AAGL’s Research Committee Goals
As the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists (AAGL) continues to grow, our organization realizes the importance of taking a deliberate approach to building and maintaining a research committee. One of this committee’s main objectives is exploring the different facets to achieving excellence in gynecologic surgery through scientific evidence. We plan on fostering a clear and solid vision among AAGL members that promotes a research culture among members. This article briefly introduces the AAGL’s research committee structure, goals, and activities.
We believe that the most effective committees are those with members whose function, skills, and interests mirror that of the society they represent. Keeping this notion at heart, we launched an internal search for volunteers among active members of AAGL to serve on the committee. What began as an attempt to recruit volunteers, turned into a powerhouse of motivated individuals with extensive scholarly backgrounds and a unified vision of promoting research among gynecologic surgeons.
Even at its earliest stages, this committee has allowed us to streamline communication and share insight amongst an elite group of motivated individuals. As a result, we were able to execute a clear plan of action under the supervision of the AAGL Board. The primary goals of the research committee are:
- Rebrand and establish a clear direction for the surveys that are submitted by our members.
- Review the standardized survey template for quality control.
- Review and score the General Grant applications.
- Launch multi-centered studies with applications for extramural grant funding.
To achieve these goals, there needs to be a comprehensive vision for an AAGL database. The primary purpose of the database is to enable AAGL to add value to members by capturing and validating gynecologic surgery, clinical, financial, and operational implications. Through a robust database, AAGL will be a pioneer in preparing AAGL members for the Value-Based Purchasing and Pay of a Performance environment.
Through an extensive database, AAGL can also help to benchmark best-demonstrated practice learning within peer groups. It will also help to understand the patient journey and the variation avoided by the adoption of the AAGL Evidence-Based Standard of Care.
Our intention is to build the infrastructure for a scientific scaffold which will elevate physician-scientists in the gynecologic surgery field for generations to come. The tasks are daunting, but the friends and mentors in AAGL who share the same vision and goals are numerous. We will seek their support along the way.
