Message from the President – January 2025
As we move into 2025, I want to take the opportunity to thank the staff and members of the SOGC. Without the hard work and dedication of both groups, we would not be the respected voice for women’s sexual and reproductive health we are today.
As president, I have the opportunity to meet and work closely with the SOGC staff; I can attest that we are fortunate to have dedicated people who care about members and work hard to meet their needs. The SOGC staff also care about women’s health as the members do. From planning educational events, research and grants, to meeting the daily media demands, we are well-served. We have staff that support our membership every day.
I have been a member of the SOGC since my first year of residency and have been actively involved since that time in various roles. I have served on committees, been a member of the board and now president: I am proud to be a member of the SOGC. I believe that having a national voice for women’s health and reproductive rights is important, more so now, given the changes and threats we are seeing around the world with respect to women’s and 2SLGBTQI+ access to safe and equitable care.
The SOGC provides a community for me. I have met people throughout my time with SOGC that have added to my professional life, and I have developed enduring personal friendships. I look forward to attending meetings and connecting with my colleagues, coming away with a sense of renewed purpose and knowledge. I also have a lot of fun, something I think we all need a bit more of in our lives. Health care can be a tough place to work for a variety of reasons and Ob/Gyns have unique challenges such pay equity issues, challenges with OR access and resource issues and we work within complex team structures; we need to support one another.
As president, I hear from some Obstetricians and Gynaecologists that they do not feel the SOGC has anything to offer them or that it does not represent our specialty and has a wide umbrella. We have taken steps to address these perceptions; changes in membership and fee structure, educational offerings that are more specialty focused, clinical guideline committee restructuring and authorship, and governance changes that focus on our core members: the Obstetrician and Gynaecologists. We listened to our academic departments and made changes that they felt would bring them and others back to the organisation. I would ask that Ob/Gyns take a close look and reconsider joining or rejoining, given the SOGC is now refocused on OB/Gyns as core members.
The SOGC produces Clinical Practice Guidelines for both public and medical education, which are published in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada (JOGC). The SOGC is also a Continuing Professional Development provider for physicians and health care providers in Canada and offers Continuing Medical Education events, including an Annual Clinical and Scientific Conference (ACSC), regional conferences, online courses and the popular Advances in Labour and Risk Management (ALARM) program. There are podcasts and a wealth of information for both providers and patients through the SOGC website.
I think there are a multitude of reasons to be a member of the SOGC. Board members and I would like to hear from both members and non-members with suggestions and constructive feedback. We are open to change and meeting the needs of our members. I can be reached at: President@sogc.com.
Dr. Lynn Murphy-Kaulbeck
SOGC President