Kenneth F. Binmoeller, MD, MASGE

“To be recognized by the ASGE and its membership with the Rudolf Schindler Award is an extraordinary honor that I accept with deep humility. I have been fortunate to have had mentors at formative stages of my career who instilled in me a genuine love for innovation. Asking “what do we need?” has been an inherent part of every procedure I perform, with innovation emerging directly from the limitations encountered in daily practice. It is profoundly gratifying to see how these efforts have meaningfully improved patient outcomes and quality of life. For me, the enduring meaning of the Schindler Award lies in what it represents: the privilege of preserving and restoring organs, and of sparing patients more invasive interventions. In the spirit of Rudolf Schindler, this award continues to unfold each time innovation allows us to do more by doing less."

Kenneth F. Binmoeller, MD, MASGE is a pioneer in interventional endoscopy whose career has been defined by innovation that transformed clinical practice. A prolific inventor, Dr. Binmoeller holds more than 50 patents for novel endoscopic technologies inspired directly by patient care.  One of his inventions, the AXIOS™ lumen-apposing metal stent and delivery system, is now used worldwide. He has founded multiple start-up companies translating proof-of-concept ideas into clinically impactful devices and established new therapeutic paradigms in gastroenterology such as underwater EMR and EUS-guided coil-glue injection of varices.  Dr. Binmoeller received his medical education at the Universities of Freiburg and Bern, completed internal medicine residency at Baylor College of Medicine, and gastroenterology fellowship at Oregon Health Sciences University, with academic appointments in France, Germany, and the United States. He is the founder and Director of Interventional Endoscopy Services at California Pacific Medical Center, the first center in the US dedicated exclusively to advanced therapeutic endoscopy.