ACOG meeting to focus on leadership, overcoming obstetrics, gynecology obstacles

Key takeaways:

• This year’s ACOG annual meeting will take place May 17 to May 19 in San Francisco.
• The meeting will focus on overcoming obstacles specific to obstetrics and gynecology and the importance of leadership.

This year’s ACOG Annual Clinical & Scientific Meeting will focus strongly on the importance of leadership to create change, providing attendees with more high-impact and fewer concurrent sessions.

The meeting will take place from Friday to Sunday at the San Francisco Moscone Center and will be the largest annual gathering of clinicians and trainees dedicated to obstetrics and gynecology, according to AnnaMarie Connolly, MD, FACOG, chief of education and academic affairs at ACOG. The meeting theme is “Pathways to Progress,” which encompasses the fact that those within the obstetrics and gynecology specialty work to improve obstacles, such as working toward equity in health care, reestablishing reproductive rights and increasing sustainability of OB/GYNs. Differing from past meetings, this year ACOG is focused on having fewer but higher-impact sessions.

“We heard from past participants that, with so many concurrent offerings, people were frustrated to have to miss some key sessions in order to attend others,” Connolly told Healio. “We hope that our new approach will allow attendees to feel enriched by their experience, without missing out on learning that they feel is crucial to their development.”

This year’s meeting will feature a keynote address by Abby Wambach, the legendary soccer player, author and activist, titled, “The Leader in All of Us.” This keynote will address the importance of individual leadership in creating change, which is important for obstetrics and gynecology and the ongoing challenges the specialty faces, according to Connolly. The Presidential Panel, “Transforming Leadership into Action,” will present attendees with actionable steps to take to develop leadership skills.

ACOG will also host several sessions addressing AI and its growing role in the health care system along with plenty of strong clinical sessions covering the wide range of topics in obstetrics and gynecology.

This year, more time has been devoted to networking and community, according to Connolly. On Saturday afternoon, ACOG will host a career fair for attendees planning out their careers or those contemplating a career change. At the career fair, attendees will have the opportunity to see what careers are of interest and available to them. As with past meetings, ACOG will also host the annual Stump the Professor session where tenured OB/GYNs are quizzed by junior fellows on real-life clinical scenarios.

“As our specialty continues to face unprecedented challenges, community connections are essential for our individual wellness,” Connolly told Healio. “We want ACOG to be a meeting that cultivates community and leads to valuable new and stronger connections.”

In addition to these sessions, keynote addresses, networking and community efforts, there will also be opportunities to decompress at “Paww-ty Zone,” where attendees can play with puppies and adoptable dogs from three local shelters: Joybound Shelter, Brixton at Large and Love on a Leash.

As blood transfusions play a crucial role in OB/GYN care, ACOG has partnered with Vitalant to host a Donate for Mothers blood drive during the meeting.

“According to Vitalant, one in 83 people who experience childbirth will need a blood transfusion,” Connolly said. “Through Donate for Mothers, our members who clinically support their patients’ health during childbirth can also help by donating blood while attending the meeting to be used in future clinical care.”