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Call For Experts in Female Bladder Pain Syndrome

Bladder Pain Syndrome (BPS) is a form of chronic pelvic pain. It is defined by persistent or recurrent chronic pelvic pain, pressure or discomfort perceived to be related to the urinary bladder accompanied by at least one other urinary symptom such as an urgent need to void or urinary frequency. It is diagnosed in the absence of any identifiable pathology which could explain these symptoms. Interstitial cystitis with Hunner lesion has the same symptoms as BPS but it is identified based on cystoscopic findings. Chronic pelvic pain is a complex condition that can have multiple causes. Sometimes a single disorder may be identified as the cause. In other cases, however, pain may be the result of several medical conditions. The most important priority must be to achieve international agreement on terminology, definitions and diagnostic criteria on BPS and differential diagnoses.

We are seeking 5-6 volunteers (including a Chair) to serve on a Writing Group to help establish standardized terminology for Female Bladder Pain Syndrome and to define related terminology. This will be a joint publication with AUGS.

To find out more and to apply to become a member of the Writing Group, click here.

May Issue of IUJ Now Available

The May issue of the International Urogynecology Journal is now available! Don't miss out on the latest news and research in the international field of urogynecology!

Click here to find out more about the journal.

If you are a member of IUGA, click here to access the journal.

If you are not a member of IUGA, click here to join!

2020 Call for Nominations

Are you ready to take your involvement in IUGA to the next level? We are accepting nominations (including self-nominations) for the elected positions listed below now through 11:59pm CDT on August 10, 2020. The term for each of these positions will begin January 1, 2021.

Board of Directors
Vice President – 2-year term, then ascends to President
Treasurer – 2-year term, renewable once

International Advisory Board (IAB)
European Representative – 3-year term, non-renewable
Northern American Representative – 3-year term, non-renewable
Latin America & Caribbean Representative - 3-year term, non-renewable

Committee Chairs
Scientific Committee Chair – 2-year term, non-renewable
Terminology and Standardization Committee Chair – 2-year term, renewable once

Nominating Committee
Nominating Committee Member-at-Large (2 members) – 2-year term, non-renewable

Scientific Committee
Scientific Committee Member (5 members) – 3-year term, renewable once

Nomination Process
As specified in the by-laws, the Nominating Committee will receive all nominations, will review them and will present the proposed nominees at the IUGA Annual Business Meeting in September.  Nominations will also be taken from the floor during the Annual Business Meeting. The Nominating Committee may add additional nominees if it is considered by the Committee to be in the best interest of the association.

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. Those making nominations are asked to reflect on the qualifications related to the position for which they are nominating themselves or a candidate. Qualifications for each position are listed below.

Self-nominees should submit the materials listed below when they submit their self-nomination. The IUGA Office will contact all other nominees to 1) confirm they are interested and willing to stand in the election and 2) to request the materials below.

Nomination Materials

  • CV
  • Position Statement/Statement of Interest in the elected position noting experience relevant to the position
  • Photo (which will be posted online during the voting period)
  • Disclosure Form

Nominations, including self-nominations, must be submitted to the IUGA Office, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., by 11:59pm CDT on Monday, August 10, 2020.

Qualifications for Open Positions

Vice President

  • Minimum active membership in IUGA: 5 years
  • Previous significant contribution to IUGA (e.g., chairing the Annual Meeting Local Organizing Committee) AND/OR participation on the Advisory Council (Committee Chairs, International Advisory Board representatives, IUJ editors)
  • Attended IUGA Annual Meeting in 3 of past 5 years
  • The duties of the vice president are to:
    • Succeed the president upon the completion of the president’s term
    • Perform, in the absence of the president, all the duties and have all the powers of the president
    • Aid the president in the organization of the association and may serve as the president’s proxy for running meetings
    • Perform such other duties as shall be assigned by the Board of Directors
    • Supervise all committee chairs

Treasurer

  • Minimum active membership in IUGA: 5 years
  • Previous significant contribution to IUGA (e.g., chairing the Annual Meeting Local Organizing Committee) AND/OR participation on the Advisory Council (Committee Chairs, International Advisory Board representatives, IUJ editors)
  • Proven ability to read financial statements (example – head of department involving budget management)
  • Attended IUGA Annual Meeting in 3 of the past 5 years
  • The duties of the treasurer are to:
    • Ensure that sound financial records are kept, that sound financial practices are in place, that appropriate financial reports are provided on a regular basis to the board and that necessary band account for the association’s funds are established.
    • Serve as the primary contact with the Executive Office in the development of a budget for the Board’s consideration.
    • Submit a financial report to the membership of the association for its review at the association’s Annual Business Meeting.

International Advisory Board Representative

  • Minimum active membership in IUGA: 5 years
  • Be a resident in the region to be represented
  • Demonstrated commitment to IUGA and evidence of leadership/involvement in the development of urogynecology in the region
  • 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
    • Initiate symposia and other educational activities in their respective home region

Committee Chairs

  • Minimum active membership in IUGA: 5 years
  • Attended IUGA Annual Meeting in 2 of past 3 years
  • Active member of committee with significant contribution (i.e., subcommittee chair, working group/project chair)
  • The duties of the committee chairs are to guide the work of their committee so that it achieves its mandate and achieves its statues annual objectives

Nominating Committee Member-at-Large

  • Minimum active membership in IUGA: 5 years
  • Attended IUGA Annual Meeting in 3 of the past 5 years
  • The duties of the Nominating Committee are to: Prepare and submit to the Board of Directors at each Annual Meeting nominations for each elected office

Scientific Committee Member

  • Minimum active membership in IUGA: 5 years
  • Attended IUGA Annual Meeting in 3 of past 5 years
  • The duties of the Scientific Committee members are to: o Advise on Annual Meeting program content o Judge abstract submissions in a blinded fashion

The Nominating Committee

The Nominating Committee is comprised of the president, immediate past president, two elected members, and one member appointed by the president. The current members of the Nominating Committee are:

  • Lynsey Hayward, Chair (Immediate Past President)
  • Ranee Thakar (President)
  • Heinz Kölbl (Member-at-Large)
  • Tsia-Shu Lo (Member-at-Large)
  • Anna Rosamilia (Appointed)

Timeline

Nominations will be accepted May 11 – August 10, 2020. Candidates will be announced, and nominations taken from the floor, during the Annual Business Meeting in September. Online voting will be conducted October 1-30, 2020 with election results announced in November. If one candidate for a particular position does not receive a majority (over 50%) of the vote, a run-off election will be conducted November 4 – December 4, with the results announced the second week of December.

New SIG to Promote Wellness and Mindfulness

We know that in this uncertain time that there is an extra stress on us all. IUGA wants to help our members by promoting wellness and mindfulness and providing tools to help preserve and promote their mental health and well being.

Join the new Wellness and Mindfulness Special Interest Group today by logging into your Member Profile and choosing the Special Interest Groups box to find out more!

April Issue of IUJ Now Available

The April issue of the International Urogynecology Journal is now available! Don't miss out on the latest news and research in the international field of urogynecology!

Click here to find out more about the journal.

If you are a member of IUGA, click here to access the journal.

If you are not a member of IUGA, click here to join!

Webinar Registration Now Open

Learn how to answer the ‘unknowns’ in Urogynaecology. Join research experts Linda Brubaker and Rufus Cartwright as they discuss their career paths and offer tips on how to initiate quality research studies.

To find out more, click here

To register, click here

Guidance for the Management of Urogynecological Conditions During the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic

Just a few short months ago, none of us could have imagined the global challenges the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak would create or how significantly our lives would be changed.  

Many, if not most, of us have been unable to see patients in our clinics or offices and/or perform non-urgent procedures. Most patients seen in urogynecology clinics present with non-urgent conditions such as prolapse and/or incontinence. In addition, a large proportion of our patients are elderly with comorbidities, which automatically puts them in a high-risk group for contracting COVID-19, thus necessitating self-isolation. As healthcare professionals, our daily routines have been disrupted, and we are all having to make dramatic, innovative changes to the way we work.

Our patients still need to be supported through these difficult times. We have thus developed guidance to enable individual healthcare practitioners to continue managing their patients in these challenging times. In preparing this, we have tried to take into consideration practices in different parts of the world and acknowledge that we may have not covered all.

The guidance is available online HERE. This is an active document and we welcome feedback via email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Information will be updated on a weekly basis until the end of the pandemic, depending on information available.

I hope you find it useful.

ACCESS GUIDANCE DOCUMENT

Best wishes,

ranee thakar

Ranee Thakar
IUGA President

Message from the President

Dear Colleagues,

As you are all aware by now, the IUGA Board has made a deliberate decision to postpone our Annual Meeting to September 2-5, 2020, due to the challenging times we are all facing as a result of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

In making this decision, we took into consideration the huge disappointment it would cause to the Program and Scientific Committee members after all their hard work in creating a fabulous program, the disruption to our exhibitors and sponsors and last, but not least, the inconvenience and disruption it will cause to all of you if we would have had to decide to cancel our meeting. We thank you for supporting the IUGA leadership in this decision-making process and trust we will see many of you in person in The Netherlands later this year.

This unprecedented and difficult time makes us all appreciate the kindness of the people around us. On Thursday, 26th March, people around the United Kingdom took part in a "Clap for Carers" tribute, saluting the National Health Service (NHS) and care workers dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. This emotional tribute made me realize how lucky we are to be part of such a trusted profession. In the UK, more than 700,000 people have signed up for the NHS volunteer program. On my street we have formed a WhatsApp group so that we can notify each other in times of need. This is a far cry from the time when I hardly met anyone who lives on our street for weeks on end.

In my hospital, job plans have changed, and we are all doing completely different roles than those which we signed up for. Nobody, whether they are trainees, fellows or consultants has complained. Patient appointments have been indefinitely postponed, especially for our patients with pelvic floor dysfunction which is not life threatening. I am amazed at how graciously our patients have responded! When we emerge from these dark and uncertain times, I am sure we will all work even harder to make them better and improve their lives.

The way we work has also changed with so many of us now working from home and fully utilizing the real potential of modern technology. This new method of working will undoubtedly become embedded in our future working lives.

Virtual learning resources are more vital than ever during this challenging time when our various meetings and conferences are being postponed or cancelled altogether. I’m pleased to share the following resources are available:

  • IUGA Academy
    IUGA is providing open access to our IUGA Academy during these challenging times so that not only IUGA members but also all other health care professionals can obtain free access to all of our online educational resources. Click HERE to register for a guest account. As you use this resource, please provide feedback to enable us to review and continuously improve our product.
  • International Academy of Pelvic Surgery
    The International Academy of Pelvic Surgery (IAPS) is offering all IUGA members free access to their platform. Please log in to the Members-Only section of the IUGA website and follow the instructions provided at the top of the member page.

On reflection in these unprecedented times, I have come to appreciate the family culture which is so much a part of IUGA. I am disappointed that we will not meet in June but when we do meet in September, we will celebrate life and cherish the time we have together more than ever! And for those who are unable to attend, we will be bringing the meeting to you via live streaming and recorded sessions.

In these challenging times, take care of yourselves and those around you and keep safe.

Yours sincerely,

Captured by Denise Ebanks at imageXperience™
Ranee
PS: If you witness any acts of kindness, please share them with us on IUGA’s social media pages with #IUGAKindness!

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IUGA Academy is Open!

We’ve opened IUGA Academy – our online learning platform – through the end of the year! IUGA Academy is a member benefit, but with so many meetings and conferences being postponed or cancelled due to COVID-19, we want to make sure all healthcare professionals in the field of urogynecology have access to the learning resources they need without any extra financial burden. Make sure to share this resource with your colleagues!

Through IUGA Academy, you can access Monthly E-Lectures, Must-See Surgical Videos, past Annual Meeting content and more. You can even complete 6 CME courses at your leisure – with no extra cost! The most recently added content includes a video tutorial on cystoscopic findings plus lectures on LUTS terminology, healthcare practitioner burnout, and a panel discussion on native tissue trends and techniques for uterine sparing prolapse surgery.

To request your guest account, click HERE.