I would like to thank everyone who applied for the open Committee and Board Member at Large positions. It is your volunteerism that drives the many successful AUGS programs throughout the year. Following the recent run-off election, we have now opened the ballot for the Vice President and two Board Member at Large positions. Monday, July 6, voting members received an email from AUGS with your official ballot. Please make sure to check your e-mail for this ballot and remember to vote!

After my President’s Perspective on racial equity and diversity, AUGS received numerous letters expressing thoughts on our sub-specialty history, member concerns, and the health care disparities related both to our patients and research within our field. I was able to listen and talk with many members and this was a powerful experience for me personally and confirmed the need for all of us to make sure that AUGS is a welcoming society for all our members.

After our recent AUGS Board meeting discussion, we extended an invitation to Gina Northington, MD, PhD to lead the AUGS Diversity and Inclusion Task Force which she graciously accepted. We are in the process of developing the Task Force which will provide recommendations to the Board of Directors, ensuring its commitment to diversity and inclusion throughout the organization. To achieve this, AUGS will solicit the perspective of member representatives of different racial, ethnic, gender, sexual orientation, physical ability and religious groups.

Gina and I realize that our society has a diversity of members, and we are hoping many of you would be willing to volunteer and lend your expertise to move the society forward. In order to make certain that AUGS has an inclusive and transparent process which represents multiple views within the society, we are opening a call for volunteers for the AUGS Diversity and Inclusion Task Force. If you are interested in serving on this Task Force, please take a few minutes to complete the short application by Tuesday, July 14th.