Message from the President

Greetings from Boston! Although it’s been a wet and dreary spring for much of the U.S., we all know that better weather is on its way. Those of you who attended the annual meeting in Tucson last month know what a wonderful and educational event it was, and I want to congratulate our outgoing President, Rajiv Gala and the Scientific Program Chair, Brittany “Star” Hampton, who both did an amazing job organizing and executing on our most well-attended meeting in the history of the organization! SGS continues to thrive with representation of all subspecialties, outstanding research and videos presented, as well as well-attended postgraduate courses, roundtable discussions and social events that make our organization the premier surgical organization in the field of gynecology. This year SGS videotaped all featured presentations at the annual meeting. All SGS Members as well as non-members who attended the 2019 annual meeting may view the presentations here.  The “SGS Got Talent” event continues to feature SGS members with surprisingly impressive talent…and then there were the “SGS Past President Bobbleheads”. I’d like to personally thank our industry partners for their continued support for the annual meeting.

I am honored to be this year’s SGS President and I look forward to a productive year. We have a lot to look forward to, including the popular Winter Postgraduate Course (which offers optional cadaver and suturing labs) in La Jolla, California on December 4-7, under the direction – once again – of Rosanne Kho, and she has assembled a talented group of instructors. Our 2020 Scientific Program Chair, Pat Culligan, and the Program Committee are now in the early stages of planning for next year’s annual meeting, which will be held in Jacksonville, Florida between March 29 – April 1, 2020. We also have several important groups actively engaged in research and generating important publications, including the Systematic Review Group (SRG), the Pelvic Anatomy Group (PAG), and the Fellows’ Pelvic Research Network (FPRN)®.

As you know, we are facing a number of challenges as a specialty, including the recent decision by the FDA to order manufacturers of transvaginal mesh products for prolapse to cease selling these products in the U.S. and to remove their existing products from hospitals. The FDA asked the manufacturers of these products to continue following patients who have been implanted as part of the ongoing 522 post-market surveillance studies. The FDA went on to recommend that women who have been implanted with these products and are having no symptoms related to the implants simply follow up with their physicians as recommended and that these products should not be removed. Women who are having symptoms, such as abnormal bleeding, vaginal discharge, pelvic / groin pain, or painful intercourse should be seen for evaluation and management.

We understand that many of our members’ professional activities are affected by decisions made by the FDA and other external forces, and we strive to support our members in any way we can. We all share the same goals of providing excellent health care for women across all of the gynecologic surgical subspecialties. We will also continue to work with other societies in our field as we respond to this and other challenges.

I’d like to thank all of our members who have volunteered their valuable time on various SGS committees, and I would also encourage all our members to look for ways you might become engaged with future SGS activities. Throughout the year, you will be receiving e-mails that will ask for volunteers to participate in various committees, including the abstract and video review committees for next year’s annual meeting. It is a great way to contribute to a successful meeting next year, and it is also a great way to meet and network with your peers.

Finally, I would like to thank two people who have been instrumental in the success of SGS; our Executive Director, Nancy Frankel, and our Financial Director, Lennie Siegel. Since joining our organization seven years ago, we have not only grown substantially in terms of membership and diversity in our subspecialty representation, but we have also grown financially so that we can support the important activities in which we are involved.

I look forward to working with the Board of Directors and with all our members in the coming year, to advance gynecologic surgery for our patients. Feel free to contact me with any ideas or concerns that we may address this coming year. I look forward to seeing you at the Winter Postgraduate Course in December, and at the Annual Meeting next year in Jacksonville!

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