Dear Colleague,
With the Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) 2022 Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer just days away, I want to let members know how grateful I am to have had the opportunity to serve as President of the SGO. In so many ways, this past year has been a bridge to new ways of doing things as a Society. Over the last three years, we have transitioned from an Annual Meeting that was completely in-person to a pre-recorded webinar series, a fully virtual meeting, and now, to a hybrid model that we will roll out in Phoenix, AZ on March 18. Planning this meeting has truly been a labor of love for my program co-chairs Sarah Adams, MD and Amanda Nickles Fader, MD, all of the volunteer members of the Steering and Program Committees, as well as the SGO staff professionals who were with us every step of the way. I cannot thank everyone enough for the thought and creativity they have put into this meeting.
We are especially proud of the Annual Meeting Master Classes taking place right before the opening ceremony on March 18. These are half-day, intensive courses covering a wide range of topics from perioperative care, clinical and research advances in rare tumors, closing the diversity gap in clinical research programs, and the highly anticipated hands-on cytoreductive surgery lab, which filled up to capacity within a matter of days. We have incorporated more scientific presentations and on-demand educational sessions into our meeting than ever before. And we are excited to see what our attendees think of these sessions.
I hope that all of you participating in our SGO Annual Meeting, whether you are joining us in Phoenix or remotely, will take the time to listen to our featured speakers who will cover key themes of this year’s meeting: Building Bridges and Breaking Barriers. Addressing diversity, inclusion and health care disparities has been an important initiative for SGO leadership this year, which is why we are thrilled to have our American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ABOG) Guest Lecturer, J. Nwando Olayiwola, MD, MPH, FAAFP, Senior Vice President and Chief Health Equity Officer at Humana, speak as part of the Opening Plenary Session on March 18. Marty Makary, MD, MPH, the Presidential Invited Guest Speaker will discuss “The Grassroots Movement to Re-Design Health Care” and Susan Lucia Annunzio, President and CEO of the Center for High Performance will discuss “Resilient Leadership.”
As I reflect on this past year and the effects of the pandemic and looming areas of unrest and humanitarian crisis, I am bolstered by the ways in which our community has come together and the promise of how we can support each other in the best interest of our patients who clearly need us. The Leadership Institute, as an example, offers early career members a chance to learn more about volunteer opportunities and their community within the Society. This program ensures that we will have a reliable pipeline of engaged, diverse members to lead SGO and the subspecialty of gynecologic oncology into the future.
This year’s Annual Meeting marks an important milestone in our shared journey. Everyone who participates in this meeting, from our faculty to our attendees to our patient advocates, is helping us build a bridge to the future of our subspecialty. The barrier of COVID and the pandemic restrictions did not stop us from providing high quality education to our members. What we are about to share with each other and the connectivity we will have will shape other meetings to come. I thank you for being a part of this, and I thank you for your support as I finish my term as SGO President.
Sincerely,
S. Diane Yamada
SGO President