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Sarah Johnson, Chief Executive Officer of the International Society for Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology (ISUOG)
On Sunday afternoon the opening ceremony of your 25th World Congress on Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology will take place. Which top three issues will be on the agenda of this year's congress?
This is ISUOG’s 25th Anniversary World Congress, also coinciding with 2015, the year of the millennium development goals. As well as the usual broad array of current research presentations we will be considering the role and impact of ultrasound in women’s health more broadly, including Ovarian Cancer screening, the global burden of pre term birth and international developments in the assessment and management of fetal growth.
The aim of the International Society for Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology (ISUOG) is to ensure that all women have access to competent ultrasound and that obstetric and gynecological conditions are effectively diagnosed. Please see with us your latest milestones.
ISUOG has members in 128 countries around the globe, which have extremely different healthcare systems, clinical standards and opportunities for training, so ISUOG’s long term vision is also a long term challenge.
Our major recent milestones have been the development of a comprehensive basic training programme, which will be launched in four languages during our Montreal event to 21 remote satellite participating centres in 13 countries. To complement this our ISUOG Outreach programme continues to offer a bespoke hands on training and support opportunity directly in underserved regions.
We are living in a more and more digitised world. How important is your annual congress for the aim and the mission of ISUOG?
ISUOG represents a very niche subspecialty that is relevant to both medical (physician) and technical professionals (sonographers). We have seen attendance at our Congress continue to grow, particularly in Europe, in spite of the provision of free access to most of our Congress materials online after the event. The opportunity to engage and share research ideas across a truly international committee continues to be important in the growth and development of our subspeciality.
After Barcelona (2014), Sydney (2013) and Copenhagen (2012) you decided to go to Montréal in 2015. Why?
We try to take our Congress back to North America once every three to four years, for the benefit of North American delegates, and also those from Asia and South America who find these meetings more accessible. We chose Montréal specifically for 2015 due to the international accessibility, the local support within our own community and the strength of support from the city and convention bureau.
What are the two biggest challenges for ISUOG these days?
ISUOG’s membership has grown significantly in the last five years, resulting in dramatic shifts in the member demographic (regionally and professionally). The major challenges that arise are to engage and retain our newer membership groups and indeed to remain relevant at the highest quality for such a diverse audience with increasingly different needs. Our focus for the year ahead will be on engaging those new members, and indeed on increasing our content in multiple languages.
A particular challenge in engagement is the accessibility of major events like our Congress to our entire membership. Whilst our 128 member countries experience entirely different economic circumstances, costs to deliver World Class congresses are not similarly variable, so being truly accessible to all remains a major challenge. ISUOG is introducing its own support initiatives for members in underserved regions to improve this accessibility, but greater buy in from international cities to truly support diversity at international events is also required.
The International Society for Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology (ISUOG) has been in existence since 1991 and, with over 13,000 members in 128 countries, is the most important society in this medical specialty. ISUOG is dedicated to ensuring that all women have access to competent ultrasound and that obstetric and gynecological conditions are effectively diagnosed. ISUOG delivers high quality learning through its education program and disseminates research information and clinical guidance through its journal Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology (UOG). The 25th World Congress on Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology will take place from 11 to 14 October 2015 in Montréal, Canada. www.isuog.org, www.isuog.org/WorldCongress/2015