President's Message
In the fall newsletter, I described us as “a community striving valiantly.” As 2022 begins, we are still striving, and when I see our members quoted in the press, hear people interviewed on NPR or television, or read insightful Twitter threads I am so proud of all that you are doing to address the challenge of COVID. I am also proud of everything else we do – the non-COVID research that continues despite so many barriers, the clinical care for people with non-COVID infections, the advocating for better access to preventive treatments like PrEP and vaccines. Our Society contains multitudes, and we are the stronger for it.
In 2022 we will continue initiatives that began in 2020 and 2021:
– A diversity, equity and inclusion committee, whose goal is to increase representation, raise awareness, and stimulate discussion across the Society.
– The Ask the Expert video podcast, which uses conversations about an article or guideline relevant to reproductive health and infectious diseases to generate discussion and foster learning in an easy to access format.
– Engagement with other professional societies, including supporting the Women’s First Research Collective, which lobbies Congress for additional funding for women’s health research.
Starting January 1, we now have a new management group, Status Plus. We have great appreciation for the SGO staff who have been our administrators and meeting organizers for the past 10 years. Status Plus brings a wealth of experience with other professional medical organizations and will be able to help us manage our growing membership and administrative needs. Look for some new systems in 2022 to help make communication, membership management and meeting abstract submission easier than ever!
Also, in 2022 we will begin planning for our 50th Annual Meeting, to be held in Denver in 2023. Fifty years of transformative science, mentorship, collaboration – and dancing! As part of the lead up to that meeting, we are asking past leaders, current Council members and all of you to tell us “Why IDSOG?” You can find my answer here. Please send us your own short video response! (idsog@statusplus.com) You will also have an opportunity to record on site at our 2022 meeting right here in Boston!
Right now, our in-person meeting seems very far away, but the science of vaccines, public health containment measures, and expanded testing will get us there!
Happy New Year,
Caroline Mitchell, MD
President, IDSOG