News

The IGCS Council recently discussed and approved the concept of IGCS centering its advocacy efforts around the theme “empowerment”. Empowering women, caregivers and others interested in making a difference with tools and resources to increase their level of autonomy and enable them to represent the specific needs within their region. This may include screening and vaccination, funding and support for clinical trials, research, and access to better care.

Dear Colleagues, Kofi Annan, the 7th UN Secretary General once said, “There is no tool for development more effective than the empowerment of women.” He of course was right. Gender Diversity Policy As a society dedicated to women’s health, it is clear that we must ensure that our female membership is fairly represented within the IGCS leadership. This includes elected positions on the council and appointed positions on IGCS committees. The IGCS Council recognizes that having an organization that is composed of men and women with the relevant blend of differing skills, experience, perspectives, age, and cultures leads to more opportunities for effective leadership, stronger decision-making and better outcomes for our patients. To work towards achieving gender diversity in our volunteer leadership, the Council has approved a new policy with the goal of increasing the number and percentage of women in leadership positions within the society. The policy outlines measurable objectives with the goal of achieving at least a 40%-60% ratio of women to men among all volunteer leadership positions by 2022. The IGCS President-Elect is responsible for appointing committee members every two years. This policy will ensure that gender balance is taken into consideration when developing committee rosters as well as a variety of skills, experience, and characteristics in alignment with the strategic needs of the society. By initiating…

It is with great excitement that I announce the Middle East and Mediterranean Association of Gynecologic Oncologists (MEMAGO) as our latest organization to join the IGCS Strategic Alliance Partner Program. In the Mediterranean and Middle East, some of the major goals are to standardize patient management and to spread these standards to all areas in the region. Due to this new partnership between MEMAGO and IGCS, the societies will work together to offer more opportunities for training and help bring new techniques and technologies to areas of the region.

It is our pleasure to announce that the International Society of Gynecological Pathologists (ISGyP) has joined the IGCS Strategic Alliance Partner Program bringing over 350 new members to the IGCS. Pathology is the cornerstone of the care of our patients and IGCS looks forward to working with ISGyP to increase the collaboration between pathologists and multidisciplinary cancer teams. By working together, we have the potential to make great advances in improving outcomes for women affected by gynecological cancer.

I am very pleased to announce a new member in the Strategic Alliance Partner Program, the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists of the Philippines (SGOP). SGOP is an exemplary organization of gynecologic oncologists and specialists of related disciplines committed to the continuous upgrading of the standards of practice, teaching and research in the field of gynecologic oncology in the Philippines. Much like IGCS, the members of the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists of the Philippines agree that a high standard of practice in gynecologic oncology is essential for all women diagnosed with gynecologic malignancies.

I am very pleased to announce that Argentina has joined our Strategic Alliance Partner Program. Argentina has made significant improvements in its gynecologic cancer mortality rates for over a decade with formalized education and training through the Argentinian Association of Gynecologic Oncology (AAGO). They have been a leader in South America for many years and have led the way in harmonizing training among institutions in the region.

Dear Colleagues, The IGCS Council recently met in New Orleans and I wanted to share with you the following items of discussion that may be of interest to IGCS members. Committee Reports The Council received updates from the Education, Publications, Industry Relations, and GO Global Network Committees. The Education Committee is now chaired by Dr. Ritu Salani, with Dr. Ane Gerda Eriksson as Vice Chair. There are seven steering committee members and four work-groups with five leaders covering the topics of gynaecologic oncology (Drs. Don Dizon and Jessica McAlpine), pathology (Dr. Anna Plotkin), palliative care (Dr. Raimundo Correa) and advocacy (Dr. Linda Duska) The Education Portal has been reorganised by topic: ovarian, cervical, vulvar/vagina, uterine cancers plus global health and management so members can more easily navigate resources. In the coming months, a “needs assessment” will be developed and sent to all IGCS members so the Education Committee can identify your educational needs. Progress continues in our Global Curriculum with the initiation of an Examination Committee under the Chairmanship of Dr. Al Covens with up to 14 members who are putting together the first exam format for our Global Curriculum trainees. Progress! The GO Global Network went live in early February and over 1,300 members have been included in the network with over 425 members logged in and active. In…

Dear Colleague, Members of IGCS may remember the platform on which I was elected was to internationalise the society as widely as possible. At that time, the countries present at the conception of IGCS remained the dominant membership groups, working hard and very effectively to unite this new society. But it was clear that IGCS was ready and mature enough to extend its global reach. Happily, times have changed. We continue to engage the membership from high resource settings and recently received very helpful survey data on ways they would like to contribute to the IGCS regarding mentorship and education. Furthermore, we now have a global snapshot of the many educational liaisons between regions, allowing us to learn from existing successful partnerships and identify areas urgently in need of help. Concurrently, we have been growing our member base significantly in South America, Central Asia, the East Asian region including China, and North Africa. Much of this change has emanated from our Strategic Alliance Partnership strategy, the brainchild of Mary Eiken, our CEO and Prof. Roberto Angioli, our President-Elect. The concept of enrolling local and regional societies has many attractive aspects. The partnerships improve communication between the society /network leaders and the IGCS enormously. For Strategic Alliance Partners, a multiplicity of benefits accrues, including exposure via the IGCS website, communication directly…

Dear Colleague, Members of IGCS may remember the platform on which I was elected was to internationalise the society as widely as possible. At that time, the countries present at the conception of IGCS remained the dominant membership groups, working hard and very effectively to unite this new society. But it was clear that IGCS was ready and mature enough to extend its global reach. Happily, times have changed. We continue to engage the membership from high resource settings and recently received very helpful survey data on ways they would like to contribute to the IGCS regarding mentorship and education. Furthermore, we now have a global snapshot of the many educational liaisons between regions, allowing us to learn from existing successful partnerships and identify areas urgently in need of help. Concurrently, we have been growing our member base significantly in South America, Central Asia, the East Asian region including China, and North Africa. Much of this change has emanated from our Strategic Alliance Partnership strategy, the brainchild of Mary Eiken, our CEO and Prof. Roberto Angioli, our President-Elect. The concept of enrolling local and regional societies has many attractive aspects. The partnerships improve communication between the society /network leaders and the IGCS enormously. For Strategic Alliance Partners, a multiplicity of benefits accrues, including exposure via the IGCS website, communication directly…