AAGL Fellowship – 2019: A Banner Year!
2019 has been a very productive and special year for the Fellowship in Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery (FMIGS). We started the year with a transition in leadership as Dr. Ted L. Anderson, previous FMIGS President, stepped aside in order to assume the role of ACOG President. In that role he has championed GYN surgery and helped to move specialty recognition forward. We are so proud of his accomplishments.
Over the summer, the Class of 2021 Fellows began training and we had one of the most successful Fellows Boot Camps to date! The Boot Camp took place at the world renowned Barrow Institute in Phoenix and continues to improve year after year with the help of numerous faculty who participate on a volunteer basis. We thank our faculty and partners for their countless hours of support and dedication to the this important program! During the 48th AAGL Global Congress in Vancouver in November, we kicked off the week by honoring the 45 graduating fellows from 36 programs, which included the FMIGS-International programs. Hat’s off to the Class of 2019!
On our 2019 list of accomplishments also includes the adoption of an ACGME based case log system, which will make public the surgical experience and expertise of our fellows and allow side by side comparison with other GYN fellowships. And, the growth and anticipated expansion of FMIGS beyond the US and Canada to include more international programs and to up our global awareness game with Colombia and Mexico FMIGS-I programs and a third in the approval phase.
Finally, our many committees work throughout the year to maintain a standard quality across all programs; update our fellows curriculum, including the reading list, educational objectives, and SurgeryU curriculum; and foster communication between the Board, AAGL, the fellows, and the faculty.
I am so proud of the work our members have done to advance and support the most competitive GYN surgery fellowship in the industry.
It has been my pleasure to serve as your president this past year!
