Media advisory - Over 700 Women's Health Experts Meet in Ottawa, June 20-24

OTTAWA, June 15, 2012 /CNW/ -

WHY:		The 68^th Annual Clinical Meeting of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC).  Leading international and Canadian experts will meet to discuss the latest knowledge and advances in women's health and in the practice of obstetrics and gynaecology.
WHO:		Over 700 delegates including obstetricians and gynaecologists, family physicians, general practitioners, nurses, midwives, residents, medical students and international health experts.
WHAT:		Five days of sessions covering topics in women's health, including the latest research relating to pregnancy, menopause, endometriosis, sexually transmitted infections, urinary incontinence, bleeding disorders, screening, and much more.
WHEN:		June 20-24, 2012
		7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (EST)
WHERE:		The Westin Ottawa
		11 Colonel By Drive
		Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Members of the media are invited to attend this event.  Please register on-site at the SOGC Registration Desk. For complete event program information and biographical details about our faculty members, visit www.sogc.org/cmes/acm2012/english. Please note that the media are able to attend all symposia but cannot be present at best practice sessions or post-graduate courses. However, media interviews with faculty members can be arranged.

Media Highlights

International Women's Health Symposium
Wednesday, June 20, 2012

The focus of this year's symposium is Improving Women's Health in Low-Resource Countries - A Critical Look at Life-saving Interventions. The SOGC has assembled a very impressive panel of Canadian and international subject matter experts who will discuss the main causes of death related to reproductive health for women in low-resource countries: hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, post-partum hemorrhage, cervical cancer, and unsafe abortion. These accomplished health-care professionals will also present their research and experience of implementing low-cost, evidence-based, and highly effective solutions to prevent female mortality in low-resource countries. It is important to note that some of the health issues being discussed at the Symposium are also faced by Canadian women. However, the rate of fatal outcomes due to these medical issues is strikingly higher in developing countries. The solutions to prevent these deaths exist and should be embraced by governments committed to reducing female mortality rates around the world.

The list of faculty members includes: Dr. Paul Blumenthal (USA), Dr. Blami Dao (Burkina Faso/USA), Dr. Dawit Desalegn (Ethiopia), Dr. Naana Afua Jumah (Canada), Dr. Suellen Miller (USA), Dr. Latifa Shamsuddin (Bangladesh), Dr. Peter von Dadelszen (Canada), Dr. Gail Webber (Canada).

New clinical practice guideline: Canadian HIV Pregnancy Planning Guidelines
The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada provides clinical information and recommendations to health-care providers so they can assist Canadian HIV-positive individuals and couples with their fertility and pregnancy planning decisions.

The following spokespersons will be available for comment:

• Dr. Mark Yudin is a principal author of the new guideline, an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto and an Active Staff Physician in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at St. Michael's Hospital. He is the current chair of the Infectious Diseases Committee of the SOGC, and he has lectured and published in the area of infectious diseases in women. He is a co-founder of the Positive Pregnancy Program, a multidisciplinary program for the care of HIV-positive pregnant women.
  
  
• Dr. Deborah Money is a principal author of the new guideline, a Professor at the University of British Columbia and is a subspecialist in reproductive infectious diseases. Dr. Money is the Executive Director of the Women's Health Research Institute, Provincial Health Services. She has developed a clinical and research program in reproductive infectious diseases with research focused on HIV and other viral infections in pregnancy, HPV and the HPV vaccine in the prevention of cervical cancer, and most recently in genome based studies on the vaginal microbioe. She is currently the first Canadian President of the Infectious Diseases Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology (IDSOG), a US based organization.

New committee opinion: Counselling Considerations for Prenatal Genetic Screening
The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada provides clinical information and recommendations to health-care providers to assist them in counseling patients about prenatal screening and to provide assistance in counseling about both positive and negative screening results.

The following spokesperson will be available for comment:

• Dr. Lynn Murphy-Kaulbeck is a principal author of the new guideline, a Maternal Fetal Care Specialist at The Moncton Hospital who deals with high-risk pregnancies relating to maternal and fetal complications of pregnancy as well as prenatal diagnosis. Dr. Murphy-Kaulbeck is currently Site Coordinator for the Northumberland Centre for Medical Education and Research and Chief, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Zone 1, Moncton and is involved in a number of provincial and national committees including the SOGC Genetics Committee and has been a member of the Maternal Fetal Medicine Committee.

Product Launch: Health-Care Professional Desk Reference Tools on Endometriosis
Endometriosis is a common and sometimes debilitating condition experienced by many women of reproductive age. The disease causes chronic pelvic pain and is sometimes associated with infertility. Diagnosing and treating endometriosis can be difficult. Due to the nature of its symptoms and the complexity of determining the cause of the symptoms, patients have been known to wait upwards of seven years for a diagnosis. A new endometriosis health-care professional desk reference (flipchart), a treatment strategies brochure, a classification tear-pad and a patient referral checklist for pelvic pain have been developed to help address this distressing situation.

The following spokesperson will be available for comment:

• Dr. Nicholas Leyland is a Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. He is Chair of the University Department of OB/GYN and is Chief of OB/GYN for the Hamilton Health Sciences. He is the current Co-Chair of the Clinical Practice Committee, Gynaecology, for the SOGC and was actively involved in the development of the new endometriosis health-care professional tools. His clinical and research interests concern the provision of, and the improvement of access to, minimally invasive reproductive surgical options for women.

Media Contact
Natalie Wright
Director of Communications and Public Education, SOGC
Tel: [phone] or 1-800-561-2416, extension 366
Cell: [phone]
Email: [email protected] 
Website: www.sogc.org