President's Letter
Dear Colleagues & Friends,
As we move from spring to summer months, I continue to feel grateful to be able to lead this Society with the help of talented volunteer colleagues and the input of our engaged members. Our committees have been meeting and working hard on various important initiatives, and SGS leadership continues to discuss, evaluate, support and appreciate ongoing and new projects that keep our Society vibrant, strong and relevant!
The SGS Executive Committee meets monthly, and an ongoing priority of mine is to be sure we hear from and provide guidance to our hard-working committee chairs. This month I would like to share a few highlights from our April and May discussions which demonstrate how committee activities support our SGS strategic plan. The SGS Strategic Plan, approved in 2023, established five main “pillars” or strategic focus areas which include Membership, Visibility, Finance, Education and Research – with goals under each. I would encourage all members to view the plan HERE.
- A goal of SGS is to be sure we are representative of gynecologic surgery at large, with a diversity of surgeons and specialists. Dr. Jim Robinson and members of the Membership Committee are working on ways we can continue to engage with individuals from diverse subspecialty areas (e.g., oncology, family planning) as well as identifying annual meeting presenters as potential new members. SGS leadership has recently affirmed with the American College of Surgeons (ACS) the joint SGS/ACS membership program. As this was our inaugural year there were a few bumps in the road to get this moving, however our first group of new members will be inducted to ACS at the Fall Congress through this partnership. If you are interested in becoming an ACS member, please see www.sgsonline.org/acs-joint-application for more information on this initiative.
- Dr. Jocelyn Fitzgerald, Chair of the new Communications Committee, brought forth the preliminary goals of each of subcommittee: Website, Podcast and Social Media. I am really excited about the potential impact of streamlining and strengthening our communications through this committee. Keep your eyes open for opportunities to engage, as the expansion in this area is providing additional opportunities for member volunteers.
- SGS has the ability to have an even stronger impact when we partner with organizations, using collective expertise. Over the past months the Executive Committee, on behalf of SGS, has endorsed a new initiative to establish an Endometriosis Care Quality Collaborative (ECQC) and continues to look at other important policies and recommendations to give support to.
Within this newsletter you will find a spotlight on our new Research Toolkit, an incredibly exciting resource that was developed by our talented volunteers on the Research Committee – Francisco Orejuela, Julia Shinnick, and Mallory Stuparich. I am sure this will prove to be extremely useful as surgeons develop research ideas to benefit patients in the future. I am also excited to highlight one of the committee members who worked on this toolkit within the newsletter this month – a testament to the diverse talent that helps drive the mission of SGS.
I am so proud of these examples of how the work of our committees are supporting the SGS Strategic Plan, moving SGS forward with new possibilities as a leader in gynecologic surgery.
Finally, planning for the 51st Scientific Meeting is well underway with Scientific Program Chair Gena Dunivan putting together an outstanding program with her committee members. I am really excited to be going to Rancho Mirage and am already looking forward to seeing you all there – so please mark your calendars if you have not already!
Be on the lookout for more updates in the coming months, and as always, please feel free to reach out to me any time with questions and your ideas.
Hoping you are able to get some rest and relaxation this summer!
Best,
Star Hampton, MD
SGS President 2024-2025
