Dear friends in PAG,
It seems incredible that your Board has been up and running for two years now, and although a lot has been achieved there is even more to do as we build up to the next World Congress. Zoran Stankovic is working very hard to make this a Congress to remember and the website is up and running – WCPAG2023.org
The next 12 months will see the further resumption of Congresses and I have been asked to bring to you attention the ESC meeting in Ghent in May and the ALOGIA meeting in Buenos Aires next November. Zoran has recently represented us in Egypt at their Adolescent Health Conference and I am pleased to say that we have had new membership interest from Africa as well as India. Marisa Labovsky will be representing FIGIJ at the World Contraception Day replacing Deborah Laufer to whom we are most grateful for her previous involvement. Congratulations to Nicole Tyson for successfully setting up a new Special Interest Group within the American Association of Gynecological Laparoscopists.
Please explore our website as there have been lots of educational resources added thanks to Anna Torres and her Working Party, and the Advocacy and Strategy Working Party under Evelien Roos and Judy Simms-Cendan also continues to have an excellent output with new position statements on the way relating to nutrition & eating disorders and HPV. Our existing position statements have also been translated into Spanish thanks to Clara di Nunzio and Mariela Orti from Argentina. Gulya Alimbayeva from Kazakhstan has done sterling work in translating the NASPAG leaflets into Russian. Thanks to our colleagues in Malaysia for some excellent educational videos. It is lovely to see so much input from around the globe. I should also tell you that there are moves to create a multidisciplinary global special interest group on the preoperative risk assessment of ovarian masses. Remember too our social media presence in Facebook (FIGIJ Home), Instagram (figij_friends) and Twitter (figijofficial). Instagram seems to the most popular just now. Thanks to Charleen Cheung for coordinating all of this. Please also remember to recruit candidates for the forthcoming IFEAPG examinations and let us know about your National Meetings so we can publicise them on our website.
This time of year is typically one for giving and I hope you have been able find that you can support our Bursary appeal – every little will help. The request for donations is being translated into different languages and you can find out more about the FIGIJ Bursary for PAG Training here.
Donations can be made via your credit card without having to have a Paypal account and is incredibly simple and easy to do.
We have already received generous donations (including funding for one whole Bursary in memory of a loved one), and please do support this initiative either as an individual or as a National Society. Please also lobby your representatives to support us. We have set up a Bursary committee to oversee and implement the Bursaries under the watchful eyes of Gabriele Tridenti (Europe), Deborah Laufer (the Americas) and Symphorosa Chan (Asia).
If you would prefer to give a bursary donation through bank transfer, or if Paypal is unavailable in your country, you can send us an email requesting wiring instructions for your donation.
Finally a last word to an unsung heroine Lisa Rome who provides us with this vital lifeline and is doing a great job behind the scenes for FIGIJ. Thank you Lisa from us all!
With my very best wishes for the holiday season to one and all with friends, family and big hugs,
Paul Wood
President FIGIJ