Dear friends and colleagues,

I’m excited to start my official term as AUGS President and I look forward to what we will accomplish together this year.

As you know, you, our members, guide this organization and our wonderful subspecialty. I am grateful for each and every volunteer, and I would like to welcome 49 new volunteers, including new board members Marianna Alperin, Nathan Kow, and Emily “Mimi” Lukacz. These individuals help make up the 23 committees dedicated to advancing AUGS’ strategic plan supporting the future growth of our organization.

I’d like to take a moment to sincerely thank those volunteers whose terms have just ended. Your commitment, service, and hard work have made such a difference in every facet of our organization. A special “thanks” to immediate past Board members: Keisha Dyer, Liz Geller, Tina Mahajan, and Beth Mueller. It has been a privilege working with you all side-by-side, and I greatly appreciate your dedication to AUGS.

I’d also like to thank Linda Brubaker, who has just ended her seven-year term as Urogynecology’s Editor-in-Chief. In honor of Dr. Brubaker's leadership, contributions, and dedication to the journal, as well as her contributions to AUGS and to our field AUGS has established the “Linda Brubaker Prize Paper Award.” This award will reflect the highest quality scientific paper published in Urogynecology within the academic year (July 1 through June 30).

Linda has not only been an integral part of AUGS' history, serving as President from 2002-2003 and Editor-in-Chief of the journal from 2016-2023, but also in the establishment of the subspecialty. In December 1993, she joined an elite group of AUGS and SGS leaders at an ABOG meeting in Dallas to discuss formalized training programs in urogynecology. These preliminary discussions were critical to the establishment of the subspecialty a few years later. A tremendous thank you for all that you’ve contributed, and continue to contribute, to the subspecialty.

Lastly, I want to encourage everyone to renew their 2024 membership. AUGS is the home organization for all urogynecology professionals. It is with your support, engagement, and participation that AUGS is able to fulfill its mission to drive excellence in comprehensive care for women with pelvic floor disorders. Furthermore, AUGS plays a pivotal role in allowing us to come together to exchange ideas, network and advance the field of urogynecology.

I look forward to what we will do together for our field and AUGS in 2024.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Wu, MD, MPH

AUGS President

board@augs.org