The goal of the ASGE Endoscopy Quality Improvement Project – EQuIP – Prizes Program is to promote quality improvement projects that have the potential to transform quality in endoscopy. DDW abstract submitters ask for consideration of an EQuIP Prize and those selected for presentation are considered. A financial award of $1,000 is given to the first author, who must be a trainee. The 2026 EQuIP Prize winners are:
Ashwin Rao, MD, with ASGE President Amitabh Chak, MD, MASGE
First Author: Ashwin Rao, MD
Institution: Baylor College of Medicine
Title: Development and External Validation of a Large Language Model-based Clinical Decision Support System for Colonoscopy Surveillance Intervals
Conclusions: A hybrid LLM-rules-based CDSS achieved >90% accuracy in assigning guideline-concordant surveillance intervals across two health systems with excellent variable extraction performance across diverse patients, endoscopists, pathologists, and reporting platforms. This architecture pairs the generalizability of LLM-based extraction with the transparency of rule-based logic. Smaller open-source models performed strongly, supporting cost-efficient local deployment. Broader implementation may enhance the appropriateness of surveillance and optimize the allocation of endoscopy resources.
Erika Tsuchiyose, MD, with ASGE President Amitabh Chak, MD, MASGE
First Author: Erika Tsuchiyose, MD
Institution: Tufts University School of Medicine
Title: When Harm Happens: Psychological, Physical, and Professional Impact of Serious Adverse Events on the Endoscopist
Conclusions: SAEs take a significant psychological, physical, and professional toll on endoscopists. Women and advanced endoscopists were significantly more likely to experience these effects. Fear of future occurrences and feeling of inadequacy may culminate into crises of confidence and erode physician self-efficacy. Concerns around self-blame, litigation, judgement, and institutional response should be addressed by future structured support systems to help gastroenterologists mitigate these negative impacts of SAEs.