Our organization is dependent on the expertise and time our members voluntarily contribute. We need the best skills, passion, and varied perspectives to continue building on our success. If you are looking to enrich your IUGA experience and contribute to the field of Urogynecology in a new and rewarding way, now is your chance! We are accepting applications for openings on the following committees:
• Education Committee
• Fellows & Trainees Committee
• Membership Committee
• Publications Committee
• Public Relations Committee
• Research & Development Committee
• Terminology & Standardization Committee

Applications will be accepted through November 30, 2018 at 11:59pm CST. Descriptions of the committees can be found below.

Eligibility

Membership on IUGA's committees is open to all interested physicians, non-physicians, and physicians in training who hold current membership in IUGA. The intent is for committee membership to mirror the geographic diversity of the IUGA Membership.

Members are limited to serving on only one committee at any given time, with the exception of Fellows & Trainees Committee members who may also be assigned to another committee to represent the trainee perspective across the organization.

Term

Members added to IUGA committees as a result of this Call for Committee Volunteers will have a term start date of January 1, 2019. The length of the term is listed below specific to each committee.

Apply

To apply for a committee position, please email the following to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by Friday, November 30, 2018:
• Name of the committee to which you are applying
• A brief statement of interest explaining why you are interested in serving on the committee, including any relevant experience you have to the work of the committee
• CV (in English)
• Disclosure Form (complete HERE) 
• Letter on institutional letterhead verifying your enrollment in a fellowship/physician-in-training program (this item only applies to applicants to the Fellows & Trainees Committee)

The above items must all be received by Friday, November 30, 2018, in order for your application to be considered complete. Only complete applications will be forwarded to Committee Chairs for consideration.

Education Committee
Chairperson: Catherine Matthews
Term Length: 3 years

Description: The Education Committee develops, promotes, and maintains the educational offerings of the association, including the IUGA Academy. It oversees the program content for Regional Symposia and eXchange programs, and reviews applications submitted for Endorsed Programs and observership grants. The Education Committee also conducts the workshop selection process for the Annual Meeting and guides other educational activities of the association. Members of the Education Committee are assigned to one of three subcommittees (Workshop Subcommittee, Program Subcommittee, or E-learning Subcommittee).

Fellows & Trainees Committee
Chairperson: Svjetlana Lozo
Term Length: 2 years

Description: The main duty of the IUGA Fellows & Trainees Committee is to contribute to the academic development of fellows in the field of urogynecology/female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery by fostering international scholarship and making recommendations to the Education and Research & Development Committees regarding fellowship activities.

Special Application Instructions: In addition to submitting a statement of interest, CV, and disclosure form, applicants to the Fellows & Trainees Committee must also submit a letter on institutional letterhead verifying their enrollment in a fellowship/training program. This committee is open to urogynecology fellows/trainees and fellows in other specialties and allied health sciences who have an interest in pelvic floor disorders who are current IUGA members.

Membership Committee
Chairperson: Abdul Sultan
Term Length: 2 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
Chairperson: Debby Karp
Term Length: 3 years

Description: The Publications Committee publishes the official IUGA Newsletter quarterly, and tracks submitted content for inclusion in the Newsletter, online news posts, or on social media channels. Committee members are involved in writing and reviewing articles, finding authors for articles, and suggesting content.

Public Relations Committee
Chairperson: Olanrewaju Sorinola
Term Length: 3 years

Description: The Public Relations Committee is responsible for the development and management of media communications on behalf of IUGA to the community, patients, physicians and IUGA members. This includes developing content for patient information brochures and other educational materials for the Online Store and patient website. Members of the Social Media Subcommittee are responsible for contributing content for social media posts on a monthly basis and providing input on growing IUGA’s social media presence.

Special Application Instructions: Please indicate if you are especially interested in serving on the Social Media Subcommittee.

Research & Development Committee
Chairperson: Pallavi Latthe
Term Length: 3 years

Description: The Research & Development Committee is responsible for the IUGA Research Grants (in basic science and clinical research) and reviewing surveys and requests to disseminate surveys to the IUGA membership. The committee also develops and promotes research manuscripts and projects through its members and interested individuals. Specific expertise in urogynecology research (basic sciences and/or clinical) is required.

Terminology & Standardization Committee
Chairperson: Renaud de Tayrac (beginning 2019)
Term Length: 3 years

Description: The Terminology & Standardization 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.

The International Urogynecology Journal is the official journal of the International Urogynecological Association (IUGA) and is currently accepting applications for two Editor positions, plus a Social Media Coordinator.

Editors

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

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 ability to add 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. IUGA membership is required.

We encourage both self-nominations and recommendations for these 2 Editor positions. The Editors will be offered a fixed term of 6 years (renewable for no more than one term) and will receive complimentary registration and travel support to the IUGA Annual Meeting. Editors are expected to attend an annual Editors’ Meeting at the IUGA Annual Meeting and a biennial Publisher’s Meeting in New York City in person, and to participate in quarterly editor teleconferences.

Interested candidates should provide their CV, a cover letter explaining their interest in the position, and names of one to two references. Please send these materials to the IUJ Managing Editor, Ms. Lindsay MacMurray (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), by December 3, 2018.

 Social Media Coordinator

This new position reflects the IUJ’s commitment to explore ways of making more strategic use of various communications and social media channels. It will involve working closely both with the Editors-in-Chief and Editors, Springer (publisher), and the authors of published papers to promote the contents of the journal. The focus will be on developing a strategy to connect the journal’s existing presence in the different social media channels and then thinking through how these might be better integrated and optimized.  

Candidate Specification:

Applicants must have experience of working across a range of social medial channels including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter etc. They should have strong creative and organizational skills, a willingness to work as part of a team and a commitment to the mission of the IUJ. The successful candidate must have experience using social media channels in their professional lives. Editorial experience is preferred. IUGA membership is required.

The Social Media Coordinator will be offered a fixed term of 6 years (renewable for no more than one term) and will receive complimentary registration to the IUGA Annual Meeting.

Interested candidates should provide their CV, a cover letter explaining their interest and qualifications for the position, and names of one to two references. Please send these materials to the IUJ Managing Editor, Ms. Lindsay MacMurray (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), by December 3, 2018.

Join us in our mission to improve Pelvic Organ Prolapse treatment and related patient care in urogynecology by participating in the IUGA International Urogynecological Consultation (IUC).

We are looking for committee members to contribute to the IUC, which will produce papers to be published in the IUJ covering definitions, treatment options and evaluation of patients who suffer from Pelvic Organ Prolapse.

The first subject area of the IUC is focused on the epidemiology/pathophysiology/definition of POP and will be covered by five committees:

1. Epidemiology of POP: Incidence/Prevalence, Natural History.
2. Pathophysiology of POP: Risk Factors, Family History, Genetic Mutations
3. Clinical definition of POP
4. Patients perception of disease burden of POP
5. Relationship of POP and associated morbidities/pelvic floor dysfunction (urinary incontinence/ voiding dysfunction, fecal incontinence, sexual dysfunction and pelvic pain)

Committee members will serve a three-year term. Committee members will be chosen by the Chair of the respective committee with input from the IUC Steering Committee.

For more information on the IUC and the role of committee members, a timeline summary, a detailed description of each of the committees, and information on how to apply, please click here.

From October 31 to November 3, 2018, IUGA will participate in and exhibit at the 7th Emirates International Urological Conference & 15th Annual Arab Association of Urology Conference (EUSC 2018), which will take place at the Conrad Hotel in Dubai, UAE. The EUSC will bring together renowned experts from all around the world and will provide unique opportunities of networking and sharing knowledge.

Drs Fawzy Farag, Abdalla Fayyad and Mikkola Tomi will co-host an IUGA workshop and they will present at the IUGA session, which both take place in the morning on Saturday, November 3, 2018. We invite all of you to attend this meeting and our sessions, but also to come and visit the IUGA booth at the exhibits and sign up or pick up your IUGA membership pin. See you in Dubai!

As part of our continuing effort to serve our members around the world, IUGA Academy has just published our first bi-lingual e-lecture! This is the first in a special series of e-Lectures from different parts of the world! The October e-lecture of Javier Pizarro-Berdichevsky on Management of Sling Failures -Manejo de Falla de Sling- is available in both English and Spanish.*

WATCH NOW IN ENGLISH

MIRA AHORA EN ESPAÑOL

*Only accessible for IUGA Members. Not a member? Join here 

APPLY FOR NEW PISQ-IR WORKING GROUP

IUGA is seeking 4 member-volunteers to serve on a PISQ-IR Working Group (Pelvic Organ Prolapse/Incontinence Sexual Questionnaire – IUGA Revised). The PISQ-IR Working Group works with individuals/groups translating the PISQ-IR and is responsible for reviewing and providing feedback on translation/back-translation to ensure the original intention of the questions is not lost in the process of translation. Because each PISQ-IR translation can take multiple years to complete, Working Group members must be able to make a long-term commitment (3-year minimum/6 years preferred) and must have demonstrated test validation and/or translation experience.

Interested members should submit their CV and a statement of interest which outlines their experience with test validation and/or translations by Friday, December 7, 2018 to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

With the recent publishing of our 3rd CME Course on the IUGA Academy, IUGA members now have the opportunity to earn 9 CME Credits - all in the field of urogynecology-  completely FREE of charge! Check out the most recent CME Course on Pelvic Floor Imaging by Clara Shek, Vivien Wong, Rodrigo Guzmán Rojas, Kamil Švabík, and Hans Peter Dietz today!

Voting is now open for a number of elected positions within IUGA. All IUGA members are asked to vote for one Vice President candidate, one Scientific Committee Chair candidate, and two Nominating Committee Member-at-Large candidates. In addition, IUGA members from the regions specified below will have the opportunity to vote for one International Advisory Board candidate from their region. 

Central & East Asia Region: Afghanistan, Hong Kong, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Macau, Mongolia, North Korea, People's Republic of China, South Korea, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan

Southern Asia Region: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka

Southeastern Asia Region: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Vietnam

Voting is open through Wednesday, October 31, 2018.

There was only one nominee for the positions listed below. Thus, the Board has declared these individuals acclaimed and congratulates them on assuming these positions. These terms become effective January 1, 2019.

• Treasurer, Board of Directors – Sylvia Botros-Brey, USA
  • COI: Nothing to disclose.
• International Advisory Board Representative, Western Asia Region – Tony Bazi, Lebanon
  • COI: Disclosures have been reviewed, and no potential conflict has been identified (editorial board member, International Urogynecology Journal).
• Chair, Terminology & Standardization Committee – Renaud de Tayrac, France
  • COI: Disclosures have been reviewed; a potential conflict has been identified and resolved (advisory board member for Boston Scientific and Coloplast).

VOTE NOW

AMERICAN UROGYNECOLOGIC SOCIETY (AUGS) / INTERNATIONAL UROGYNECOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION (IUGA) JOINT REPORT ON THE TERMINOLOGY FOR SURGICAL PROCEDURES TO TREAT PELVIC ORGAN PROLAPSE

AUGS and IUGA are looking for volunteers to help establish standardized terminology for commonly accepted surgeries for pelvic organ prolapse utilizing a collaboration of experts.  Both societies are soliciting applications from their members, who will work collaboratively to develop the terminology paper.  The resulting document will address voids in clinical practice and research and allow surgeons and scientists to better advance the field of FPMRS.

Background

Surgeries for pelvic organ prolapse (POP) are common. Despite this, many professionals find the terms describing different surgeries performed to correct POP confusing, heterogeneous, and difficult to explain to patients and other providers.  Even among experts in POP, terms regarding POP surgeries are often inconsistently used and rapidly evolving.  These issues lead to possible miscommunication, which limits patient care and research.

The aim of this document is to propose a standardized set of consistent and correct terms to describe common surgeries for POP repair.  The main document will cover standard terms in common surgical procedures for treatment of POP, guidelines for correct use of these surgical terms, and limitations of these terms.

The document will be developed using a collaborative process that requires regular communication via email, periodic conference calls, and completion of assignments.  The duration of the commitment is 18-24 months.

To learn more about this project, read the scoping document available by clicking here.

We are seeking members with the following skill set and/or interests:

• Practicing urogynecologist, urologist, or general obstetrician-gynecologist
• Clinical expertise in the surgical management of POP
• Knowledge and understanding of the scientific literature regarding the surgical management of POP
• Experience writing technical reports, reviews, or other scientific papers
• Commitment to teamwork, responsiveness, and dedication to complete assignments

Participation in terminology projects requires a fair amount of time and dedication from all involved in the joint writing group, but your commitment and involvement will help clarify understanding and standardize communication in our important field. We therefore look forward to receiving your application!

Applications

To apply, please follow these two steps:

1) Submit a letter of interest stating your qualifications for the position and a brief CV to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.,

2) Complete the online COI form available by clicking here.

Applications are due by September 26, 2018.