Media Centre

Media Advisories

Over 800 Women’s Health Experts Meet in Halifax, June 17-21, 2009

 

WHY:	The 65th 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 800 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, sexual health, contraception, and gynaecology.
WHEN:	June 17-21, 2009 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
WHERE:	World Trade and Convention Centre 1800 Argyle Street, Halifax, NS, Canada B3J 2V9

Members of the media are invited to attend this event. Please register on-site at the main SOGC Registration Desk. For complete event program, visit www.sogc.org/cmes/acm2009/English

 

Media Highlights

New Guidelines for Breech Childbirth

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

On Wednesday, June 17, the SOGC will be unveiling new recommendations for Canada’s health professionals, relating to the delivery of breech babies. The new recommendations are a result of the emergence of new clinical research in the field, and represent a substantial shift in the way Canadian physicians should approach the delivery of breech babies.
Dr. Robert Gagnon, one of the principal authors of the new guidelines, and Dr. André Lalonde, Executive Vice-President of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada, will be available for comment on the new recommendations and what they mean for Canadian women, health professionals, and Canada’s health-care system.

The new guidelines will be made available to media at 10:00 a.m. (ADT) on Wednesday, June 17, 2009. At this time, a press release will be distributed, and Dr. Gagnon and Dr. Lalonde will be available for comment.

 

International Women’s Health Symposium

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

This special all-day symposium offers a fascinating and somber look at the challenges and dangers women face during pregnancy and childbirth in low-resource countries. Each year, a half million women around the globe still die from routine, preventable complications of pregnancy and childbirth. The symposium aims to illustrate effective strategies that bridge the gap between culture and medicine, by drawing from the experience of a multidisciplinary group of experts working in the field of maternal health. Anthropologists, sociologists, economists and lawyers are among the many distinguished keynote speakers from around the world who will examine this issue, and explore Canada’s role in working to end this preventable tragedy.

Our featured speaker is Dr. Mulu Muleta. For the past 18 years, Dr. Muleta has been treating women in Ethiopia who suffer from obstetric fistula – a preventable complication of pregnancy that causes a hole to develop in a woman’s vagina, creating a passageway between her vagina and her rectum or bladder. Though virtually unknown in Canada, untreated fistulas in less-developed countries commonly leave women debilitated, incontinent, and frequently ostracized from their communities. Dr. Muleta will be joining us in Halifax to provide a keynote discussion on obstetric fistula, and what Canadian health professionals can do to help the 2 million women who unnecessarily suffer from this treatable condition.

Dr. Muleta and other keynote speakers, including SOGC President Dr. Scott Farrell, will be available for comment during the symposium on Wednesday, June 17. The complete list of keynote speakers for the international women’s health symposium is available online at: http://iwhp.sogc.org/uploads/File/ageAcm2009IwhpWebEn.pdf

 

Media Contact

Mike Haymes,
Media Relations Officer, SOGC
Tel: 902-440-3263

Natalie Wright
Director of Communications and Public Education, SOGC
Tel: (613) 240-0169

 

About the SOGC

The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC) is one of Canada’s oldest national specialty organizations. Established in 1944, the Society’s mission is to promote excellence in the practice of obstetrics and gynaecology and to advance the health of women through leadership, advocacy, collaboration, outreach and education. The SOGC represents obstetricians/gynaecologists, family physicians, nurses, midwives and allied health professionals working in the field of sexual reproductive health. For more information, visit www.sogc.org.

Last Updated June 11, 2009