The Alberta Digestive Disease Summit (ADDS) was originally developed when it became apparent that three long-standing GI programs in Alberta – the  DDW Review Course, Western IBD & Highlights in Hepatology Meeting, and the ASG Annual Meeting – were no longer sufficient because of their size and the breadth and type of content desired by ASG members.  Having three separate conferences was too many weekends away for most physicians and spread speakers and funding from sponsors across multiple events. Rather than having three smaller conferences, the ASG felt it was important to bring together the Alberta GI community into a single, more encompassing meeting – and as a result, the ADDS was born with the first Summit taking place in June 2013.

The DDW Review Course was led by the late Dr. Richard Fedorak and took place annually in Lake Louise at the Post Hotek, through until 2012, and offered a chance to review in brief the most significant papers presented at DDW, with a focus on the Alberta context. The Course was a highlight of the year for members of Alberta's GI community but had outgrown the space available. Early editions of ADDS continued the traditions started at the DDW Review Course by returning to Lake Louise, at that time moving to the larger space available at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. 

The Western IBD and Highlights in Hepatology Meeting was run by Dr. Kelly Burak and Dr. Shane Devlin and was held annually until 2012 in either Calgary or the mountains, with a focus specifically on the latest developments in the diagnosis and treatment of IBD.

Similarly, the ASG Annual Meeting was held in Kananaskis each fall through until 2012. The conference took place in conjunction with the ASG AGM and offered members a forum for high-quality education as well as a popular family-friendly social program that helped to strengthen the Alberta GI community. Although this conference eventually outgrew its original venue in Kananaskis, many of its legacies live on in the format and spirit of the ADDS meeting.

We have Dr. Clarence Wong, Dr. Robert Bailey,  Dr. Richard Fedorak, Dr. Kelly Burak, and Dr. Tara Chalmers-Nixon along with many others within the ASG to thank for their efforts to combine all 3 meetings into one larger and broader conference that helped to further unify the Alberta gastroenterology community.

Since the inaugural meeting in June of 2013, ADDS has been held annually (apart from 2018) and brings together over 200 clinicians, nurses, scientists and researchers, students, and industry partners for three days of programming.