March 2022 – SOGC Delphi

Welcome!

We are so excited for the West/ Central CME in beautiful Banff taking place in less than two weeks! For those who registered for the in-person conference, we will use this opportunity to reconnect with peers while earning up to 27.5 MOC 1 credits. We will be hosting a brief networking reception at the conference to celebrate coming together again. I very much look forward to seeing many of you there. I am also eager to connect with all of you who are participating on the virtual platform earning up to 21.5 MOC 1 credits; your feedback is also very important to ensure we offer the best learning opportunities.

This will be the first of many occasions for me to hear from you as your new CEO. I want to build my vision of the SOGC by better understanding what you, our members, want to see in their association.

I recently wrote an editorial for the JOGC on ‘Why I Chose the SOGC’. It outlines my personal experience and history with the SOGC and how I envision our strategic planning moving forward. By working closely together, I believe we can be more effective in our communication and the manner in which we collaborate. COVID has presented us with a unique set of circumstances. There will be challenges even beyond the pandemic but I envision great opportunities for both sustained growth and change.

Save the date! It is hard to believe that the next ACSC will be coming quickly on the heels of the West Central CME. We really hope to see you in Québec City from June 7 – 10, 2022. SOGC members will be able to benefit from early bird registration for a limited time, visit https://www.sogc.org/acsc-en for all of the details.

UPCOMING EVENTS

SAVE THE DATE FOR ACSC 2022

The early bird rate is available until midnight Monday, March 14, 2022 exclusively for SOGC members, register now!

Learn more

UPCOMING ALARM COURSES

In-person ALARM courses have returned!

Our ALARM Virtual courses are also open for registration.

If you want to train with your team or within your community, ALARM can come to you.

To book a course with at least 12 participants, contact Kaitlin Moberg at kmoberg@sogc.com

SOGC NEWS

CALL FOR CANDIDATES FOR PRESIDENT DESIGNATE – APPLICATIONS MUST BE RECEIVED BY FRIDAY MARCH 11, 2022

Dear members,

The Board of the SOGC is seeking candidates for election by the Board as President-Elect. The term begins at the Annual Business Meeting in June 2022.

Candidates should possess the attributes to provide good governance for the SOGC. Individuals are invited to self-nominate. Additional nominators are not required. As the geographical rotation would be Ontario, strong consideration would be given to candidates from that region.

Those eligible must be current members of the Board or have recently served on the Board or have extensive other experience with the SOGC and experience in governance in some other health care organization.

Those wishing to be considered for the position must submit a one-page statement describing what initiatives the candidate would intend to take during her or his term as President to advance the mission of the SOGC.

Applications should be submitted through Brenna Dallaway at bdallaway@sogc.com to the attention of Dr Maggie Morris , president, and must be received by Friday, 11 March 2021.

Sincerely,

Dr. Maggie Morris

2022 SOGC MENTORSHIP PROGRAM

On February 10th, the SOGC medical student representatives in collaboration with the promotion of the specialty and resident committees launched the 2nd annual SOGC Mentorship Program!

This program will run until June 10th, concluding with the ACSC, and offers short-term mentorship experiences between staff Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and medical students, which include:

career and lifestyle advice
informal teachings related to conference topics
conference activities

We are proud to announce that we have been able to match 34 mentor-mentee pairs this year – a 300% increase from the pilot program in 2021.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this program. We hope to see it continue to grow.

WOMEN’S HEALTH PODCAST

LABOUR, DELIVERY AND POSTPARTUM CARE FOR PEOPLE WITH PHYSICAL DISABILITIES WITH DR. ANNE BERNDL

In this episode, our host Dr. Graeme Smith speaks with Dr. Anne Berndl about labour, delivery, and postpartum care for people with physical disabilities. Dr. Berndl is the lead author of the clinical practice guideline on this subject that was published in the June 2021 edition of the JOGC. 

Streaming now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major listening platforms.

Listen to the podcast here

GUIDELINES AND COMMITTEE OPINIONS

FEBRUARY CLINICAL PRACTICE GUIDELINE

Guideline No. 423: Female Genital Cosmetic Surgery and Procedures

Dorothy Shaw, OC, MBChB, Lisa Allen, MD, Cynthia Chan, MD, Catherine Popadiuk, MD, Deborah Robertson, MD and Jodi Shapiro, MD, MHSc

SOGC members can access all guidelines by signing into their SOGC Member Portal.

Click HERE to read the FAQ on accessing guidelines.

IN MEMORIAM

We were saddened to learn of the passing of Robert Cecil Bob Fraser MD FRCS last month. As stated in his obituary: Bob was instrumental in developing the NS Gynecological Cancer Screening Program and the Gestational Trophoblastic Disease Registry, Treatment and follow up program. He chaired the team who brought the Cancer Lodge to Halifax. In all these initiatives, he valued working with tremendous, committed professionals. Of the many awards he received throughout his career, his most cherished was the Award of Excellence given by the VG Medical Staff for his commitment to holistic care – Bob was a true patient advocate.

We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family.

COMMITTEE NEWS

A MESSAGE FROM THE ADVOCACY & WELLNESS COMMITTEE

Thank you OB/GYN residents for your dedication to your wellness! We received over 50 submissions for the first part of our wellness initiatives, and we are so happy to see such excellent participation.

After a random draw, we would like to congratulate:

Maria Georgescu, University of Saskatchewan
Chloe Rozon, University of Ottawa
Mankeran Danoha, University of Saskatchewan

Prizes have been sent in the mail. Stay tuned for our next wellness challenge. Looking forward to your ongoing participation and attention to your wellness.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

USING LABS WISELY DURING GLOBAL BLOOD TUBE AND OTHER RESOURCE SHORTAGES

Choosing Wisely Canada has new information related to the critical shortage of laboratory supplies. There are two new Choosing Wisely Canada lists of recommendations developed by the Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists and the Canadian Association of Medical Biochemists about the critical shortage of laboratory supplies. Click below to download the lists and please feel free to share this information with your colleagues.

Primary care list: https://choosingwiselycanada.org/download/6964/

Hospital list: https://choosingwiselycanada.org/download/6963/

Canadian hospitals are being significantly affected by the global shortage of lab supplies – specifically tubes, syringes, and collection needles – across Canada in part due to the pandemic. This is receiving coverage in our national media and is a significant concern across our hospitals. These lists are being shared given the urgency of this issue and the role of Choosing Wisely campaigns in raising awareness among clinicians of this important shortage and quality problem.