President's Letter

I am absolutely honored to step into the role of President of SGS, to work with the Executive Committee, Board, our countless volunteers and talented membership as well as our management team to support and move the mission of the society forward over the next year. Thank you for entrusting this work to me.

Our very special 50th Anniversary meeting in Orlando last month was a huge success! I extend a heartfelt thank you to a large group of committed volunteers, including the Scientific Program Committee, led by the amazing Drs. Suzie As-Sanie and Gena Dunivan, the abstract and video reviewers, and the many contributing investigators and speakers! Thank you all for your hard work, dedication and energy. We had more than 500 total attendees, 177 abstract submissions and 89 video submissions this year. Not only was the program insightful and inspiring, but attendees enjoyed what makes the annual meeting so enjoyable - the ample time for reconnecting with colleagues and recharging with Tuesday afternoon leisure activities. 

A huge thanks to Dr. Lauren Siff and her committee for the Tuesday evening “Around the World” FUNdraising event. What a blast! Great food, fun trivia, and lots of dancing - I’m still recovering! This event was a huge success, resulting in us raising over $15,000 for the John O. L. DeLancey Fund to support the Pelvic Anatomy Group’s impressive, growing and much needed digital anatomy library. The goal of the digital library is to disseminate accurate information and serve as a valuable resource for teaching and research using surgical and cadaveric video and images. After one year of very hard work and countless hours of preparation, the SGS Female Pelvic Anatomy Digital Library was showcased at the meeting and will be an incredible member benefit and SGS asset moving forward. Stay tuned! If you didn’t get a chance to donate at the event in Orlando - you can easily do so here.

If you haven’t already, don’t forget to complete the meeting evaluation and claim your CME for the meeting. The link to the evaluation (required to claim your credit) was emailed to all attendees. Information provided helps inform programming for next year, so thank you in advance. If you cannot locate the evaluation in your inbox or spam folder, please email your request for it to be resent to [email protected].

It was extremely inspiring for me to look around the room and see so many colleagues who have contributed to excellence in gynecologic surgery through clinical care, education, research, advocacy and leadership. Our approachable and collegial SGS membership was  joined by guests and all levels of trainees, and I was truly humbled to be surrounded by all of you who embody the spirit and mission of SGS. Our meetings each year seem to set new bars for those that follow. I am already looking forward to March of 2025 - save the date for the 51st Annual Scientific Meeting in Palm Springs, California! We promise to deliver and are excited to celebrate with you all! 

Please feel free to reach out to me any time with questions, concerns, ideas. Looking forward to a great year together -

Star Hampton, MD
SGS President 2024-2025

Joint Statement: Code of Conduct

We know that, unfortunately, many individuals are subject to harassment and violence every day in our country, with reports being publicized regularly across many different industries and sectors.  

The Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) and Society of Gynecologic Surgeons (SGS) are united in opposing harassment and violence in all its forms.  

We have collaborated on a joint statement reflecting our organizations’ commitment to the same and emphasizing the code of conduct to which we hold our members.  

We share that statement with you below:

Our organizations categorically oppose and condemn sexual or verbal harassment of any kind.

We strongly support a culture of mutual respect, professionalism, and inclusion in the workplace and beyond. All people should be treated with dignity, respect, and compassion.

We also condemn violence for any reason in any setting. Retaliatory violence merely perpetuates the harassment, violence, and negative workplace culture we seek to avoid and correct.

We expect our members to uphold principles of ethical conduct with everyone, including patients, staff, colleagues, trainees, other professionals, and everyone involved in the care we provide.

If needed, resources to support those affected by harassment or violence are available through their entity’s Human Resources Department, Graduate Medical Education Department, Compliance Officer/Supervisor, State Licensing Board, as well as the National Sexual Assault Hotline (1-800-656-4673) or the National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-7233).  

Please email [email protected] with comments or questions.

Read Full Statement

Posted 6/6/2023

SGS Statement on Roe v Wade ruling

The SCOTUS ruling on June 24, 2022, in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, now ends the nearly 50-year-old constitutional protection for abortion, returning the rights to state legislatures and severely restricting access to reproductive health care for millions of US women. As members of the executive board of the Society of Gynecologic Surgeons, we continue to support full access to essential women’s reproductive health care and the preservation of the patient-physician relationship.   

Pregnancy termination, regardless of indication and including elective, is proven scientifically to be a safe and effective procedure when performed medically or surgically by a trained provider. Training in pregnancy termination is essential for healthcare providers in women’s surgery. Denial of access to pregnancy termination by trained providers not only harms women seeking pregnancy management due to limited access to safe medical care but will deny access for appropriate training of present and future gynecologic surgeons, further restricting access to safe gynecologic procedures for pregnancy. 

We firmly support the necessary training and availability of comprehensive health care for women and stand with ACOG reiterating the message that abortion is essential health care: https://www.acog.org/advocacy/abortion-is-essential  

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

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.