This course was a fantastic experience, which exceeded my expectations in every way. The course gives you the tools to work in a challenging environment where you need to combine not only endoscopic skills, but also organizational skills, educational and scientific work and emotional intelligence. It gives you insight in your own strengths and fields of improvement. Furthermore, it provides a platform where you meet your international peers and enables you to develop a network with talented and ambitious endoscopists all over the world.  I can highly recommend the course to young academic endoscopists. I believe it will change your daily practice for the better!

The course with 3 modules has provided me with many new soft skills, the things that we have not learned in the course of gastrointestinal endoscopy training. I feel myself more mature in the way of seeing issues, how to handle situations and how to adjust relationships to achieve high efficiency in gastrointestinal endoscopy practice, to asure safety for patient, for myself and co-workers. As well, taking care of the spiritual life, keep balancing the work and life, to become a happy endoscopist is also important. I am sharing these precious lessons to my colleagues in central of Vietnam and trying to build up a good endoscopy team, where all members consider the working place like their home.

Emerging Stars scholarship was one of the highlights of my career and has helped me grow into my potential.It groomed me to be sound professional and opened my eyes to new stages of opportunity and strength. What have I learned from this experience? The value of tolerance, patience, and trust in my activity; showing me what it really means to fight for your work; believing in me, a sense of empowerment; the ins and outs of leadership, communication and networking. I can honestly say that I would not be even close to where I am today without the encouragement, advice, and support that the Emerging Stars program and the people behind it have given me.

The WEO Emerging Stars program was an outstanding experience. It was a great privilege to participate in this course. The three international modules in Munich, Singapore and Cairo were very well structured, and exposed us to a wide range of high level teaching and valuable content in diverse areas including leadership, communication, teamwork, team building, mentoring, goal setting, technology, endoscopic education, research, media management, and many other important areas. I feel that I have benefited greatly from the experience and I have already put into practice many of the techniques I learned throughout the program. We were fortunate to have very talented lecturers and facilitators from leading institutions around the world. The opportunity to meet such an amazing group of emerging leaders in my field internationally was extremely valuable. We have formed strong connections that will facilitate ongoing collaboration in the years to come. I am grateful to the WEO for this extraordinary experience and I highly recommend the program to future applicants.

WEO Emerging Stars Program has provided me unequalled benefits and contributed so much to my personal and professional development. First, the Emerging Stars Program has put me on the international stage with exceptionally skillful and successful gastroenterologists from all over the world. My professional network has remarkably improved. I have become a better teacher, learner and collaborator. My number of international publications increased from 30s to 60s. Second, I have acquired many soft skills that helped me to improve both my personal and professional relationships. These skills provided me a better understanding of human behaviors at work and issues related to staff performance. This led me to be in a leadership position at Hamad Medical Corporation where I have worked as a Senior Consultant for Interventional Gastroenterology, Associate Director of GI Fellowship Program, and a member and examiner of Qatari Board of Medical Specialties. I have initiated the Advanced Endoscopy Training Program for the first time in Qatar. Lastly, I have got a new position to start in August 2022 at Townsville University Hospital, Queensland, Australia as a Senior Gastroenterologist and Clinical Lecturer at Townsville Clinical School, James Cook University College of Medicine and Dentistry. In summary, WEO Emerging Stars Program is a great opportunity for young academic gastroenterologists who wish to set sail towards a self-aware, productive and full of fun academic career.

I am Wei-Chih David Liao from Taiwan. I was very fortunate to be selected into the first batch of the Emerging Star Program, an inspiring and unique program that has been a big help for me in navigating my career path. My current job is Professor of Medicine of National Taiwan University and attending physician of the Gastroenterology division of National Taiwan University Hospital. I also serve as chief of the endoscopy center of the same hospital. I am also a director of the Digestive Endoscopy Society of Taiwan (DEST), a member of the WEO education committee, and ASGE Fellow. I benefited a lot from what was taught in the program, including how to teach, lead, organize a research team, be an impressive presenter, and so on. Furthermore, meeting and making friends with the brightest emerging stars from around the globe makes Emerging Start program the most rewarding experience. I greatly appreciate Professor Mostafa and WEO for realizing this great initiative and I believe you will also greatly enjoy the program and benefit from it as I do.

I am Edna Kamau from Nairobi Kenya. I was extremely privileged to be selected to join the pioneer class WEO Emerging Stars Program. I participated in the program soon after my gastroenterology training. Through the program, I gained a lot of knowledge and skills that have played a key role in defining my extremely fulfilling career. I went on to start a very successful gastroenterology practice in Nairobi. My clinic is the only one in Eastern and Central Africa that provides GI motility and esophagus function studies. I took up leadership roles- I am the treasurer for the gastroenterology society of Kenya. I am also the founder of an education trust that supports children in secondary education. The emerging stars program through its well thought out leadership training courses prepared me adequately for these roles. I am most grateful to Professor Mostafa and team for the great initiative and wish the program success.