• Repeat of IUGA’s First Webinar this Saturday, September 7
• Last Chance to Apply for the IUGA Champions Program
• 2013 Annual Meeting Evaluation Results
• New Section of the IUGA Web Site: Terminology Reports

The IUGA webinar, An Update on Transvaginal Mesh, will be repeated this Saturday, September 7 at 5:00 p.m. EDT. 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. We have posted the webinar link on the members only section of the IUGA site and have e-mailed it out to all members. You can click the link approximately 15 minutes before the session starts. 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.

To view the link for the webinar along with the list of start times throughout the world, please click here. You will be directed to the members only section of the IUGA web site and prompted to log-in  first if you are not already logged-in.

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 champions 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 champions program manual and application, please click here.

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

Thank you to everyone who completed the 2013 annual meeting evaluations.  The feedback you provide is crucial to helping us deliver the best scientific meeting possible.  These results help us identify areas for improvement and what was successful, which is taken into consideration during the planning process. The evaluation included questions about the meeting content, logistics, social events and more. This year, we had a 24% response rate. To view the full results, please click here.

Check out the newest section of the IUGA web site, terminology reports. This section will continuously be updated with full terminology reports published by IUGA. It currently includes the Outcomes of Surgery for Stress Urinary Incontinence, Urogynecology Training Guidelines, the IUGA-ICS Joint Report on Terminology for Grafts and Meshes (2011) and more. To view the page, click here. It can also be found under the Resources menu on the web site.