American Foregut Society

What American Foregut Society does

The American Foregut Society (AFS) is a nonprofit professional medical society founded in 2018 and headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is structurally distinctive in being the only US professional society that explicitly bridges gastroenterology and foregut surgery — two specialties that historically operate within separate organizations (AGA, SSAT, SAGES). AFS serves 800+ members including gastroenterologists, foregut surgeons, trainees, advanced practice providers (APPs), and medical students, focused on the multidisciplinary management of foregut diseases including GERD, achalasia, esophageal cancer, and obesity.

AFS operates a portfolio of community, content, data, and credentialing assets. The Foregut Journal is the only subscription journal exclusively dedicated to foregut disease. The AFS Quality Improvement Program (AFS QIP), anchored by BD as founding platinum sponsor, is an online clinical outcomes registry. Educational offerings include the Annual Meeting (600+ attendees in 2025), the Fellows Accelerated Program (with Laborie and Enterra), and a Robotics Mentorship Program with Intuitive. The society also grants the FAFS (Fellow of the American Foregut Society) professional credential, launched in 2022, and operates the "All Fore Guts" podcast.

Revenue is generated through tiered membership dues ($75-$350/year, plus a $5,000 lifetime tier), annual meeting registration ($375-$825), corporate sponsorships from major medical device and pharmaceutical companies (BD, Ethicon, Medtronic, Intuitive, Boston Scientific), textbook sales, and foundation donations. Strategic partnerships with UGIRA and the European Foregut Society indicate ongoing internationalization of the society model.

Name

American Foregut Society

Legal name

American Foregut Society

Website

https://americanforegutsociety.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The American Foregut Society is a nonprofit professional medical society founded in 2018 that uniquely bridges gastroenterology and foregut surgery, serving 800+ members with education, research, the Foregut journal, and quality improvement registries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Medical Professional Society Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

General Gastroenterology (HLAKAEAA)

Keywords

• Foregut disease education
• Gastroenterology professional society
• Foregut surgery training
• Medical specialty society
• Continuing medical education

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees ranging from $75-$350 for different membership tiers including physicians, trainees, APPs, and retired members. Lifetime membership available for $5,000 donation.
2. Annual Meeting Registration: Registration fees for annual conferences ranging from $375-$825 depending on membership status and packages. Trainees receive free registration.
3. AFS Textbook Sales: Sales of the AFS Textbook of Foregut Disease through Barnes & Noble and Amazon.
4. Corporate Partnerships: Collaborative partnerships with industry partners including pharmaceutical and medical device companies through sponsorships and exhibiting at annual meetings.
5. Foundation Donations: Donations to the AFS Foundation supporting research and education in foregut disease.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The American Foregut Society is a professional medical society that delivers tiered membership, the peer-reviewed Foregut journal, the AFS QIP outcomes registry, an annual conference, multidisciplinary fellowship and robotics mentorship curricula, research and equipment grants, the AFS Textbook of Foregut Disease, and FAFS credentialing for clinicians specializing in foregut disease. Its products are aimed at gastroenterologists, foregut surgeons, trainees, and allied health professionals seeking multidisciplinary collaboration, education, and outcome data in foregut care.

Product overview

The American Foregut Society operates as a multidisciplinary professional society rather than a software product company. Its core offerings include: the peer-reviewed journal 'Foregut' as its official publication; the AFS QIP registry for online outcomes data collection and analytics; the annual AFS meeting with post-graduate courses; educational programs (Foregut Fellows Accelerated Program, Robotics Mentorship Program); research and equipment grants; professional credentials (FAFS fellowship); awards recognition; and membership providing access to journals, webinars, and member-only resources. The organization bridges gastroenterology and surgery to advance foregut disease treatment through collaboration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• All Fore Guts: The official podcast of the American Foregut Society, hosted by President Dr. Dan Lister, bringing gastroenterologists and surgeons together to discuss common foregut conditions.
• Foregut Journal
• AFS QIP

Products and services

• AFS Membership Professional society membership offering access to the AFS Journal, webinars, DocMatter and SurgeOn communities, ROARS registry participation, discounted annual meeting registration, and member-only documents. Available in tiers: standard ($350/year), trainee ($150/year), APP ($250/year), lifetime ($5,000), and retired ($75/year).
• Foregut: The Journal of the American Foregut Society

Quantifiable outcome

• 600+ attendees at 2025 Annual Meeting with UGIRA partnership
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and major.

• TELA BiominorGTM or Marketing PartnerIndustry partner sponsor for AFS annual meetings and programs
• SanofiminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPharmaceutical industry partner sponsor
• Phathom PharmaceuticalsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPharmaceutical industry partner sponsor
• LaboriecoreTechnology or IntegrationMotility and pH testing equipment provider through collaborative grant program. Co-sponsor of 2026 Foregut Fellows Accelerated Program.
• Enterra MedicalcoreTechnology or IntegrationGastroparesis neuromodulation technology partner. Co-sponsor of 2026 Foregut Fellows Accelerated Program and robotics mentorship.
• Braintree LaboratoriesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPharmaceutical industry partner sponsor
• BD (Becton Dickinson)coreTechnology or IntegrationMedical technology company, founding sponsor of AFS QIP and platinum sponsor at annual meetings
• MedtroniccoreTechnology or IntegrationMedical device partner providing Endoflip technology. Platinum sponsor and program partner for fellows program.
• Castle Creek BiosciencesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBiotechnology company partner
• IntuitivecoreTechnology or IntegrationRobotic surgery technology provider (DaVinci). Partner for Robotics Mentorship Program and platinum sponsor.
• Ethicon (Johnson & Johnson)coreTechnology or IntegrationMedical devices and LINX reflux management system. Platinum founding sponsor of AFS QIP and annual meeting sponsor.
• Upper GI International Robotic Association (UGIRA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner society for 2025 Annual Meeting with combined conference. Over 600 attendees with joint programming.
• European Foregut SocietymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational collaborative partnership for foregut disease research and education
• Cine-MedmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccredited continuing medical education provider for annual meetings. Jointly accredited by ACCME, ACPE, and ANCC.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• American Gastroenterological Association (AGA): The largest U.S. professional society for gastroenterologists, offering overlapping GI education, journals (Gastroenterology, CGH), guidelines, and fellowship pathways that partially substitute for AFS, but at much broader scope and scale rather than foregut-specific.
• Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract (SSAT): A GI surgery-focused society with a journal (Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery) and DDW participation. It competes with AFS for upper-GI surgical members and industry-sponsored foregut content.
• American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE): The leading U.S. society for GI endoscopy with journals, guidelines, and a major annual meeting (DDW co-sponsor). It overlaps with AFS on endoscopic foregut procedures and competes for the same industry sponsors and member attention.
• American College of Surgeons (ACS): The broadest U.S. surgical professional society, providing fellowship (FACS) credentialing, CME, and clinical congress programming that overlaps with AFS's surgical member benefits, including fellowship distinctions and educational accreditation.
• Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES): A larger surgical society whose foregut surgery guidelines, courses, and meetings compete directly with AFS for surgical membership and industry support, particularly from Medtronic, Ethicon, and Intuitive.

Others

• Sage Publications (publisher of Foregut Journal): Publishing partner for the AFS Journal 'Foregut' and broader scientific journals; relevant as the infrastructure provider enabling AFS's journal subscription revenue and indexing rather than as a competing society.

Emerging players

• American Neurogastroenterology and Motility Society (ANMS): A subspecialty society focused on GI motility and neurogastroenterology, overlapping with AFS's motility courses, pH/manometry grants (with Laborie), and patient registries in foregut physiology.
• American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS): A subspecialty society for bariatric surgeons with overlapping membership (Dr. Ninh Nguyen, AFS board member, is past president). It competes for industry dollars in the bariatric/forgut crossover procedures such as ESG and sleeve gastrectomy.

Direct peers

• European Foregut Society: A foregut-focused professional society across the Atlantic. It is the most direct peer to AFS, mirroring its multidisciplinary GI/surgery mandate, educational programs, and journal/registry assets, and AFS already has an international collaborative partnership with it.
• Upper GI International Robotic Association (UGIRA): An international robotic upper-GI surgery society that co-located its 2025 meeting with AFS, drawing 600+ attendees. It is directly comparable in robotics- and upper-GI-focused education, though narrower in robotics emphasis.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ForegutSociety
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCd-wrcpADHT-rEk9ywwgHtQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/Americanforegutsociety
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/american-foregut-society
• Instagraminstagram.com/americanforegut

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about American Foregut Society