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Media Kit

About SOGC

SOGC is Canada’s leading voice on women’s reproductive health and international women’s health issues. The SOGC represents obstetricians/gynaecologists, family physicians, nurses, midwives and allied health professionals in the field of sexual reproductive health. The mission of the SOGC 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.

Access to Expertise

Through the Society’s extensive membership of health care professionals, the SOGC can arrange nationwide access to experts on topics relating to all aspects of women’s health.

SOGC experts can provide insight on: women’s health issues; international initiatives; reproductive rights; pregnancy and obstetrics; gynaecology; sexuality; sexually transmitted infections; birthing practices, national guidelines on a wide range of women’s health issues; and much more.

Leading SOGC Spokespersons:

Complete biographical notes available.

SOGC's Strategic Directions (2006-2011)

Aboriginal Health: To advance culturally safe health and healing for aboriginal women.

Advocacy: To increase the influence of SOGC on the public policy agenda as it relates to women’s health and the practice of obstetrics and gynaecology.

Continuous Professional Learning: To become the preferred provider of knowledge and continuous professional learning in obstetrics and gynaecology.

Human Resources in ob/gyn: To develop and implement Human Resources strategies to ensure women have access to ob/gyn care.

International Women’s Health: To collaborate internationally, focusing on capacity building initiatives aimed at improving women’s health in low-resource settings.

Patient Safety: To overcome the barriers to patient safety and to promote equitable access.

Women’s Health Issues: To promote access for all women to obstetrical and gynaecological care, facilitate public education about women’s health issues and highlight essential determinants of women’s health.

An Authoritative Source

The SOGC develops and publishes national clinical guidelines on the practice of obstetrics and gynaecology as well as position statements on important medical issues in ob/gyn.

These documents are shared with media and the public as part of SOGC’s mandate to educate the public on women’s health issues. This helps to empower women to make informed choices concerning their health.

Leadership in Patient Safety

The SOGC is a leader in teaching hospitals how to manage the risks more effectively around childbirth. The MOREOB/AMPROOB programs provide unparalleled training in obstetrical risk management, which translates
directly into improved care and saved lives. This program is being adopted across Canada, and has also been implemented in hospitals in the United States.

www.sexualityandu.ca

The SOGC’s innovative sexual health education website, www.sexualityandu.ca, was initiated under the leadership of Dr. André Lalonde and experts in the field of reproductive health.

Launched in 2001, sexualityandu.ca has become the ultimate Canadian web site committed to providing accurate and up-to-date information and education on sexual health for the general public, educators and health professionals. Content on the site is developed through the direction and collaboration of a team of interdisciplinary health experts including ob/gyns, GPs, public health representatives and health educators.

Welcoming nearly a quarter-million visitors each month, sexualityandu.ca is a recognized world leader and has received numerous awards. At the 2005 World Summit Awards, held within the framework of the United Nations’
World Summit on the Information Society, the site was named one of the top five e-health projects in the world.

sexualityandu.ca is endorsed by the Canadian Pharmacists Association, the Canadian Public Health Association, the College of Family Physicians of Canada, the Federation of Medical Women of Canada, the Sex Information and Education Council of Canada (SIECCAN) and the Society of Rural Physicians of Canada.

Collaborative Ob/Gyn Care

The SOGC, in partnership with The College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC), The Canadian Association of Midwives (CAM) and The Canadian Nurses Association (CNA), investigated innovative collaborative care models.
This partnership, entitled the Multidisciplinary Collaborative Primary Maternity Care Project (MCP2), was borne from a mutual understanding that specialists alone cannot deliver the level of obstetrical care Canadian women need; rather, they must work in collaboration with other allied health professionals to share expertise and experiences.

After two years of study, MCP2 released a report entitled “Guidelines for the Development of a Multidisciplinary Collaborative Primary Maternity Care Model” in June 2006. It provides a framework for instituting fundamental
change in the way maternity care is delivered in Canada.

Public Education

Public education is central to a physicians’ practice. Since the mid-1980s, the SOGC has made its evidence-based guidelines available to the Canadian public so that women could be better equipped to make informed choices
about their health. SOGC develops and disseminates a wide array of public education brochures, pamphlets, and online materials to assist in these public education activities.

Internationally Committed

Every minute of every day, one woman dies during labour or childbirth somewhere in the world.

The SOGC has been active on the international scene since 1998, when it integrated into its mission the importance of pursuing excellence in international women’s health and promoting safe motherhood and newborn
health throughout the world. Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada, is the Patron of the SOGC’s International Women’s Health Program. SOGC’s international work is built upon many
strong partnerships, including: governmental agencies such as the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA); Canadian and international non-profit organizations such as UNICEF and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA); and medical and ob/gyn associations in low-resource countries such as Haiti, Uganda, and Guatemala.

Since 1999, SOGC has conducted 61 interventions that have involved the participation of 115 volunteers doctors, nurses, midwives and other health professionals. SOGC has a roster of approximately 200 medical volunteers that are interested and available for international interventions. The main focus of these interventions is to deliver the SOGC’s ALARM International training program, a “train the trainer” course for local healthcare professionals that addresses the main causes of maternal and newborn mortality. The ALARM International Program has been delivered in 17 countries, and is planned in five more, including: Benin, Congo, Ethiopia, Gabon, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Kosovo, Mali, Mexico, The Phillippines, Uganda, Ukraine, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Yemen. Upcoming
interventions are planned in Iraq (through the Society of Rural Physicians), Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Honduras, and Tanzania.

Since 1999 Canadian healthcare professionals have contributed approximately $837,664 CND of in-kind contributions, through their volunteer time.

JOGC

The Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of Canada (JOGC) is the primary publication of the SOGC. JOGC publishes policy statements, committee opinions, and clinical guidelines. Through the dissemination of the latest
research and information and the promotion of best practice methods, the JOGC advances the ob/gyn specialty and the quality of care received by Canadian women. The Journal is distributed to approximately 8,000 subscribers each month. . .

History

The SOGC was founded in 1944 to provide doctors with an education program and a professional scientific publication, thereby improving the quality of ob/gyn care in Canada. It is North America’s longest-standing
national organization devoted to the specialty of obstetrics and gynaecology. Since its establishment, the SOGC has expanded this mandate to include international women’s health and public education, and opened its doors
to other professions such as nursing and midwifery.

Media Contact:

Natalie Wright
Director of Communications and Public Education
Tel: (800) 561-2416 or
(613) 730-4192 ext. 366
Fax: (613) 730-4314
Email: nwright@sogc.com

Last Updated October 6, 2009