Dr. Klaus Mergener attended medical school in Frankfurt and Heidelberg, Germany, and at Duke University and Harvard University in the U.S. He completed his MD/PhD-thesis summa cum laude with 2008 Nobel Prize Laureate Dr. Harald zur Hausen at the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg before returning to Duke University for his residency in internal medicine and fellowship training in gastroenterology and interventional endoscopy. He received his MBA from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

A diplomat in several national medical organizations, Dr. Mergener is board-certified in Gastroenterology, Medical Management, and Healthcare Quality Management. He is a Member of the Board at Digestive Health Specialists in Tacoma, WA, and an Affiliate Professor of Medicine at the University of Washington in Seattle, WA.

Dr. Mergener is the current Vice-Chair of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) Foundation Board of Trustees. In June 2018, he will transition to become the Vice President of ASGE. He assumes the ASGE Presidency in 2020. Dr. Mergener also serves on the Board of the Pacific Northwest Gastroenterology Society (PNWGS). From 2009 through 2014 he was Associate Editor of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.

Dr. Mergener’s areas of clinical expertise include cancer prevention, interventional endoscopy, biliary and pancreatic diseases. He has authored more than 100 articles and book chapters, and has presented invited lectures at regional, national, and international conferences. He serves on several advisory boards for endoscopic equipment and accessory manufacturers and has made presentations to government agencies, business leadership and a variety of industry groups across the US and abroad.

Dr. Mergener is the founder and director of the GI Roundtable, an annual conference of GI practice leaders and administrators who come together to assess the implications of healthcare reform on gastroenterology and jointly develop strategies to continuously optimize the care for patients with GI diseases.

In addition to his clinical and administrative activities, Dr. Mergener enjoys volunteer medical service. He has worked for extended periods of time at hospitals in various developing countries including Sri Lanka and Tanzania. Dr. Mergener is fortunate to be supported by his wife, Dr. Sabine Endrigkeit, and their kids Johanna and Philipp who share his passion for volunteerism and community service.