I am once again thrilled to share with you our newest edition of the 2018 IUGA Newsletter. In this issue, we share highlights of our Annual Meeting in the elegant city of Vienna. Please enjoy our highpoints and photo gallery!
In addition, Dr. Rebecca Rogers, IUJ Co-Editor-in-Chief, shares with us how the IUJ will be celebrating Peer Review Week as well as recognizing the Top 10 Editorial Board Members who have provided the most peer reviews this past year.
We continue to encourage everyone’s contribution to our upcoming newsletters. Please contact me or Missy Render (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) with any local news within your community that you would like to share with our IUGA membership. Thank you and enjoy!
On July 30, 2018, the FDA has issued a warning to alert patients and health care providers that the use of energy-based devices to perform vaginal "rejuvenation," cosmetic vaginal procedures, or non-surgical vaginal procedures to treat symptoms related to menopause, urinary incontinence, or sexual function may be associated with serious adverse events. The safety and effectiveness of energy-based devices for treatment of these conditions has not been established.
On April 26, 2018, Dr. Ranee Thakar (Vice-President of IUGA) and Dr. Abdul Sultan (Chair of the IUGA Membership Committee) joined more than 600 people at the VII Jornada Internacional de Uroginecologia da USP excellently hosted by Jorge Milhem Haddad in Sao Paulo, Brazil. They lead the Obstetric Anal Sphincter Injuries (OASIS) workshop, which is focused on the diagnosis and repair of 3rd and 4th degree perineal and anorectal tears.
Obstetric anal sphincter disruption is a major cause of anal incontinence. Many clinicians report feeling inadequately trained to recognise and repair anal injuries. Techniques to identify, classify, and repair anal sphincter damage were explained in detail and then participants were given the opportunity to practice on animal parts. As 85% of women who have a vaginal birth sustain some form of perineal trauma, the information and techniques taught in this workshop are of the utmost importance for all doctors in the fields of obstetrics, urogynecology and gynecology. It is also useful for midwives, Labor Ward Managers, and Colorectal Surgeons.
Drs. Thakar and Sultan were also available at the IUGA booth after the workshop to answer questions about OASIS and about IUGA. Many of the attendees signed up as new IUGA members.
Historically within urogynecology, the lack of data combined with commercial pressure has been persuasive. In addition, many databases are designed to evaluate procedures and their outcomes rather than to provide decision-making guidance. The IUGA Database aims to address these short-comings.
The IUGA Database Challenge, October 1-7, 2018, will not only introduce members to the database but will also demonstrate the power of numbers. Our goal is to have at least 5,000 cases entered during the challenge week. Initial data will provide world demographics of surgery with the aim of being able to set standards for simple procedures.
All IUGA members receive free access to the IUGA Surgical Database as a benefit of membership. Learn more about the Challenge and request your free account today!
Check out the most recent video: the Mini State-of-the-Art lecture of Dr. Abdul Sultan and Ms. Wendy Ness 'Management of fecal incontinence for the urogynecologist' has been published on the IUGA Academy.
Change is inevitable. Growth is optional. If you are looking for the opportunity to grow your knowledge and skills, apply for an IUGA Observership Grant today! The purpose of the Observership Grant is to offset the costs of visiting an approved host site with proven expertise in a specific area of urogynecology, selected by the applicant. Recipients spend 2-4 weeks at the host site learning and honing their skills. Observership grants are available in three categories.
The world is becoming more global and so is IUGA! The International Advisory Board (IAB) of IUGA ensures that regional and local needs and perspectives are reflected in the strategic direction, policies, and projects of the association.
The IAB meets with and provides counsel to the Board of Directors and is responsible for identifying opportunities for scientific, educational and other supportive activities in their respective regions. IAB members are elected by a majority vote of the regular voting members in the region they represent.
We recognize that Asia represents nearly half of the world’s population and that it is extremely challenging for one IAB member to properly represent the needs of the medical professionals and their patients across such a distance and so many countries and cultures.
With this in mind, the IUGA membership has approved a bylaw amendment expanding the IAB Board by creating four distinct IAB positions for Asia. Our goal is to better allow us to serve our members in these regions, and in turn, allow them to better serve their patients. For more details on the locations that the new IAB members represent within the Asian region, please see the list of countries below.
Call for Nominations
This is your chance! We are now looking for motivated IUGA members to represent from each of these regions on the International Advisory Board (IAB).
IUGA is accepting nominations for the elected positions listed below. Nominations must be received by Friday, August 24 at 11:59 PM EDT. Voting will take place between Saturday, September 15 and Monday, October 15, 2018. Please note that only members from the respective regions can be nominated and/or vote.
*Terms for the above positions will begin January 1, 2019.
Nomination Process
As specified in the by-laws, the Nominating Committee will receive all nominations, will review them and may add additional nominees if it is considered by the Committee to be in the best interest of the association.
Nominations may be submitted via email to the IUGA Executive Office at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.until 11:59 EDT on Friday, August 24, 2018. Nominations may be submitted by any IUGA member in good standing, including the nominee him or herself. A member may be a candidate for only one position and must reside in the region that he or she will represent. Once the nominations are confirmed, nominees will be asked to submit a short position statement, a short statement detailing your contributions to IUGA or regional urogynecology research and education activities and a photo to be posted online prior to and during the voting period.
Those making nominations are asked to reflect on the qualifications related to the position for which they are nominating a candidate.
The candidate must fulfill the requirements below:
Minimum active membership in IUGA: 5 years
Be a resident in the region to be represented
Previous significant contribution to IUGA (e.g. hosting or organizing an Annual Meeting, Regional Symposium or eXchange) AND/OR recognition as a significant contributor to regional urogynecology research and education activities
Attended IUGA Annual Meeting in 3 of past 5 years
The duties of IAB members are to:
Meet with and counsel the Board of Directors
Serve as a member of the IUGA Membership Committee
Identify opportunities for symposia and other educational activities in their respective home region
Promote IUGA and its activities and membership benefits
The Nominating Committee
The Nominating Committee is chaired by the immediate past president, and includes the president, two elected members, and one member appointed by the president. The current members of the Nominating Committee are:
Bob Freeman, Chair (Immediate Past President)
Lynsey Hayward (President)
Stavros Athanasiou (Member-at-Large)
Suvit Baunyavejchevin (Member-at-Large)
Michael Moen (Appointed)
Central and Eastern Asia
Afghanistan Hong Kong Japan Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Macau Mongolia North Korea People's Republic of China South Korea Taiwan Tajikistan Turkmenistan Uzbekistan
Southern Asia
Bangladesh Bhutan India Maldives Nepal Pakistan Sri Lanka
Southeastern Asia
Brunei Darussalam Cambodia Indonesia Laos Malaysia Myanmar Philippines Singapore Thailand Timor-Leste Vietnam
Western Asia
Armenia Azerbaijan Bahrain Georgia Iran Iraq Jordan Kuwait Lebanon Oman Qatar Saudi Arabia State of Palestine Syria United Arab Emirates Yemen
Save the Date: Chennai, India Regional Symposium Location: The Tamil Nadu Dr. MGR Medical University Dates: September 07 -09, 2018 Local Host: Urogynecology & Reconstructive, Pelvic, Surgery, Society of India (URPSSI)
