Under the leadership of the AUGS Board, the Society’s councils are dedicated to advancing the Board approved strategic plan and supporting the future growth of AUGS. This nimble and effective governance structure supports collaboration across committees and between AUGS and the PFD Research Foundation. Keep reading to learn more about each AUGS and PFD Research Foundation Committee’s unique focus.
Board Level Committees
Executive Committee
Purpose: The Executive Committee acts on behalf of the Board of Directors in the intervals in between Board meetings only to the extent that it knows how the Board of Directors would act on any given topic. In unusual cases, usually due to the timeliness of decisions, the Executive Committee may act on a matter when the Board’s position is not clear. The Executive Committee also functions as the “personnel committee” of the Board of Directors, performing the annual performance review of the Executive Director, based on the input of the Board of Directors. Executive Committee Charter: Roles, Responsibilities, and Qualifications.
Awards Committee
Purpose: The AUGS Awards Committee serves the Society through soliciting and reviewing nominations annually for AUGS awards.
Finance Committee
Purpose: The Finance Committee serves the Society through the oversight of the AUGS and PFD Research Foundation budget to ensure sound financial practices. Ongoing committee activities include providing review and oversight to the monthly financial reports, investments, and records; and providing guidance on the preparation of the annual budget and annual audit. Finance Committee Charter: Roles, Responsibilities, and Qualifications.
Governance Committee
Purpose: The Governance Committee serves both the Society and Foundation through oversight of the process and governance by which they function. Ongoing activities include review of the policy and procedures manual and bylaws, conducting an annual assessment of the Board of Directors, ensuring conflicts of interest are disclosed and handled appropriately, overseeing the Call for Volunteers and Call for Board Nominations processes including vetting of Board candidates, and reviewing and monitoring best practices in association management.
Education Council
PFD Week Program Committee
Purpose: The PFD Week Program Committee is charged with maintaining and enhancing PFD Week, AUGS’ annual meeting, to ensure it is the leading meeting for health care professionals interested in FPMRS education. The Committee is charged with developing programming that maximizes the attendee experience and focuses on the latest scientific and surgical advances in the field.
Education Committee
Purpose: The Education Committee evaluates the educational needs of urogynecologists, gynecologists and urologists focused on FPMRS and develops an educational strategy which is responsive to those needs.
Fellowship Training Committee
Purpose: The Fellows Training Committee evaluates the educational needs of FPMRS fellows and fellowship programs and develop programs and services that AUGS can provide.
Advanced Practice Provider Course Planning Committee
Purpose: The APP Course Planning Committee evaluates the educational needs of allied health professionals focused on FPMRS and develop programs and services that address those needs.
CME Committee
Purpose: The CME committee is charged with ensuring AUGS meets and/or exceeds all requirements for accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME); reviewing policies and procedures to assure that the educational activities of the Society are developed and offered in a manner consistent with the requirements of the ACCME; and evaluating program quality, needs assessment, review speakers’ content for all CME programs and provide feedback to planning committee chairs on how to improve the scientific content for courses/meetings
Clinical Meeting Planning Committee
Purpose: The Clinical Meeting Planning Committee oversees the development of a course that is clinically focused and assists physicians with staying informed on the latest clinical advancements in the field, as well as how to run a practice in today’s environment.
Robotics Course Planning Committee
Purpose: The Robotics Course Planning Committee oversees the development of a one-of-a-kind course, available to fellows, featuring a full day in the robotic lab and one day in didactic sessions.
Fellows Cadaver/Hands On Course Planning Committee
Purpose: The Fellows Cadaver Course Planning Committee oversees the development of an advanced vaginal surgery course for specialist fellows in Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery and Female Urology, already well versed in basic vaginal surgery, who are looking to increase their knowledge about more complex vaginally approached and laparoscopic/robotic operations.
Question Writing Group
The Question Writing Group oversees the writing, reviewing, scoring and distribution of the annual AUGS Self Assessment Fellows Exam (SAFE) Exam and the Urogynecology Self-Assessment Exam.
Research & Quality Improvement Council
Quality Committee
Purpose: The Quality Committee serves the Society through supporting the work of the Quality Council by ensuring programs are in place to support the quality outcome needs of the FPMRS community.
Scientific Committee
Purpose: The Scientific Committee supports the research component of AUGS’ mission by advising and facilitating the advancement of research through funding, education, and advocacy. The Committee focuses on increasing and maintaining the workforce of the urogynecology physician-scientists and researchers to catalyze the advancement of clinical practice with an end goal of improving care through impactful research. Members of the Scientific Committee represent the various research areas within urogynecology and serve as advocates to advance this mission. Scientific Committee Charter: Roles, Responsibilities, and Qualifications.
PFD Registry Committee
Purpose: The PFDR (Pelvic Floor Disorder Registry) Committee is responsible for overseeing the current operations of the PFDR and ensuring that the Registry supports the research needs and strategic goals as determined by the Board of Directors. The PFDR Committee will lead registry activities including data collection and analyses as well as seek additional partners to conduct Industry-sponsored or other externally sponsored studies. PFDR Committee Charter: Roles, Responsibilities, and Qualifications.
Practice Management Council
Coding and Reimbursement Committee
Purpose: The Coding and Reimbursement Committee is charged with educating AUGS members on current coding procedures. Ongoing committee activities include addressing payment and coverage issues, answering coding questions from members, developing fact sheets for the AUGS website, and writing coding articles for FPMRS News. The committee also responds to Commercial Carriers and regional MACs when nationally accepted policy is being ignored. Coding Committee Charter: Roles, Responsibilities, and Qualifications.
Payment Reform Committee
Purpose: The Payment Reform Committee serves the Society through gaining expertise in the development and execution of alternative payment models (APM) as defined by CMS and addressing payment reform issues as needed. Payment Reform Committee Charter: Roles, Responsibilities, and Qualifications.
Outreach Council
Membership Committee
Purpose: The Membership Committee serves the Society by representing and monitoring the needs of the membership and ensuring a strong membership structure and benefits package. Additional ongoing activities include oversight of member recruitment and retention campaigns, evaluating the needs of membership segments, approval of SIG applications and Life Membership requests, and periodically reviewing existing programs, services and technology platforms to ensure that they enhance the AUGS member experience. Membership Committee Charter: Roles, Responsibilities, and Qualifications.
Public Education Committee
Purpose: The Public Education Committee is charged with representing and monitoring AUGS’ outreach efforts to the public about the FPMRS subspecialty and role of the urogynecologist. The committee ensures the seamless integration of all patient-related programs and services on behalf of AUGS. Ongoing activities includes oversight of the Voice for PFD website, development of patient education materials to be used by patients and physicians, and oversight of medial relations activities. Public Education Committee Charter: Roles, Responsibilities, and Qualifications.
Special Interest Groups/Communities of Practice
Purpose: SIGs and Communities of Practice serve the Society through the creating and fostering community feeling around a designated area of interest that brings together AUGS members for information exchange and sharing.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee
Purpose: The DEI Committee serves the Society through the creation and identification of opportunities for expanding the conversation regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion within AUGS and amongst its board, committees, and member communities. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee Charter: Roles, Responsibilities, and Qualifications.
Social Media Committee
Purpose: The Social Media Committee is charged with assisting staff in the development and execution of strategy for AUGS programs and services, which includes but is not limited to FPMRS Journal, Voices for PFD, and educational programming. Ongoing committee activities include identifying areas of growth and engagement, monitoring social media trends, developing social media resources for members, and maintaining and implementing a social media strategy. Social Media Committee Charter: Roles, Responsibilities, and Qualifications.
Publications Council
Publications Committee
Purpose: The AUGS Publications Committee provides oversight to the development of clinical publications, including Clinical Guidance Documents (ie, Clinical Practice Statements, Clinical Consensus Statements, Terminology Reports, and Systematic Reviews), Research Reports, Advocacy Documents (ie, Position Statements and White Papers), and Practice Advisories. The committee ensures the documents produced by writing groups and other AUGS committees and networks are of high quality, consistent form and content, and accurate terminology to ensure successful publication in Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Surgery and/or on the AUGS website. Furthermore, the committee represents AUGS in cross society efforts for the development of joint publications as appropriate. Publications Committee Charter: Roles, Responsibilities, and Qualifications.
UROGYNECOLOGY Journal
Purpose: The Journal Editorial Board oversees the publication of UROGYNECOLOGY, a peer-reviewed, multidisciplinary journal dedicated to specialists, physicians and allied health professionals concerned with prevention, diagnosis and treatment of female pelvic floor disorders. Current Editorial Board Members.
PFD Research Foundation
Grants Committee
Purpose: The PFD Research Foundation Grants Committee serves the Foundation through the oversight of the grants program. Goals of the mentored research grant program are to support the pilot projects to help fulfill the PFD Research Foundation mission of supporting novel clinical, translational, and bench research directions and enabling junior investigators to obtain future independent funding for research focused on female pelvic medicine. Grants Committee Charter: Roles, Responsibilities and Qualifications.
State of the Science Program Planning Committee
Purpose: This State of the Science Program Planning Committee serves the PFD Research Foundation through the development and oversight of a State of the Science Conference which will bring together thought leaders representing private and public stakeholders who are actively engaged in overactive bladder treatment and research. The overarching goals are to understand the role of conservative treatment modalities in older woman and review the evidence regarding long-term use of anticholinergic medications and risk of the development of cognitive impairment, dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease. A desired outcome of this Conference is to produce an evidence-based comprehensive strategy that will become an AUGS driven action plan to advance OAB research and treatment initiatives.
Early Career Research Leadership Program Committee
Purpose: The Early Career Research Leadership Program committee serves the PFD Research Foundation through the development and maintenance of an annual program aimed at fostering career development in urogynecology research by providing participants with mentorship and research training related specifically to research proposal development and grant writing. A new program for the Foundation, this committee was established in Spring of 2021.