which will save over six metric tonnes of paper per issue, equivalent to 144 trees. Decreasing our use of paper will help to slow climate change, conserve natural habitats, contribute to cleaner air and ultimately improve the quality of health and life for all. Thank you for your support of this important effort.