The ECQI Group was founded in 2013, is fully independent and currently led by Professor Lorenzo Fuccio (Italy). Professor Dr Jürgen F. Riemann, is Chairman Emeritus and founding Chairman.
The ECQI Group Governing board is comprised of:
Past Chairman: Professor Cristiano Spada (Italy)
Current Chairman: Professor Lorenzo Fuccio (Italy)
President Elect: Professor Dr Anastasios Koulaouzidis (Denmark)
The Chairman’s term is for two years, October 2022 – October 2024.
ECQI aims to:
Complement the initiatives of other groups to drive quality standards in colonoscopy and collaborate with all
Facilitate the measurement of clinical practice quality in colonoscopy
Discuss, identify and analyse how to facilitate improvement
Be widely and freely available to those who wish to participate, including those countries seeking to improve their standards
Commitments include:
Convene specialists in the area of colonoscopy from across Europe
Discuss the current issues in achieving quality colonoscopy standards
Assess clinical practice standards of colonoscopy
Advise on the development of activities and publications to establish standards for the quality, training and accreditation of colonoscopy
Make assessment freely available to those who wish to participate, including those countries seeking to improve their standards
Since 2015, improving the quality of colonoscopies performed in Sweden has been the main focus of the Swedish Society of Gastroenterology (SGF). In accordance with information on the objectives and work of the European Colonoscopy Quality Investigation (ECQI) Group, at the meeting on 15 February 2017, a unanimous decision was made to provide full support for the ECQI Group's continued work, and the decision was approved by the SGF on 14 March 2017. The SGF looks forward to successful collaboration with the ECQI Group in improving the quality of colonoscopies in Sweden.
Chairman of the Swedish Society of Gastroenterlogy
Head of Endoscopy Unit, Department of Gastroenterology, Skåne University Hospital, Malmö, Sweden
ECQI is pleased to have collaborative relationships with national and international societies, learned bodies and patient-focussed organisations. If you are interested in collaborating with ECQI, please contact the Secretariat.
Associate Professor of Gastroenterology of University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
Gastroenterologist and Endoscopist at Gastroenterology Unit, S.Orsola-Malpighi University Hospital, Bologna, Italy
Professor Fuccio has been practising gastroenterology and endoscopy since 2004. His main research interests include diagnostic and therapeutic GI endoscopy, with specific focus on lower GI tract endoscopy. In 2015, he was awarded the "World Endoscopy Organization Research Award" in Taipei (Taiwan) for research in gastrointestinal endoscopy. Professor Fuccio is Co-Editor of the journal Endoscopy and Editor of the e-Videos section of Endoscopy. He is part of the European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE) Research Committee and lead of the ESGE Technology Review Working Group. Professor Fuccio has participated (often as principal investigator) in several national and international studies and counts more than 170 peer-reviewed publications.
Former ECQI Group chairman, 2018–2022
Gastroenterologist, Fondazione Poliambulanza, Brescia, Italy
Professor Spada is a gastroenterologist currently working at the Digestive Endoscopy Unit, at Fondazione Poliambulanza in Brescia. The Unit performs diagnostic and therapeutic procedures on the upper and lower GI, and biliopancreatic tract. His current practice is almost entirely devoted to diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy, and EUS. His main fields of interest are capsule endoscopy, colonoscopy and clinical trials. He is part of the medical staff of the European Endoscopy Training Centre (EETC), based at the Catholic University Hospital, dedicated to training gastroenterologists, endoscopists and surgeons from all over the world.
Department of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark (SDU), Odense, Denmark
Centre for Clinical Implementation of Capsule Endoscopy (CICA), Store Adenomer Tidlige Cancere Centre (SATC-C), Svendborg, Denmark
Anastasios (a.k.a. Tassos) Koulaouzidis is Professor at SDU and CICA, Denmark and Professor (Adjunct) at PUM, Poland. He obtained his MD from the Medical School of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece) in 1995. His first Doctorate in Medicine (DM) is from the University of Edinburgh, UK; his second, a Doctorate in Philosophy (PhD), is from Lunds Universitet, Sweden. He became a Member of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (UK) in 2004 and a Fellow of the same College (2013). He is also a Fellow of the European Board of Gastroenterology (2009), and the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (2017).
Professor Koulaouzidis has published extensively on capsule endoscopy and has co-authored several relevant book chapters. He is the co-author of more than 275 PubMed-listed articles, out of which at least 160 are on capsule endoscopy. His research interests include clinical applications of capsule endoscopy, quality improvement and software diagnostics, as well as hardware innovation and concept development in capsule and minimally invasive GI endoscopy. His other interests include colonoscopy quality, colorectal cancer prevention, and microscopic colitis.
Professor Koulaouzidis is an active member of the editorial board of several specialty journals and has won several research grants.
Chairman Emeritus of the European Colonoscopy Quality Investigation Group (ECQI Group)
Chairman of the Foundation Lebensblicke, Germany
Professor Riemann was appointed Director of the Medical Clinic C of the Hospital of the City of Ludwigshafen in 1985, until his retirement in 2008. He is Chairman of the Lebensblicke Foundation for the prevention and early detection of colorectal cancer. He is a spokesperson for the Working Group Development of Colorectal Cancer Screening at the National Cancer Plan of the Federal Government of Germany, has been heavily involved in the implementation of the German Cancer Programme and is a member of both the German Cancer Society and the Association of Medical Oncology. He has also worked on the Position Statement of the European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE) concerning quality in screening colonoscopy. Professor Riemann advises the European Union as a German representative on colon cancer prevention.
Consultant Gastroenterologist and Endoscopist, Doncaster Royal Infirmary, Doncaster, UK
Dr Agrawal is a Consultant Gastroenterologist and Endoscopist based at Doncaster Royal Infirmary where he heads the Gastroenterology Department. He is a colonoscopy trainer and has headed the endoscopy department for his hospital. He undertook higher training in Liverpool and Manchester where he completed a PhD. Dr Agrawal has a predominant interest in lower GI disorders and has published and presented widely in the field of gastroenterology and endoscopy.
Consultant Gastroenterologist, Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra (CHUC), Portugal
Dr Amaro graduated in Medicine in 1991 (Medicine Faculty of the University of Coimbra) and Gastroenterology in 1999. He has been involved in the co-ordination of the Endoscopy Unit of the Department of Gastroenterology at CHUC since 2012 and his main areas of interest are endoscopic diagnosis and treatment of digestive neoplasia, with a focus on endoscopic mucosal resection and endoscopic submucosal dissection. Dr Amaro is actively involved in post-graduate teaching in gastroenterology.
Associate Professor, Department of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark (SDU) and staff specialist, Department of Surgery, Odense, University Hospital (OUH), Denmark
Associate Professor Thomas Bjørsum-Meyer is a gastrointestinal surgeon and specialist in general surgery. His areas of interest are colorectal surgery, bowel imaging techniques, colorectal neoplasia and artificial intelligence. In 2021 he was appointed a member of CICA Leader Board (CICA,Centre for Clinical Implementation of Capsule Endoscopy), a Centre of Excellence under the Region of Southern Denmark initiated by the Department of Surgery at Odense University Hospital in Svendborg. In 2022 he became an editorial board member of the World Journal of Surgical Endoscopy. Thomas has authored 25 publications (16 first author, 4 last author) and has presented numerous scientific posters at international congresses.
Gastro Unit, Division of Endoscopy, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, Copenhagen University, Herlev Hospital, Denmark
Dr Brink works as a senior consultant at the Endoscopy Unit, Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, specialising in general surgery and surgical gastroenterology. She performs endoscopy on a daily basis, as well as gastroscopy, colonoscopy and more specialised procedures such as EMR, stenting, enteroscopy, ERCP, cholangioscopy and endoscopic ultrasound. Dr Brink has been Secretary on the Board of YDK (Society of Young Surgeons) in Denmark, Member of the Board of DKS (Danish Surgical Society) and treasurer of DGS (Danish Society of Gastroenterology), now fused into DSGH (Danish Society of Gastroenterology and Hepatology). From 2013–2018 she has been involved with CAMES (Copenhagen Academy for Medical Education and Simulation) teaching and certifying young doctors in colonoscopy. She is participating in research in the department under Professor Peter Vilmann.
Gastroenterologist, Gastroenterologie Aschaffenburg, Germany
Professor Fischbach is Professor of Medicine at the University of Würzburg since 1995 and Head of Department of Medicine, Klinikum Aschaffenburg, the teaching hospital of the University of Würzburg with specialities in gastroenterology and medical oncology, from 1993 to 2018. Since his retirement, he is working in a gastroenterology office. Professor Fischbach is the principal investigator of the German multicentre studies on gastrointestinal lymphomas, which were supported by various grants from the German Cancer Society. He is a past president of the German Society of Gastroenterology and the Society of Gastroenterology in Bavaria. He holds a degree in health economics from the European Business School. Professor Fischbach is extensively published, with over 400 original papers, almost 60 book articles and has been the editor of 19 books.
Gastroenterologist, Private Practice for Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, Würzburg, Germany
Dr Hünger started his medical career in the Nephrology Department of Munich Harlaching Hospital in 2001 after finishing Medical School in Heidelberg and Mannheim. In 2003 he moved to Aschaffenburg to continue his medical training in the Cardiology Department of Aschaffenburg Hospital. During rotation in the Department of Gastroenterology of Aschaffenburg Hospital in 2006, he met Professor Fischbach, who became his senior consultant and mentor. Dr Hünger completed specialised training in Internal Medicine in 2009 and in Gastroenterology in 2011. Since that time, he has been a senior physician to Professor Fischbach, until 2015 when he went into private practice in Würzburg. Dr Hünger recently finished his studies in Health Economics at the European Business School (EBS) in Oestrich-Winkel, Germany.
Professor of Gastroenterohepatology, University of Belgrade, Serbia
Medical Director for Clinical Research and Development, Gastroenterologist and Endoscopist at Gastroenterology Unit, Euromedik Health Care System Visegradska Hospital, Belgrade, Serbia
Professor Jovanovic has been practising gastroenterology and endoscopy since 2000. His main research interests include diagnostic and therapeutic GI endoscopy, with specific focus on lower and hepatobiliary GI tract endoscopy. In 2010, he was awarded with "ASGE Don Wilson Award", and in 2015 with US Government Fulbright Research Award for research in gastrointestinal endoscopy. Professor Jovanovic is Co-Editor of the journal Endoscopy International Open. He is member of the European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE) and fellow of the American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE). Professor Jovanovic has participated as principal investigator or sub/investigator in numerous national and international clinical and sponsored studies and counts nearly 100 peer-reviewed publications.
Servicio de Medicina Digestiva, Hospital General Universitario de Alicante, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria ISABIAL, Spain
Associate Professor of Medicine, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Spain
Dr Jover is based at the University of Alicante General Hospital where he heads the Digestive Medicine Department. He is actively involved in setting up a Spanish nationwide quality accreditation scheme. Dr Jover is chairman of the Spanish Quality Assurance in Colonoscopy.
Associate Chief of Medicine. Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
Dr Kinnunen completed specialised training in Internal Medicine in 1994 and in Gastroenterology in 2003. Dr Kinnunen heads up the Endoscopy Unit at the gastroenterology department of Tampere University Hospital. He has been especially interested in colonoscopy techniques, optical diagnosis and EMR.
Consultant Gastroenterologist and Endoscopist at Department of Gastroenterology, Pomeranian Medical University, Szczecin, Poland
Dr Marlicz is a consultant in gastroenterology, internal medicine and GI endoscopy at the Department of Gastroenterology, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Poland. He is involved in diagnostic and therapeutic gastrointestinal endoscopy, as well as focused on innate mucosal immunity and host-microbe interaction research. He has gained professional experience working in the Blackburn Royal Infirmary Hospital (UK), University of Pennsylvania (USA) and University of New South Wales (Australia). He is the co-author of more than 100 papers on Pubmed related to topics of somatic stem cells, microbiota, probiotics and gastrointestinal endoscopy. Other areas of interest include disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBIs), colonoscopy quality and colorectal cancer screening. Dr Marlicz holds active positions in editorial boards of specialty journals and is involved in academic teaching. Dr Marlicz is a member of the Polish Society of Gastroenterology PTG-E (Head of West Pomeranian Division of PTG-E 2012–2016), European Lifestyle Medicine Organization (ELMO – Country Representative for Poland), Fellow of the American College of Gastroenterology (FACG), Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in Edinburgh (FRCPE), member of European Microscopic Colitis Group (EMCG), and Honorary Member of the Polish Celiac Society.
Gastroenterologist, Hospital Clínico Universitario Virgen de la Arrixaca, Murcia, Spain
Dr Ono is a medical doctor, gastroenterologist and endoscopist, who trained at the Endoscopy Unit, National Cancer Center Hospital, Tokyo, Japan and is Staff Gastroenterologist of Virgen de la Arrixaca University Hospital, Murcia since 2007. Additionally, Dr Ono is coordinator of the colorectal cancer screening program in Virgen de la Arrixaca University Hospital. Areas of interest include colorectal cancer, screening, quality in screening colonoscopy, endoscopic detection of early gastrointestinal neoplasia, chromoendoscopy, magnifying colonoscopy and endoscopic resection of colorectal neoplasia.
Head of Department of Gastroenterology and Medicine, Markusovszky University Teaching Hospital, Szombathely, Hungary
Dr Patai has been working as a gastroenterologist since 1991 and as head of Endoscopic Unit since 1996. Currently he is head of Department of Gastroenterology and Medicine. His main fields of interest are prevention of complications of ERCP and improvement in the quality endoscopy.
Assistant Professor, Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Surgery, Transplantation and Gastroenterology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
Dr Patai is an assistant professor at the Department of Surgery, Transplantation and Gastroenterology, at Semmelweis University, Budapest. His main focus is diagnostic and therapeutic GI endoscopy. He has gained experience at various prestigious centers (Magdeburg, Germany; Gemelli, Rome, Italy; Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA; Erasme, Brussels, Belgium) as a visiting fellow.
Dr Patai lectures in Hungarian, English and German and research interests include serrated polyps, colorectal cancer, microscopic colitis, IBD, eosinophilic esophagitis, bariatric endoscopy, post-ERCP pancreatitis.
He has 58 publications with a cumulative impact factor of 153.547 and 1522 citations. He is a member of ESGE, ASGE, European Microscopic Colitis Group (EMCG), European Society of Eosinophilic Oesophagitis (EUREOS), and a former member of ESGE Young Endoscopists (EYE). He has contributed to guidelines on microscopic colitis, chronic pancreatitis, ESGE curricula on bariatric endoscopy, and he is currently contributing to the ASGE-ESGE joint guideline on primary endoscopic bariatric & metabolic therapies. Dr Patai is an Associate Editor of Clinical Epigenetics.
Gastroenterologist, PhD, Digestive Endoscopy – Catholic University – A. Gemelli Hospital Foundation, IRCSS, Rome, Italy
Dr Pecere is a gastroenterologist and digestive endoscopist at the Gemelli Hospital of the Catholic University of Rome. Her current practice is almost entirely dedicated to diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy for upper and lower GI. Her main fields of interest are operative colonoscopy and procedures as EMR and ESD, capsule endoscopy and clinical trials. Dr Pecere is part of the medical staff of the European Endoscopy Training Centre (EETC), based at the Catholic University Hospital, dedicated to training gastroenterologists, endoscopists and surgeons from all over the world.
Assistant Professor of Digestive Endoscopy and Medical Director of Colorectal Endoscopy and Colorectal Cancer Screening Unit – Catholic University – A. Gemelli Hospital Foundation, IRCSS, Rome, Italy
Dr Petruzziello is a gastroenterologist and digestive surgeon at the Gemelli Hospital of the Catholic University of Rome, specialised in digestive endoscopy. Since 2008, Dr Petruzziello has been a member of the Ministry of Health Working Group for the retraining of endoscopists, whose goal is to promote and coordinate, in consultation with the Italian regions, a plan for professional improvement of gastrointestinal endoscopists. He is also a member for the establishment, improvement and implementation of the regional colorectal cancer screening programme. Since 2010, he is a colonoscopy trainer at the annual United European Gastroenterology Summer School. Areas of interest include training of colonoscopy technique, endoscopic resection of superficial neoplastic lesions of the gastrointestinal tract, urgent endoscopy and teaching and training of gastrointestinal endoscopy at the European Endoscopy Training Centre in Rome. Dr Petruzziello has authored over 50 papers and book articles in digestive endoscopy.
Lund University, Sweden
Skåne University Hospital, Malmö, Sweden
Dr Ervin Toth is currently an associate professor at Lund University and Senior Gastroenterology Consultant at Skåne University Hospital, Malmö, Sweden. He is a member of several speciality national and international societies, including the Governing Board of the International Capsule Endoscopy Research group and the European Colonoscopy Quality Investigation Group. He is member of several journal editorial boards.
Dr Toth has been practicing gastroenterology since 1983. His main clinical and research interests include diagnostic and therapeutic GI endoscopy, specifically focusing on chromoendoscopy, capsule endoscopy and colonoscopy. For several decades, his research interests have been mainly focused on the development and clinical applications of capsule endoscopy and other innovative technologies in the field of GI endoscopy, as well as in the assessment and improvement of gastrointestinal endoscopy with a focus on quality improvement, inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer.
He has participated as principal investigator in 41 national and international studies and counts 187 peer-reviewed publications, and 16 book chapters, out of which 79 are on capsule endoscopy.
The ECQI Group is supported by companies which provides their own skills and services to ensure its longevity and assistance, when required.
A leading European specialist pharmaceutical company
Funds the ECQI Secretariat
Acts as Secretariat to ECQI
Strategic advice
Statistical support
Convenes meetings and advisory boards