Notes from the President

Notes from the President
Dear SASGOG Colleague,

I hope you have had time to refresh this summer.

As the academic year kicks into high gear, I want to share some updates about SASGOG, and the work being done by our SASGOG Committees and the SASGOG Board of Directors.

Best regards,
Abimbola (Ola) Famuyide, MBBS
President, SASGOG
[email protected]

SASGOG’s Mission

Last spring, the SASGOG Board of Directors voted unanimously to revise our mission statement to better reflect our more mature goals for our Society. The new mission states:
The Society for Academic Specialists in General Obstetrics and Gynecology seeks to support academic generalist physicians of all backgrounds throughout the lifespan of their careers. We will do this by

    1. Providing evidenced-based and culturally aware education that promotes equitable practice and advances health,
    2. Fostering excellence in scholarship and research, and
    3. Promoting inclusive leadership opportunities for our members.

Our Priorities for 2022 and 2023

  • Enrich Member’s Professional Development
    We want to help our members in their professions by providing opportunities to join and lead working groups, opportunities for authorship and public speaking on a national level, opportunities for mentorship and networking and by providing webinars and courses to meet the unique needs of the academic specialist.
  • Extend SASGOG’s Reach
    We want to continue our efforts to ensure that SASGOG, and our academic specialist members, have the opportunity to collaborate with other OB/Gyn Societies to impact women’s health and have a seat at the table as important decisions are made regarding women’s health.
  • Champion Digital Health Transformation of OB/Gyn
    We want to help our members prepare for a future of women’s health by championing a future that includes digital health transformation. It will be so much more than digital records and telehealth and it will revolutionize the way we care for our patients.

A Measure of SASGOG Diversity

We want to obtain demographic information about our membership to better understand the impact of our recruitment efforts and other initiatives. This will also allow us to measure the impact that our work has on diverse populations within our membership, particularly those who are from racial/ethnic backgrounds that are underrepresented in medicine and/or from historically marginalized populations (e.g., LGTBQ, first-generation college students, members from limited-income households).             
This baseline will help us measure our progress toward achieving the goals established in SASGOG’s Mission, including:

    • Providing evidenced-based and culturally aware education that promotes equitable practice and advances health,
    • Fostering excellence in scholarship and research, and
    • Promoting inclusive leadership opportunities for our members.

To that end, we are updating our Dues Renewal process to include capturing enhanced demographic information. As you renew your membership for 2022, we will prompt you to provide answers to a few additional questions about you, your career, and your interests. We plan to provide feedback on the process in the spring of 2023.

Surgical Gynecology, A Case-Based Approach

SASGOG’s latest publication is available for purchase. The co-editors are Todd Jenkins, Kimberly Gecsi, Abimbola Famuyide, Lisa Keder, and David Chelmow. It is the perfect gift for the special OB/Gyn in your life!

PROGRESS Course Updates

In the spring of 2021, we opened applications for the inaugural Program for Researchers in Obstetrics, Gynecology and REproductive ScienceS (PROGRESS). Twenty-six candidates were selected from a large group of highly qualified applicants. The course is being led by Course Director, Jeffrey F. Peipert, MD, PhD. Dr. Peipert is joined by Kristen Matteson, MD, MPH, and Emily DeFranco, DO, MS.

The virtual portion of the Course is underway. The in-person session will take place at the Loews Ventana Canyon Resort in Tucson Arizona, October 23 – 27.

Patient Safety and Quality Improvement

Watch your inbox…the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Committee will soon be posting the “PSQI Minute.” “PSQI minute” is a resource designed to build your knowledge of key PSQI topics through short entries that require less than 5 minutes to read.  The goal: enable members to confidently drive successful PSQI initiatives.

Upcoming Events for OB/GYNs

  • Sept. – Oct. 2022, the SASGOG Annual Meeting Program Committee is seeking presentation ideas for its 2023 meeting. Submit suggestions via email to [email protected]
  • Nov. 1, 2022 – Call for SASGOG Board of Directors nominees for 2023
  • May 18, 2023 – SASGOG Annual Meeting, Baltimore, Maryland