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
I hope you find it useful.
Best wishes,
Ranee Thakar
IUGA President
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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. Yours sincerely,
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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.
The March 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!
We know the COVID-19 outbreak has placed additional stress on our members. In order to allow more for the preparation of grant applications - which likely haven't been first on your mind lately - we've extended the application deadline to Tuesday, June 2, 2020 at 11:59pm CDT.
Applicants for IUGA Research Grants and IUGA Observership Grants must be current IUGA members in good standing. Instructions specific to each application process are available via the links below.
IUGA Research Grants
Get your research funded! Two research grants are awarded annually:
- US$ 10,000 for a clinical patient-oriented research project
- US$ 10,000 for a laboratory-based/basic science research project
Learn more at www.iuga.org/grants/research where you can also see examples of previously funded projects.
IUGA Observership Grants
Observership grants help offset the cost of visiting a site with proven expertise in your expressed area of interest in urogynecology for a 2-4week observership. Observerships must be carried out at an approved host site. This round of applications is for observerships scheduled to take place during the 2021 calendar year.
One observership will be awarded in each of the following categories:
- US$ 4,000 for a trainee, fellow, or physician-in-training
- US$ 4,000 for a consultant from a Least Developed Country (low and lower-middle income countries as defined by the World Bank)
- US$ 2,000 for any IUGA member not fitting into either of the above categories
Learn more at www.iuga.org/grants/observership where you can also view previous recipients and read their post-observership reports.
After careful and deliberate consideration, we have decided to postpone the 45th Annual Meeting of the International Urogynecological Association (IUGA) to September 2-5, 2020, in recognition of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak which is now established to be a pandemic. Until recently we felt optimistic that June was far enough away to confidently proceed with our plans. However, as it stands today (March 18), the potential reach of COVID-19 has changed significantly making it difficult to accurately assess its risks. While this is not a decision we have taken lightly, our Board felt strongly that making a pro-active and timely decision on this matter is beneficial to all parties involved.
The health and safety of all attendees and the patients they care for is our first priority. In addition, we are already seeing the impact of the travel restrictions issued by countries, academic institutions, hospitals and industry partners on the attendance of delegates, faculty and sponsors/exhibitors for our originally planned dates. Therefore, at this time, we find ourselves unable to guarantee the most important thing our attendees and industry partners trust us above all else to deliver – a well-attended, high-quality, premier global urogynecology meeting.
We would like to thank you for your patience. We are confident that with your continued support we will make the 45th Annual Meeting possible and as successful as always. We appreciate your commitment and flexibility and look forward to seeing you in The Hague, The Netherlands later this year!
Additional information regarding hotel reservation cancellations, registration refunds, and meeting logistics is available on the FAQ page on our meeting website www.iugameeting.org.
The February 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!
Did you miss the deadline to submit your abstract to the IUGA 45th Annual Meeting? Don’t worry, we’ve extended the deadline to make sure you get the chance to present your ground-breaking research on an international stage. But don’t wait- the new deadline is quickly approaching!
NEW DEADLINE: February 23 at 11:59pm CST