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  4. Committees

Research Partner Network

RPN.jpg

Are you conducting research and looking to help create a multi-center research partnership? IUGA is here to help! As the leading international authority in the field of urogynecology, we have recently launched the IUGA Research Partner Network. As IUGA is a truly international organization, we are in a great position to help build international networks in research. We are committed to creating connections, fostering partnerships and collaborations, and helping to build an international network of research partners. Sign up today and let other IUGA members know about the research you are conducting and how they can get involved. If you are looking to get involved with an ongoing project and are looking for partners, this is also a great resource for you! 

SIGN UP TODAY

Surgical Committee

Purpose:

The IUGA Surgical Committee is responsible for curating and promoting resources to support surgical education.

In 2023, the founders of the International Academy of Pelvic Surgery (IAPS), Dr. Mark Walters, Dr. Mickey Karram, and Cheryl Perrero generously donated the IAPS platform and all of its contents to IUGA. With over 500 surgical videos spanning across 37 modules, the inclusion of IAPS within the IUGA academy will be a significant enhancement to our members' benefits. Additionally to this initiative, the Surgical Committee will curate monthly videos and articles to enrich our members' educational experience.

Co-Chairs:

 Catherine

Catherine Matthews (USA)

Mark

 Mark Walters (USA)

 

Members:

  • Aiste Ugianskiene (Denmark)
  • Amr Sherif El Haraki (USA)
  • Antonette Ramos Pesebre (Philippines)
  • Bulut Varlı (Turkey)
  • Chandrashekar Murthy Y M (India)
  • Harpreet Arora (Australia)
  • John Gebhart (USA)
  • Karl Jallad (Lebanon)
  • Lucila Pavan (Argentina)
  • Manisha Yadav (Nepal)
  • Manjula Annappa (UK)
  • Marair Sartori (Brazil)
  • Mugdha Kulkarni (Australia)
  • Paul Muwanguzi (Uganda)
  • Rebecca Young (Australia) (Representative from the Fellows, Trainees and Early Career Professionals Committee)
  • Savitha Krishnan (USA)

Workshop Committee

Purpose:

The Workshop Committee is responsible for reviewing the workshop submissions for the IUGA Annual Meetings and recommending acceptance or rejection of submissions.

Chair:

Kazibe

Kazibe Koyuncu Demir (Turkey)

Committee Members:

  • Dominic Edwards (Australia)
  • Harini Sivamani (India)
  • Harpreet Arora (Australia)
  • Monika Vij (UK)
  • Paulin Wai Sze MA (Hong Kong)
  • Pushpa Sachdev (Pakistan)
  • Shannon Wallace (USA)
Featured

Call for Committee Volunteers 2026

Website Image 1800x540 1

Become an IUGA Volunteer!

Application Deadline: Saturday, October 31, 2026

Don’t miss your chance to get involved with IUGA! Whether you are interested in contributing to one of IUGA’s committees or joining the editorial team of the International Urogynecology Journal (IUJ), these opportunities offer a chance to share your experience and expertise, gain new knowledge, expand your professional network, and contribute to advancing the field of urogynecology.

Complete the Committee Application Form and the Online Disclosure Form by Saturday, October 31, 2026.

APPLICATION FORM

DISCLOSURE FORM

 

We are now accepting applications from IUGA members for the following positions:

1. Committee Member Positions

  • Communications Committee
  • Education Committee
  • Fellows, Trainees & Early Career Professionals Committee
  • Fellowship Development Committee
  • History Committee
  • Innovation, Research & Development Committee
  • Membership Committee
  • Publications Committee
  • Scientific Committee
  • Surgical Committee
  • Terminology & Standardization Committee

See below for descriptions and Terms of Reference for each committee.

2. International Urogynecology Journal (IUJ) Editor Positions

 

Committee Descriptions

The committee chairs listed below reflect appointments beginning in 2027. Linked pages show the current (2026) chairs.

Communications Committee  
Terms of Reference
Chairperson: Deepa Gopinath
Term Length: 3 years
Description: The Communications Committee develops and manages IUGA’s communications efforts, ensuring effective communication with patients, physicians, and IUGA members. The committee oversees IUGA’s social media strategy, curating and delivering relevant urogynecological content across platforms to engage and inform the community. Additionally, it publishes the IUGA Spotlight, the official newsletter, and determines the best channels for sharing news—whether through the newsletter, online posts, social media, or other platforms. Through these efforts, the committee plays a key role in enhancing IUGA’s visibility, strengthening its reputation, and promoting its mission, initiatives, and activities worldwide.

Education Committee  
Terms of Reference
Chairperson: Natarajan Rajamaheswari 
Term Length: 3 years
Description: The Education Committee is responsible for developing, promoting, and maintaining the educational offerings of the association.

Fellows, Trainees & Early Career Professionals Committee*   
Terms of Reference
Chairperson: Yu Hwee Tan
Term Length: 2 years
Description: The main duty of the Fellows, Trainees, and Early Career Professionals Committee is to contribute to the academic development of fellows/trainees in the field of Urogynecology/Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery by fostering international scholarship. 

*Applicants to this committee should be enrolled in a fellowship or training program or be within their first five years of post-training practice.

Fellowship Development Committee  
Terms of Reference
Chairperson: Svjetlana Lozo
Term Length: 3 years
Description: The Fellowship Development Committee is responsible for the development of a suggested minimum set of core topics specific to urogynecology to be included in training programs as well as target a larger goal of facilitating program development in less developed regions through sharing of best practices. This information will be important to achieving the long-term goal of establishing urogynecology as a subspecialty around the world.

History Committee  
Terms of Reference
Chairperson: Mark Vierhout 
Term Length: 2 years
Description: The History Committee is responsible for capturing, preserving, and promoting the historical evolution of urogynecology and the role of IUGA within this field. Through dedicated initiatives, this committee will work to document and showcase key milestones, influential figures, and notable developments in the history of urogynecology, providing a comprehensive resource for education and engagement.

Innovation, Research & Development Committee  
Terms of Reference
Chairperson: Jan-Paul Roovers
Term Length: 3 years
Description: The Innovation, Research & Development Committee is responsible for developing and promoting research projects and papers in the field of Urogynecology.

Membership Committee 
Terms of Reference
Chairperson: Samuel Badalian 
Term Length: 3 years
Description: The Membership Committee works in partnership with IUGA staff to develop and execute member recruitment and retention strategies and to provide input on membership-related processes.

Publications Committee  
Terms of Reference  
Chairperson: Steven Swift
Term Length: 3 years
Description: The Publications Committee provides oversight for the development of clinical and research publications, ensuring they meet high standards for quality, consistency, and accuracy in terminology. These publications include Clinical Guidance Documents (such as Guidelines, Consensus Statements, Terminology Reports, and Systematic Reviews), Original Research Articles, Review Articles, and Position Statements developed by or on behalf of IUGA or an IUGA entity (committee, SIG, etc). The Publications Committee ensures that documents produced by or on behalf of IUGA writing groups, committees, and other IUGA entities adhere to rigorous editorial and scientific standards, facilitating their successful publication in the International Urogynecology Journal (IUJ) and on the IUGA website. Additionally, the Publications Committee will have a representative in cross-society collaborations for the development of joint publications between IUGA and other groups as appropriate.

Scientific Committee  
Terms of Reference
Chairperson to be determined through the current IUGA Elections.
Term Length: 3 years
Description: The Scientific Committee is responsible for reviewing and scoring abstracts and gathering them into appropriate sessions.  

Surgical Committee 
Terms of Reference
Chairpersons: Catherine Matthews and Mark Walters
Term Length: 3 years
Description: The Surgical Committee is responsible for curating and promoting resources to support surgical education, as well as developing guidelines on best practices for specific surgical procedures.

Terminology & Standardization Committee 
Terms of ReferenceChairperson: Joseph Kowalski 
Term Length: 3 years
Description: The Terminology and Standardization (T&S) Committee is responsible for the development, publication, and subsequent management of IUGA documents related to terminology and standardization. At times, there will be joint projects with one or more other societies. Subsequent management includes translation of the published documents.  

 

Committee Eligibility

Current IUGA members are eligible to serve on a committee. The intent is for committee membership to mirror the geographic and practice diversity of the IUGA membership. Members from Africa, Asia, Latin America & the Caribbean, and Oceania are especially encouraged to apply, as well as non-physician members (nurses, midwives, allied health professionals).

Members may only serve on one committee at any given time. An exception applies to members of the Fellows, Trainees & Early Career Professionals Committee, who may also serve as a designated FTECP representative on another committee to ensure that the trainee and early career perspective is represented across the work of the association.

Committee Term

Members added to IUGA committees as a result of this Call for Committee Volunteers will have a term start date of January 1, 2027. The length of the term is specific to each committee and is listed above.

How to Apply

  1. Complete the Committee Application Form by Saturday, October 31, 2026.
  2. Complete the Online Disclosure Form by Satuday, October 31, 2026.

Application Deadline

A complete application and disclosure form must be submitted by Saturday, October 31, 2026, at 11:59 PM UTC for your application to be considered complete.

 

 International Urogynecology Journal Editor Positions

The International Urogynecology Journal (IUJ) is the official journal of the International Urogynecological Association (IUGA) and is currently accepting applications for Editor positions.

The Editors will join the current editorial team of two Editors-in-Chief, two Senior Editors, and ten Editors. Editors are responsible for managing the peer review of journal submissions and making editorial decisions using the Editorial Manager online submission platform.

Candidate Criteria

Preference will be given to candidates who meet the following criteria:

  1. Prior experience with the peer review process, research, and publications.
  2. A strong academic and clinical background.
  3. International academic connections and the ability to contribute to the geographic diversity of the journal.
  4. Ability to work effectively with the Editors-in-Chief, Editorial Board Members, Reviewers, and Authors.
  5. Prior editorial experience.
  6. Active IUGA membership or willingness to join IUGA.

We encourage both self-nominations and recommendations for these positions.

 

Term and Responsibilities

Editors will be appointed for a fixed term of three years, renewable for no more than one additional term. Editors will receive an annual stipend and waived registration for the IUGA Annual Meeting.

Editors will oversee the peer review process for journal submissions, including the selection and invitation of peer reviewers, evaluation of manuscripts and reviewer feedback, and final decisions on manuscript acceptance.

Editors are expected to attend the annual Editors’ Meeting in person at the IUGA Annual Meeting and to participate in quarterly editor teleconferences. Each Editor is also responsible for writing or commissioning one Editorial per year.

 

How to Apply for an IUJ Editor Position

Interested candidates should provide the following:

  1. A CV.
  2. A cover letter explaining:
    • relevant experience;
    • ideas for improving the journal; and
    • how the position aligns with their academic goals.
  3. The names of two references.

Please send these materials to the IUJ Managing Editor, Lindsay MacMurray, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by Saturday, October 31, 2026.

 

Thank you for considering getting involved with IUGA! If you have any questions about these opportunities, please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Subcategories

FTECP Committee

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