Highlights from the IUGA Fellows, Trainees & Early Career Professionals Committee

Introduction

The IUGA FTECP committee is made up of early career consultants and fellows and is focused on improving and furthering education in the field of urogynecology. We are involved in a few activities that we hope all IUGA members and non-members can benefit from and get involved in.

Webinars

Our committee is involved in planning 3 to 4 webinars a year – generally aimed at junior medical staff and early career specialists. This year, we have already had one webinar in February 2024 featuring Dr. Philip Tooz-Hobson and Dr. Matt Izett, looking at surviving the transition from trainee to consultant. You can visit this link to listen to this webinar: https://www.iuga.org/iuga-webinar-february-7-2024

We have webinars planned for August and November 2024 in collaboration with PVOGS ANZ (Prevocational Obstetrics and Gynecology Society Australia and New Zealand) in order for medical students and junior medical staff to get involved with IUGA.

Medical Student and Junior Doctor Mentorship Program

Our committee has set up a resource page for medical students on the IUGA website where students can access basic videos regarding important topics in urogynecology. These can be accessed here: https://www.iuga.org/resources/for-medical-students/did-you-know

We also have a mentorship program aimed at medical students interested in Obstetrics & Gynecology, in particular Urogynecology. Medical students can contact IUGA and be put in touch with a committee member from their region to help provide guidance and support on their career pathways. More information can be found here: https://www.iuga.org/resources/for-medical-students/meet-the-mentors.

Research

Our committee has a research resource page available on the IUGA website, which is useful for junior doctors, trainees, and specialists who are planning a research project. This page provides information on the basics of setting up a research project, including all the relevant steps in carrying out research. You can find this information here: https://www.iuga.org/resources/research-resources

In addition to this, we have a useful resource page highlighting the relevant articles and key papers on important topics in urogynecology. This page is being updated this year and can be found here: https://www.iuga.org/resources/for-fellows-trainees-and-early-career-professionals/relevant-articles.

Education

Currently, our education subcommittee is working on creating 5-minute basic videos on various topics in Urogynecology aimed at medical students and junior doctors to further their knowledge in this specialty. We are aiming to have these finished up and running before the end of this year, and this will be an exciting addition to the resources we already have available.

We hope that all IUGA members can make use of the resources we have available to educate junior staff and medical students, and we welcome feedback from all members.