Special Interest Groups: Quite A Year

The purpose of the AAGL SIGs is to allow those AAGL members with special areas of interest and talent to collaborate together to help advance the AAGL’s overall mission and vision: to elevate the global standard for gynecologic care and to ensure that all women have access to minimally invasive surgical options. Currently, the AAGL has six SIGs boards including hysteroscopy, oncology, pelvic pain, endometriosis/reproductive surgery, robotics and urogynecology/vaginal surgery. 

This year our SIG boards were busy serving as a liaison to the AAGL Board of Directors, hosting conference calls, and providing timely alerts to the AAGL Board of current issues in their areas of expertise that impact the AAGL mission. Each SIG chair has provided a highlight of the ongoing activities of their SIG group.

Endometriosis/Reproductive Surgery – Chair: Charles Miller and Vice-Chair: Adrian Balica

• Increase awareness of endometriosis with the goal to recommend to ABOG to include an endometriosis article submitted for the Maintenance of Certification
• Begin to develop an AAGL Practice Bulletin on Endometriosis
• Continue to work on coding/ ICD-10/11, especially to recommend endometriosis excision coding
• Publish an AAGL Endometriosis Classification System and International Endometriosis Classification System
• Discussed possible research ideas including:
  • Sexual function before and after endometriosis surgery
  • Development of a clinical diagnostic tool for endometriosis
  • Develop an ovarian reserve model to allow strict guidance for the patient and surgeon to plan decision for management
  • Work to develop competency in the diagnosis and treatment of deep infiltrating endometriosis

Urogynecology/Vaginal Surgery – Chair: Patrick Culligan and Vice-Chair: Luiz Oliveira Brito

Continue active involvement with the Scientific Program Chair to propose “hot” topics for the annual meeting

• Work with the AAGL research committee
• Contribute to three articles/year:
  • ‘My Most Difficult Case”
  • Technology overview
  • Videos for peer review to Surgery U

Robotic Surgery – Chair: Kristin Patzkowsky and Vice-Chair: Richard Farnam

• Update privileging and credentialing guidelines for robotic gynecologic surgery
• Increase the connectivity and responsiveness of the SIGs digital footprint in the AAGL and Social media platforms
• Robotic surgeon of the month to nominate a surgeon each month that embodies and represents the AAGL qualities and standards. This would include a short video of their biography, practice and personal expertise.

Hysteroscopy – Chair: Martin Farrugia and Vice-Chair: Luis Pacheco

• Creation of a basic guide to hysteroscopy with seven chapters including topics from basic principles, how to perform hysteroscopy in the office, and how to avoid complications
• Creation of a hysteroscopy mini-atlas

Pelvic Pain – Chair: Erin Carey and Vice-Chair: M. Jean Uy-Kroh

• Hosted a pelvic pain SIG Postgraduate Course: When Sex Is a Pain! Navigating Sexual Pain in the Perimenopausal Patient
• Working on a myofascial pelvic pain algorithm

Oncology – Chair: Nicole Fleming and Vice-Chair: Mario Leitao

• Hosted an Oncology SIG Postgraduate Course: Advances and Updates in Gynecologic Oncology and Complex Pelvic Surgery
• Work with the AAGL Research Committee on an Oncology Research project

I look forward to 2021 and having quarterly meetings with all of the SIG groups.  In so doing the SIG groups will enable the AAGL to elevate the quality and safety of health care for women through excellence in clinical practice, education, research, innovation, and advocacy.