SGS 2020 Annual Scientific Meeting Coronavirus Update

(Posted March 18, 2020) In light of the global emergency of the new coronavirus, COVID-19, the Society of Gynecologic Surgeons 46th Annual Scientific Meeting has been postponed. The targeted dates for the postponed meeting are July 6-9, 2020 at the same hotel in Jacksonville, FL. The health and safety of meeting attendees and the patients in their care is our utmost concern. We will continue to monitor the situation on a daily basis to determine if any changes will be made.

Please watch for email notifications and updates on the sgsonline.org website. For more information please visit our FAQ web pages.

 Message from the President

(Posted March 27, 2020) None of us could have imagined just a few months ago how rapidly and dramatically all our lives, and our livelihoods, would turn upside-down. As surgeons who have dedicated our professional lives to caring for women, our daily routines have been upended, and we are all settling in to a new reality, a new normal that will be with us for the foreseeable future. Many, if not most, of us have been unable to see patients in the office or perform non-urgent surgery. Half of our nation has been ordered to basically shelter in place, in order to avoid overwhelming our healthcare system, which is shockingly inadequately prepared for such an event. We find ourselves in the midst of a pandemic that has affected, as of today, over a half-million people in 175 countries, and the U.S. has the dubious distinction of having the most confirmed infections, despite the fact that we have been very slow at making testing for COVID-19 available to the public. Most of our members have never lived through such a dangerous pandemic. The Asian Flu between 1956-1958 claimed the lives of 2 million worldwide and the Flu Pandemic (a.k.a. “Hong Kong Flu”) in 1968 killed 1 million, of which 500,000 were from Hong Kong, or 15% of that city’s population. It is unclear at this time where the current crisis will rank among the list of deadliest pandemics.

We are clearly in unchartered territory as a nation. Our country has certainly suffered through disasters before – hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, terrorist attacks – but these are almost always local or regional events, and we as a nation usually rise to the occasion through first responders and the federal government to assist those in need. But rarely do we experience such an acute crisis that so severely affects the entire nation, and in this case, the entire world. We are all getting lessons in new words and phrases: COVID-19, community spread, shelter-in-place, social distancing, Defense Production Act, and flatten the curve. We can spend our time pointing fingers and blaming politicians or the current or past administrations in Washington – there will be plenty of time for that – but we as physicians need to stay focused on the problem and be a part of the solution to this pandemic.

We all are experiencing and understand the importance of social distancing, but that does not mean we need to suffer from social isolation. We, as physicians, need to stay connected with one another, and I hope SGS can play an important role in this effort. We are working with other professional organizations, including ACOG, AUGS, AAGL, SGO to advocate for our patients in this critical period. We supported a Joint Statement on Elective Surgeries (https://www.acog.org/news/news-releases/2020/03/joint-statement-on-elective-surgeries) that emphasizes the importance of obstetric and gynecologic procedures for which a delay will negatively affect patient health and safety. We are also working with these and other professional organizations in arranging regular informational webcasts to keep our members informed as to the most important issues related to this pandemic. As you know, SGS is committed to not only surgical excellence but to surgical mentorship. Our core mission includes the training of residents, fellows, and colleagues in gynecologic surgery. Although surgical volume will be limited while we fight this pandemic, we can continue to educate our trainees through regional video conferencing and online meetings. As an SGS member, take advantage of the educational opportunities on our website, including our extensive video library, which has been recently updated by our Educational Committee.

Like many other organizations recently experienced, it was a difficult decision to postpone our annual meeting, which was to take place this weekend in Jacksonville. I know we all look forward to the annual meeting, with all its educational opportunities, including innovative PG courses, unique keynote lectures, and thought-provoking panel discussions. My friend and colleague, Pat Culligan, and his dedicated program committee have put together a truly exceptional program. While it seemed like a tough call at the time, it is clear that the decision to postpone the meeting was inevitable, and we are all optimistic that we will be able to move forward with holding the meeting in Jacksonville in early July.

It is hard to predict what each of us will be experiencing in the weeks to come. I have already heard from many of our colleagues who are being reassigned to new temporary roles: covering L&D, assisting other surgeons in emergent and urgent cases, and screening patients for COVID-19. The nationwide shortage of PPE and other medical equipment will most likely affect each of us, and we all share concerns for the health of our patients, our families, and ourselves. As we move through this challenging time, it is important that we stay connected as a Society, and I advise each of you to reach out to your colleagues, share your experiences, ask for advice, and keep in mind that we are all in this together. I look forward to seeing you all in July, and I know we are all looking forward to getting back to our normal, hectic lives taking care of our patients.

Sincerely,

Peter Rosenblatt, MD

Female Sexual Health: Barriers to Optimal Outcomes and a Roadmap for Improved Patient–Clinician Communications

The Alliance for Advancing Women’s Health (AAWH) collaborated on a consensus paper detailing the barriers to optimal women’s sexual health and a path toward improving clinical interaction. The paper, “Female Sexual Health: Barriers to Optimal Outcomes and a Roadmap for Improved Patient-Clinician Communications,” was recently published in the Journal of Women’s Health... Read More