AAGL is the Society of Every Member!
As the first European president of AAGL, finishing my presidency, I want to stress that AAGL is your society, the society of every member, and that AAGL is open to every innovative idea which may improve women’s health. AAGL is still a society of pioneers ready to explore and help and develop disruptive ideas. It is more than ever an international society with strong collaboration with China, India, Europe, Australia, and more than ever, with Africa, thanks to the first steps of our International Task Force and the efforts of the Foundation of the AAGL. Thank you to Chuck Miller, Vadim Morozov, and all the Foundation Board Members.
I also want to thank ESGE for accepting a new collaboration, these were the first steps of a new era where collaborations between minimally invasive surgery societies will allow our patients to benefit from worldwide expertise and decrease the carbon footprint of our societies.
The Global Congress is yours. If you have a proposal for a session, for a presentation, for a collaboration, do not hesitate to send it so that the Scientific Program Committee can carefully assess it. The Call for Course Proposals is open now, do not miss it! This year the meeting will be looking at new technologies, but I am sure that collaborations between members may bring new forms of intelligence. When intelligence is supposed to become artificial, human collaborations, the other name for human intelligence, will remain essential!
Our teaching platform EMIGS continues to grow. The number of programs who use it is impressive. EMIGS will soon become the platform for every member who wants to reassess their practice and wishes to train again. The EMIGS program is currently developing new tools to become a recertification tool available for everyone with an online evaluation of theoretical knowledge and technical skills. We all need to retrain, to improve our confidence and procedures. Surgery is craftwork, if we do not practice often enough, we need to warm up our hands before going back to the OR. EMIGS will be valuable for every member!
The Fellowship program is doing better and better in the US and abroad. 57 graduated this year including 10 from non-US programs! Please remember that many countries and patients still do not have access to minimally invasive surgery. So do not hesitate, the step is not too high, many of you can develop a fellowship program in your hospital and many young residents are willing to become a MIGS expert. It just depends on your desire to teach. They are waiting for you. Take the leap, you will learn so much when teaching the younger generations!
JMIG and SurgeryU are being completely renewed and these teaching tools are yours also. You of course may submit a paper but be aware that you may also submit a video to SurgeryU and possibly spread your technique while getting feedback from a review by peers and experts! These tools are yours, do not be shy or lazy, use them!
Finally, I want to stress that the green conversion of AAGL has begun. A green web page, a green channel will be developed by the new Sustainability Committee, and you will be able to propose your initiatives towards a decreased footprint of our practices, thus preserving the future of your children.
AAGL is yours, work to improve it, do not hesitate to propose your ideas. Thanks to an incredible staff, AAGL is a very well organized and structured society while still preserving the mobility and agility of the early years. Do not be afraid of the strength of the organization. With your intelligence we are still able to change fast and effectively when required, it depends on every member’s implication and work!
If you think of any board position, do not be afraid, the staff will help you so much that you will discover that it is not so difficult to be a Board Member or an Executive Board Member. I stress particularly for our female members. I am convinced that it is possible to be a very good AAGL President and the best mother of the world!
I wish everyone a wonderful holiday season and a happy year for 2025!
