Four physicians with ties to EVMS were recently named among the top leading gastroenterologists in the country. Becker's ASC Review listed J. Sumner Bell III, MD; David A. Johnson, MD; Irving Pike, MD; and F. Taylor Wootton III, MD, in the top 125 of their field.

The publication compiled the list of leading physicians in the U.S. based on the awards they received from major organizations in the field, leadership in those organizations, work on professional publications and distinguished service.

Dr Bell is secretary/treasurer of the American Gastroenterological Association and was president of EVMS from 2000 to 2005.

Dr. Johnson, professor with the EVMS department of internal medicine and chief of gastroenterology, helped enact legislation mandating colon cancer screening with colonoscopy as the preferred standard, is a co-author of the guidelines for colon cancer screening and surveillance from the U.S. Multisociety Task Force on Colorectal Cancer, the ACG colon cancer screening guidelines and the joint guidelines from the American Cancer Society.

Dr. Johnson also was recently named as a "Top Doctor" by U.S. News and World Report and as a "Super Doctor" in the latest edition of Hampton Roads Magazine.

Dr. Pike, assistant professor of clinical internal medicine, is on the board of the American College of Gastroenterology and chairman of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy's Ambulatory Endoscopy Special Interest Group. He recently co-chaired the American College of Gastroenterology and American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy's joint taskforce for developing Endoscopic Quality Indicators.

Dr. Wootton, associate professor of clinical internal medicine, is an EVMS alumni and is a community private practice councilor of the American Gastroenterological Association.