WGO
About the WGO Georges Brohée Medal and Lecture
A Brohée Lecture is delivered during each World Congress of Gastroenterology to commemorate Georges Brohée, the founder of the first International Association of Gastroenterology. The Brohée Lecturer is chosen by the WGO Governing Council from either the host country or the respective region. A Medal is presented to the nominated lecturer during the World Congress in which the lecture is presented.
The World Gastroenterology Organisation (WGO) originated largely due to the initiative of Dr. Georges Brohée (1887-1957), a Belgian Surgeon and Radiologist who promoted modern Gastroenterology, in particular by founding the Belgian Society of Gastroenterology in 1928 and by organizing the first International Congress of Gastroenterology in Brussels in 1935. His continuing efforts culminated in the constitution of the “Organisation Mondiale de Gastro-entérologie” (OMGE) on 29 May 1958 in Washington, DC, USA where the first World Congress of Gastroenterology was held. The organization was officially renamed the World Gastroenterology Organisation (WGO) in May 2007.
About the WGO Henry L. Bockus Medal and Lecture
A medal, known as the Henry L. Bockus Medal, is awarded at each World Congress to a gastroenterologist who, in the opinion of the World Gastroenterolgy Organisation (WGO) Governing Council, has made a distinguished contribution to the clinical practice, science and/or teaching of gastroenterology.
Dr. H. L. Bockus (1894-1982) was a leading American gastroenterologist from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with a well-deserved reputation due to the authorship of an outstanding Gastroenterology treatise and the organization of specialty postgraduate courses at the University of Pennsylvania, which were attended by numerous physicians from North and South America as well as from Europe. He was elected President of the first World Congress of Gastroenterology, held in Washington, DC, USA on 29 May 1958. On the last day of the Congress a provisional WGO Governing Council was elected, and Dr. Bockus became the first president of what is now the World Gastroenterology Organisation. His vision to enhance standards of education and training in gastroenterology lives on today.
