A message from the 49^th President of the Society of Gynecologic Surgeons

Greetings from Washington, DC on this Cinco de Mayo 2022, a day that marks the indigenous Mexicans’ victory over European invaders and is eerily reminiscent of the current situation in Ukraine. While we revel and celebrate Mexican heritage on this day, we also admire the grit and unity displayed by the vastly outnumbered Mexicans in 1862 and the Ukrainians over Vladimir Putin’s army this past month. I believe there are parallels from these past and current events with SGS. It is incredible to witness how much a group of dedicated individuals can accomplish!

Under the leadership of President Dr. Carl Zimmerman and scientific program chair, Dr. Oz Harmanli, the theme of the 48^th Scientific Program meeting at La Cantera
in San Antonio was Gynecologic Surgery Training—lessons from the past, looking to the future. Not only did we have record registration (488 in person and hybrid), we also were inspired by talks from Patricia Turner MD, MBA, FACS Executive Director of the American College of Surgeons who reminded us that the House of Surgery has a shared history of gynecology and general surgery, and Marta Crispens, MD on how we must improve gynecologic surgery with purposeful training and expert coaching. Checkered among the presentations and videos were panels on OR safety and efficiency and innovative training. We welcomed 10 new members and honored three 30-year members (Drs. Tom Nolan, Mark Walters, and John O.L. DeLancey) with Dr. DeLancey also receiving the President’ Award, Dr. Rebecca Rogers the Distinguished Service Award and Dr. Jeff Cornella the Distinguished Surgeon Award. One of the most inspiring moments was the State of the Society address by Dr. Nancy Frankel as she highlighted the accomplishments over the past decade and passed the SGS Executive Directorship to David Casalod and Status Plus. A new fund for fellow education has been created to honor the years of service of Dr. Nancy Frankel and Lennie Siegel (click here for more information).

Indeed, Dr. Amy Park, the 2023 SGS Scientific Program chair, and I have a very tough act to follow at the 49^th SGS Annual Scientific Meeting, planned for March 19-22, 2023 at the beautiful J.W. Marriott Starr Pass Hotel & Spa in Tucson, Arizona. We have selected the theme “Impact Factor” to acknowledge the impact that this society has had on many of us as evidenced by the society’s culture of knowledge-sharing and mentorship, as well as the impact of the scientific presentations and collaborative research and reviews generated by the FPRN®, Pelvic Anatomy Group (PAG), CoRPS, and Systematic Review Group (SRG). We welcome your recommendations and participation and new ideas for outings, entertainment, and camaraderie.

In the meantime, please be on the lookout for news about volunteer opportunities for one of a dozen SGS committees and news about the upcoming Winter Postgraduate Course slated for November 4-7. In addition, check out the home page for information on how to become a new member. Members may nominate new SGS members by completing the Propose a New Member Form. Also, check out the new video presented by Dr. John Gebhart on the Tradition of Mentoring at SGS.  You will surely recognize a few friendly faces in this video and gain appreciation for the dedication, passion, and impact of this incredible Society. I am so humbled and honored to serve as the society’s 49^th President.

Truly yours,
 
SGS President
Cheryl B. Iglesia MD FACOG
Professor, ObGyn and Urology
Georgetown University School of Medicine
Director, FPMRS, MedStar Health
Washington, DC

SGS Board Supports ACOG Efforts to Protect a Woman's Right to Healthcare and Preservation of the Physician-Patient Relationship

We on the SGS Board of Directors support ACOG and its efforts to protect a woman's right to healthcare and preservation of the physician-patient relationship. For more information regarding advocacy efforts at ACOG please see: https://www.acog.org/news/news-articles/2022/05/a-message-to-the-acog-community-regarding-the-future-of-abortion-care-and-acogs-role

SGS Releases SGS Tradition of Mentoring Vol 2 at SGS 2022

Speakers

Marlene Corton, MD, M.Sc  Professor UT Southwestern Medical Center

Paul A. Moran, FRCOG, MFFP, Consultant Urogynecologist Worcestershire Acute Hospitals, NHS Trust

Joint Statement on Re-introduction of Hospital and Office-based Procedures in the COVID-19 Climate for the Practicing Gynecologist

View the new joint statement HERE

A guide for urogynecologic patient care utilizing telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic: review of existing evidence

Thanks to the hard work from the SGS' Systematic Review Group (SRG) and the Collaborative Research in Pelvic Surgery Consortium (CoRPS) the above titled manuscript is now published in the International Urogynecology Journal. Click HERE to read the manuscript.