International Advisory Board
The International Advisory Board consists of nine (9) members, one each representing the following regions: 1) Africa, 2) Northern America, 3) Latin America & the Caribbean, 4) Europe, 5) Oceania, 6) Western Asia, 7) Southern Asia, 8) Southeastern Asia, and 9) Central & Eastern Asia, as defined under the United Nations geoscheme.
![JP Bagala](https://www.iuga.org/images/content/IAB/headshot-Bagala.jpg)
JP Bagala
Africa
Uganda
![Cornelia Betschart](https://www.iuga.org/images/75c94959-25f4-978a-13ef-c85ab13cac49.png)
Cornelia Betschart
Europe
Switzerland
![Symphorosa Chan](https://www.iuga.org/images/content/IAB/headshot-chan.jpg)
Symphorosa Chan
Central & Eastern Asia
Hong Kong
![Amita Jain](https://www.iuga.org/images/content/IAB/headshot-Jain.jpg)
Amita Jain
Southern Asia
India
![Naheed Kapadia](https://www.iuga.org/images/content/IAB/Kapadia-headshot.jpg)
Naheed Kapadia
Western Asia
United Arab Emirates
![Emmanuel Karantanis](https://www.iuga.org/images/97e18886-3ac9-1439-561f-6b38a028044d.jpg)
Emmanuel Karantanis
Oceania/Australasia
Australia
![Svjetlana Lozo](https://www.iuga.org/images/d71f53f8-6a5d-e460-ef88-31413eaaf626.png)
Svjetlana Lozo
Northern America
USA
![Javier Pizarro-Berdichevsky](https://www.iuga.org/images/ac257769-1c1d-9401-dad5-1274ded7b470.png)
Javier Pizarro-Berdichevsky
Latin America & the Caribbean
Chile
![Budi Santoso](https://www.iuga.org/images/content/IAB/headshot-Santoso.jpg)
Budi Santoso
Southeastern Asia
Indonesia
History & Past Presidents
In 1976 Professor Axel Ingelman-Sundberg from Sweden and Professor Jack R. Robertson from the United States invited a group of their colleagues to join them at the FIGO (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics) meeting in Mexico to establish a new society – the International Urogynecological Association. This new society’s mission would be to establish a non-profit international association dedicated to the advancement of urogynecologic knowledge around the world through education and the promotion of basic and clinical research on disorders of the female pelvic floor. Over 40 years later, that same mission remains the core purpose of IUGA.
Founding Members
Axel Ingelman Sundberg †
Jack R. Robertson †
Donald R. Ostergard
Ulf Ulmsten †
Eckhard Petri †
Wolfgang Fischer
Bozo Kralj †
Oscar Contreras Ortiz †
Stuart Stanton
David Warrell
Abbo Hassan Abbo
Past Presidents
![Jorge Milhem Haddad](/images/2024/01/18/iuga-jorge-headshot2020-v2.jpg)
![Ranee Thakar](/images/content/board/Ranee-Thakar.jpg)
![Lynsey Hayward](/images/content/past-presidents/Lynsey.Hayward.jpeg)
![Bob Freeman](/images/content/past-presidents/Freeman, Bob.jpeg)
![G. Willy Davila](/images/content/past-presidents/Davila.Willy.jpeg)
![Harry Vervest](/images/content/past-presidents/Vervest.Harry.jpg)
![Peter Sand](/images/content/past-presidents/Sand.Peter.jpg)
![Tsung Hsien (Charles) Su](/images/content/past-presidents/Su.Tsung.Hsien.jpg)
![Paul Riss](/images/content/past-presidents/Riss.Paul.jpg)
![Peter Dwyer](/images/content/past-presidents/Peter.Dwyer.jpg)
![Hans van Geelen](/images/content/past-presidents/Hans.van.Geelen.jpg)
![Linda Cardozo †](/images/content/past-presidents/Linda.Cardozo.jpg)
![Oscar Contreras Ortiz †](/images/content/past-presidents/Oscar.Contreras.Ortiz.jpg)
![Harold Drutz](/images/content/past-presidents/Harold.Drutz.jpg)
![James Gibson †](/images/content/past-presidents/James.Gibson.jpg)
![Eckhard Petri †](/images/content/past-presidents/Eckhard.Petri.jpg)
![Bozo Kralj †](/images/content/past-presidents/Bozo.Kralj.jpg)
![Donald Ostergard](/images/content/past-presidents/Donald.Ostergard.jpg)
![Jack Robertson †](/images/content/past-presidents/Jack.Robertson.jpg)
![Axel Ingelman-Sundberg†](/images/content/past-presidents/Axel.Ingelman.Sundberg.jpg)
Advisory Council
The IUGA Advisory Council is comprised of the International Advisory Board, Past Presidents, IUJ Editor(s) in Chief, and Committee Chairpersons with the purpose of providing advice to the Board of Directors regarding issues being faced by the Association. It meets once a year at the Annual Meeting and may include invited guests as seen necessary.
Committee Chairpersons (per committee):