A Message from the 49th President of the Society of Gynecologic Surgeons
Front row, left to right: Amy Park (2023 Scientific Program Chair); Denise Howard (Publications Committee); Cheryl Iglesia (President), Gena Dunivan (Membership Committee); Jaime Long, (Education Committee Chair); Cara Grimes (Research Committee Chair); Brittany Star Hampton (Secretary/Treasurer); Carl Zimmerman (Immediate Past President); Jocelyn Fitzgerald (Social Media Committee Co-chair); Roseanne Kho (President Elect); Veronica Lerner (Education Committee); Back row, Emily Weber LeBrun (Member-At-Large); Nicole Donnellan (Membership Committee Chair); Kate Meriwether (Member-At-Large); Cara King ( Postgraduate Committee Chair); Mireille Truong (Social Media Committee Co-chair); James Robinson (Membership Committee); Jon Pennycuff (SRG Member) Keith Downing (Abstract Review Committee Chair); Kris Strohbehn (Assistant Secretary/Treasurer); Emily Barnard (Social Media Committee); Mitch Schuster (Liaison ACS ObGyn Advisory Council). Missing, Sawsan As-Sanie (2023 Scientific Program committee Co-Chair)
Happy Fall!
On September 9-11, 2022, the SGS Board and invited guests met in Pittsburgh for an SGS Strategic Planning Retreat. Led by former SGS Executive Director, Dr. Nancy Frankel, the purpose of the retreat was to assess the ability of SGS to serve our mission, challenge assumptions, and create goals to take our organization to the next level. We reviewed five main SGS pillars: membership, education, research, visibility, and finance. The collective knowledge, energy, and deep commitment to this society in that meeting room in Pittsburgh was amazing and inspiring. I look forward to sharing some of the retreat highlights related to policies, outreach, and other compelling, innovative, and attainable initiatives in the near future.
It was in Pittsburgh, at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monagahela Rivers into the great and mighty Ohio River, that the exchange of SGS management officially took place! How fitting that the baton has been passed from the very capable leadership over the past decade under Dr. Nancy Frankel and Lennie Siegel to Status Plus and our new Executive Director, Tessa Benitez, and Association Manager, Missy Render. Indeed, this confluence will surely help us grow into an ever greater and even mightier SGS! Two other members of the new SGS management team whose names you will see frequently are Vivian Gies, our Meeting Director, and Alyssa Miller, our Association Coordinator. Please feel free to reach out to our new management team, Tessa ([email protected]) and Missy ([email protected]), for any concerns.
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Dr. Nancy Siegel, Dr. Cheryl Iglesia, and Mr. Lennie Siegel
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Missy Render, Tessa Benitez, and Dr. Cheryl Iglesia
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The deadline for abstract submission was September 15, 2022, and I’m thrilled to announce we received a record number of submissions! The Program Committee, chaired by Dr. Amy Park and co-chaired by Dr. Sawsan As-Sanie, has worked hard to review roundtable and postgraduate course submissions, and they will be partnering with the Abstract and Video Review Committees to plan out what will surely be an outstanding 49th SGS Annual Scientific Meeting, March 19-22, 2023, at the JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort in Tucson, Arizona.
Stay tuned for upcoming webinars organized by the Education and PG Committees. One highlight will be a joint IUGA/SGS joint webinar on managing ureteral injury featuring Dr. Ted Lee, as well as new publications for review by the SGS Systematic Review Group and research updates from the prolific CoRPS, FPRN and FMIGS networks, including initiatives relating to the impact of the Dobbs v. Jackson ruling on gynecologic surgical training. The Social Media Committee has been busy drawing attention to all the ways you can get actively involved with SGS and reap the many benefits of the society including a very exciting partnership with the American College of Surgeons.
It's hard to believe that autumn has arrived, and it is only 6 months until we get together for the 49th Annual Scientific Meeting where the theme will be “Impact Factor.” For those who want to get more inspired, feel free to follow us on Instagram and Twitter @gynsurgery, and be sure to check out our podcast – Gynecologic Surgeons Unscrubbed – now in its 3rd season!
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 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.
