During DDW 2022, Dr. Bret T. Petersen assumed the presidency of the ASGE after serving as a Councillor, Secretary, and President-elect of the Governing Board in recent years. Dr Petersen succeeds Dr. Douglas K. Rex, MD, MASGE, of Indiana University Medical Center.

Dr Petersen is a Professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.  He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Olaf College and his medical degree from Mayo Medical School.  He completed Internal Medicine training at Georgetown University Hospitals in Washington, D.C., followed by a fellowship in gastroenterology at the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine. 

Regarding this appointment, Dr Petersen said, “It is my honor to serve as ASGE’s President for the coming year. ASGE, like many organizations, has weathered a tumultuous time during the Covid era. It is my mission to ensure stability and continuity for the society, within the boundaries of our recently approved five-year strategic plan.”

“It is critical that we continue to be prudent with our finances, even as we see a rebound from the initial pandemic years,” he added. “With our growing domestic and international membership, we must continue to provide the state-of-the-art education that is expected from ASGE for both basic and advanced endoscopists.  To continuously raise the bar on patient care and safety we will further expand our services to basic and advanced training programs, as well as training in quality and clinical care for endoscopy personnel and industry partners worldwide,

Dr Petersen has been active with ASGE for many years, having served as member and chair of numerous committees, including the Technology Committee and the Quality Assurance in Endoscopy Committee.   

Dr. Petersen is a former chair of endoscopy at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester and practices in the Mayo Advanced Endoscopy and Mayo Pancreas Interest Groups.  He has directed numerous ASGE and Mayo courses, particularly related to the performance of ERCP.  For his outstanding contributions, he has been widely recognized, having received the Mayo Award for Excellence, GI Fellows Award for Outstanding Teacher, Department of Medicine Laureate Award (GI), and the Master Endoscopist and Service Awards from the ASGE.