• IUGA Booth at ICS Meeting
• IUJ App Access to Full Text Articles Has Ended
• Apply to be a Host Site for an IUGA Fellowship or Observership Grant Recipient
• IUGA Champion Program Application Deadline Extended
• Repeat of IUGA’s First Webinar: An Update on Transvaginal Mesh
• Update on the IUGA Office Move

Please plan to visit IUGA at booth #7 at the upcoming ICS meeting in Barcelona from August 26-30.  Meet IUGA Board and other members and get information about membership, the upcoming 2014 joint scientific meeting with AUGS and the latest IUGA projects and initiatives.

If you are planning to attend the meeting and would like to volunteer your time at the IUGA booth to help speak with existing and potential IUGA members, please e-mail amy@iuga.org.

A few months ago, we announced the launch of a new IUJ app that provided free access to read full text articles dating back to 1990 for a limited period of time. That free access has now ended. We are currently working on an update which will allow only IUGA members to have access to read full text articles. We will have more information about the update for the app in the coming weeks.  You can still search for articles and read abstracts but you must be using your institutions WiFi in order to access full text articles.

In the meantime, you can still read full text articles from the IUJ online as long as you are logged in to the IUGA web site.

If you have any questions about the app, please e-mail amy@iuga.org.

In an effort to promote training and the dissemination of information in urogynecology, IUGA offers one international fellowship and a number of educational observership grants per year. If you wish to be a potential host site for IUGA fellows (1 year), please click here for the application information, or for observers (2-4 weeks), please click here. The document is labeled apply to be an IUGA host site. Note the host site application is the same for both grants.

Submit your completed application to the IUGA office via email at amanda@iuga.org along with a copy of your CV by September 20.  More details and the host site requirements are described on the first page of the application.  Once you have been approved as a host site, you and your institution will be listed in the IUGA Host Site Directory.  Applicants will use this directory to choose an appropriate host site and shape their application accordingly.

Please note each host site must renew their ability to host observers and/or fellows every three years.  If you are currently an IUGA host site you will be contacted soon to renew your status.

Spread the word about IUGA and urogynecology in your part of the world by becoming an IUGA Champion. Champions will help with both recruitment of new members and the retention of our existing members. As an IUGA Champion, you will have the opportunity to establish camaraderie with other champions and IUGA members throughout the world and make a significant contribution to the growth of urogynecology in your country. The application process for the champion program has been extended to September 9. Once all the applications are received they will be reviewed by a group of people which will include IUGA office staff, a board member and a committee chair. The selection criteria for champions includes demonstrating access to contacts in your country, effective service in other health related organizations/associations and active participation in IUGA. To download the champion program manual and application, please click here.

Questions about the champion program should be sent to Amy Cassini, Membership Manager at amy@iuga.org.

Mark your calendars for September 7 at 5:00 p.m EDT for a repeat of the IUGA webinar An Update on Transvaginal Mesh. Based on feedback from the first webinar, we have extended the webinar to 1 hour and 15 minutes to allow for more presenter time and sufficient time for questions and answers.

The focus of the webinar will be an update on vaginal mesh, and the learning objectives for this session are as follows:

1. understand the current situation and views regarding the use of mesh;
2. know the range and incidence of problems associated with mesh implants and be able to identify patients who might benefit from the procedure;
3. understand alternatives to the use of mesh; and,
4. understand the steps for securing informed consent.

Moderated by Chris Maher of Brisbane, Australia, the speakers and their topics will be:

Lynsey Hayward (Auckland, New Zealand)
       Background – explaining how mesh came to be used
       Class 3 products
       RCOG Guidelines;
       What’s happening now in different countries – where stopped and where still used

Kaven Baessler (Berlin, Germany)
       Indications for use and alternatives
       Early adopters vs. appropriate approach
       Minimum number of surgeries

Steven Swift (Charleston, USA)
       Getting it Right – working with patients re: consent

The webinar is only open to IUGA members and is free to participate. You are not required to register for the webinar. Participants will be admitted on a first-come first-served basis and will be limited to 92 people.The link to enter the webinar will be posted on the members only section of the IUGA web site and sent via e-mail. There will be no charges to connect to the webinar.

With a globally based membership we understand it will be difficult for some of our members to participate due to the timing of the webinar, so we will be recording it for posting on the IUGA web site at a later date. We will notify our members when the recording is available for viewing.

As our members are probably already aware, the IUGA office moved to its new location in Washington, D.C.  on August 12. Staff has been working hard to unpack and set-up the office, all while tending to the membership and other regular duties. If you are ever in the D.C. area, please stop in for a visit!

Our new contact information is as follows:
2030 M Street NW, Suite 701
Washington, DC 20036
+1-202-733-3234 tel, ext 116
+1-202-733-3365 fax