Board Member Questionnaire

1. Name, Degree(s), Affiliations:

Anna Rosamilia

Professor, MB BS FRANZCOG CU PhD

2. How long have you been an IUGA member?

Almost for 30 years (well, 29, to be precise). I remember my presentation as a first-year Urogynecology fellow in 1995 – it was on Urodynamics at the Kuala Lumpur meeting.

3. What was your path to a leadership position within IUGA?

My first experience of being involved in any form of leadership role for IUGA commenced in 2001. I was on the local organizing committee for IUGA in Melbourne. My mentor/supervisor, Prof. Peter Dwyer, was the local organizing chair, and at that time, there was little office involvement or assistance. Soon after, I joined the Public Relations Committee, followed by the Scientific Committee. I thoroughly enjoyed my time and was encouraged and inspired to do more. I have been on the International Advisory Board and then was Treasurer between 2013 and 2016. I was also the chair of FIUGA for two years and remain on the committee. IUGA allows me to contribute, collaborate, and inspire/motivate others along the way.

4. What is your leadership role within IUGA?

I am currently the Vice President and will take on the role of President in 2025 for two years. I very much enjoy working with the Board under the wise guidance of President Fred Milani and office staff; we are a family within the larger IUGA family.

Our role is to support the mission and objectives of IUGA and promote excellence in the field of urogynecology internationally. For me, the main focus is that IUGA is the premier advocate and authority in urogynecology.

5. What motivates you to be a volunteer leader for IUGA?

I have a great deal of loyalty towards IUGA and our national society, the Urogynaecological Society of Australasia, and allied health society, the Continence Foundation of Australia.

IUGA provides so many opportunities for education, publication through our own IUJ, and teaching and the possibility to meet others who are all motivated by the same interest in making a difference to women’s lives. I am very excited about the role of FIUGA in doing this on a global scale.

I have also been very fortunate to have made friendships across the world due to IUGA. The opportunity to discuss ideas one-on-one with people who have similar interests and want to make advances in women’s health is very rewarding.

I have been inspired by many women leaders, and I see it almost as a responsibility to take on such roles to give back and encourage those who are coming after.

6. What do you wish all members knew about IUGA or that you could say to all members?

Each time I have been to an IUGA meeting, I come away inspired by our great membership and their amazing abilities: the science of the meeting, great research, and discussions. I come back with so many new ideas and enthusiasm.

I’m very interested in talking to members all over the world to see how we can move urogynecology forward in their country.

I would like to encourage people to get involved in committees, SIGS, workshops, Fellows Day, webinars, and many more amazing educational activities both at the annual meetings and during the year. We are very excited about the new look of IUGA academy, including IAPS surgical videos, the Inspire program, Fundamentals, FIUGA Enrichment program, and the Fellowship Curriculum and roadmap, to name a few.

Getting involved is deeply satisfying. Diversity and inclusion offer better outcomes for creativity, decision-making, and advancement in science.

7. Most exotic place you have traveled:

Exotic for an Australian is the other hemisphere.

Many a family holiday has been tagged onto an IUGA or urogynecology meeting. Bike riding in the Loire, along the Danish/ Swedish coast; arriving at the Vienna meeting by bike; a road trip across the US before the IUGA/AUGS meeting, Botswana after Cape Town and British Columbia after Vancouver; walking in the Dolomites last year. I’ve been so lucky to catch up with colleagues and fellows in Japan, India, Girona, and Finland, and I am looking forward to many more.

8. Favorite food:

Too many to name! Have to be loyal to my roots and say Italian, although I have a weakness for my secretary’s tandoori chicken and biryani (she hails from Chennai).

9. Last book you read:

The Bee sting.

I’m about to read A Better Death: the Art of Living and Dying Well by Ranjana Srivastava, an oncologist and friend.

And the Glass House by Anne Buist and Graeme Simsion

(see 2 book clubs below)

10. Hobbies:

Spending time with family: My husband, Dan, and four kids and their partners.

Some of these I would like to have more time for;

Cycling, gym, just started squash !!;

Reading (2 book clubs)

Quilting/ craft (many projects half finished)

Cooking; homemade produce/ preserving

Landscape gardening