Table of Contents

Letter from the President

Committee Corner

Update from ACS

Intimate Partner Violence Awareness Month

Culture of Giving

Donate Today

President's Letter

Happy Autumn! As the leaves turn and sweaters get pulled out of closets here in the Northeast, I once again am filled with gratitude and thanks for your trust and support as I move into the second half of my SGS presidential term. As I reflect on the past several months, I’d like to update you on some of what the Executive Committee (EC) has been working on.

We recently had the pleasure of meeting with Dr. Caroline Cox, Chair of the Pelvic Anatomy Group’s (PAG) Steering Committee. Dr. Cox discussed the PAG’s Digital Library. The Library has been a complex and robust project and will soon be launched. We are planning full access to be available to all SGS members with log-in credentials, non-members involved in anatomical teaching (professors, residency and fellowship directors), and non-member learners (medical students, residents and fellows in OBGYN or related fields such as physiotherapy, etc.) Like protocols in place with the existing SGS video library, non-members will request an account with proof of their institutional position or student enrollment. This is such exciting work, and I am incredibly grateful for the large amount of time and energy the PAG has dedicated to this incredible resource.

The EC has also discussed our Society relationship with the Green Journal and made the decision to sign an agreement to publish the 2025 Annual Meeting abstracts in the Green Journal. This decision was supported by the Board and made for financial reasons and other potential synergies. We are also proud to have recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding which outlines several areas of ongoing and potential new collaboration between SGS and the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

In August, Dr. Jaime Long, Education Committee Chair, joined the EC and reported on the SGS Simulation Advisory Service, which you may have seen being advertised via newsletters and online. She reviewed the results of the first consults which have been completed, featuring topics such as a pilot vaginal hysterectomy simulation, a fundamentals of vaginal surgery curriculum, and emergency team training. This is an incredible service, so I urge you or any of your colleagues to take advantage of the expertise of the Advisory Service. In addition, we have a really exciting addition to the Annual Meeting in March - the brand new Simulation Lounge is planned for Monday morning from 6:30 - 7:30 am, offering an opportunity to showcase the latest in surgical simulation innovations, inventions, and methodologies. We were thrilled to receive many innovative submissions for this inaugural year and hope to see many of you there browsing as you enjoy your coffee before our first full scientific session.

I am really excited to meet with the talented SGS Board for our interim meeting later this month in Washington DC. We have a packed agenda, updating each other on relevant work being done in different committees. I continue to be impressed and am immensely appreciative of how the work of our committees comes together to support the SGS Strategic Plan. We have also reserved time to discuss ways SGS can continue to serve its mission to promote excellence in gynecologic surgery through acquisition of knowledge and improvement of skills, advancement of basic and clinical research, and professional and public education.

I just got word we received the highest number of abstract and video submissions to date for our Annual Scientific Meeting being held in Rancho Mirage in March and attended the video and abstract review kick off calls. I can’t wait to see the cutting-edge science and submissions this year and am really looking forward to a stimulating and fun meeting. Hopefully your calendars are marked!

As always, please feel free to reach out to me any time with questions or ideas.

Hoping you can make time for some fall adventures!

Best,

Star

Star Hampton, MD
SGS President 2024-2025

Committee Corner
Education Committee

The SGS Education Committee is actively pursuing an “Oral Histories” project, with the goal to record conversations with early and impactful members of SGS (before they retire!) to better understand and document the history of the society and pelvic surgery in general. The project will help members understand where SGS started, where we’ve gone and where we are going from those who have been most involved over the past years. Currently, the goal is to put together several video clips to be used at the meeting, social media, etc. Interviews are capturing answers to questions like “What makes a good surgeon?” “How have things changed over the years, what changes do you anticipate in upcoming years?” “Advice for gyn surgeons” “What role has SGS played in your career?” and others. The project goal is to capture their pearls of wisdom, institutional knowledge, etc. A 10-minute video around the theme of “What makes a good surgeon?” will be aired at the 2025 Annual Meeting.

This project is being led by Drs. Kate Woodburn and Cecile Ferrando.

ACS Joint Membership Update

We are pleased to have recently completed our first year of implementing joint SGS/ACS membership. We congratulate the following 41 members who have completed the process and will be recognized at the October ACS Congress!

Dr. Amy Park, Cleveland, OH

Dr. Angela DiCarlo-Meacham, San Diego, CA

Dr. Austin Hill, Fort Wayne, IN

Dr. Brandon Chen, Bakersfield, CA

Dr. Cassandra Kisby, Durham, NC

Dr. Cecilia Wieslander, Culver City, CA

Dr. Cheryl Iglesia, Washington, DC

Dr. Danielle Patterson, Baltimore, MD

Dr. Donna Mazloomdoost, Rockville, MD

Dr. Esther Han, Newark, DE

Dr. Eva Welch, Fairfax, VA

Dr. Fiona Lindo, Houston, TX

Dr. Gary Sutkin, Kansas City, MO

Dr. Gina Sullivan, Sudbury, MA

Dr. Gnankang Napoe, Pittsburgh, PA

Dr. Jenifer Byrnes, Akron, OH

Dr. Jocelyn Fitzgerald, Pittsburgh, PA

Dr. Jon Pennycuff, Madison, WI

Dr. Jon Shepherd, West Hartford, CT

Dr. Joseph Panza, Rochester, NY

Dr. Lauren Giugale, Pittsburgh, PA

Dr. Lauren Stewart, New York, NY

Dr. Linda Yang, Chicago, IL

Dr. Lisa Hickman, Columbus, OH

Dr. Louise King, Boston, MA

Dr. Mallory Stuparich, Riverside, CA

Dr. Mamta Mamik, Bronx, NY

Dr. Mark Ellerkmann, Phoenix, MD

Dr. Mary Ellen Wechter, Jacksonville, FL

Dr. Megan Orlando, Aurora, CO

Dr. Megan Schimpf, Ann Arbor, MI

Dr. Michael Bonidie, Pittsburgh, PA

Dr. Miguel Luna Russo, Cleveland, OH

Dr. Nancy Ringel, New Haven , CT

Dr. Nicole Donnellan, Pittsburgh, PA

Dr. Olivia Chang, Orange, CA

Dr. Sarah Andiman, Greenwich, CT

Dr. Sarah Boyd, Hershey, PA

Dr. Tanya Hoke, West Palm Beach, FL

Dr. Veronica Lerner, New York, NY

Dr. Whitney Ross, Saint Louis, MO

Intimate Partner Violence Awareness Month

October is Intimate Partner Violence Awareness Month. For the third year, SGS is partnering with the American College of Surgeons to bring awareness to intimate partner violence via social media messaging and a free webinar on Wednesday, October 30. The webinar will focus on advocacy and legal protection. We encourage our community to learn and recognize the symptoms of intimate partner violence and advocate those who experience it.

Visit the ACS website for a downloadable toolkit as well as a presentation that can be used during grand rounds or in other venues to share information about identifying and diagnosing intimate partner violence.

W2024 Winter Postgraduate Online Course

All SGS members are encouraged to spread the word about this year’s Winter Postgraduate Course. The SGS December 2024 Online Course in Advanced Gynecologic Surgery focuses on the surgical management of a full spectrum of gynecologic problems and approaches, with attention to surgical education, technique, and evidence-based approaches to improve surgeon competence, technical performance, and patient outcomes. This one-day interactive course includes presentations from a faculty of experts with liberal use of videos and panel discussions and allows one-on-one coaching opportunities. Didactic presentations address vaginal hysterectomy, laparoscopic hysterectomy, chronic pelvic pain and endometriosis, pelvic anatomy, pelvic masses, surgical complications, and pelvic support procedures.

This year’s course will be on Sunday, December 8. Please share with your colleagues and visit the course page to learn more about the program and register.

Culture of Giving

As we gear up for Giving Tuesday (December 5) and the end-of-year giving requests, we are happy to share personal perspective from SGS member donors on what giving means to them. This month we are pleased to share a testimonial from SGS Past President, Dr. Holly Richter.

Holly E. Richter, PhD, MD, FACOG, FACS

"The reason that I have consistently contributed to SGS is that I am committed to supporting our future. Through a continued credible support of research, our field will continue to grow in its understanding of the pathophysiology of PF disorders and improve on treatments. Ultimately, we will learn how to mitigate and even prevent their occurrence.

Thanks for the opportunity!"