Since 1962
16 Countries
1.546 Members
Since 1962
16 Countries
1.546 Members
From the start in 2019, the three main topics for the work of the board were advocacy, education and research. However, soon after the board took office in October 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic struck and the activities of the board were severely hampered by the travel restrictions.
The board met in Heidelberg and Munich in person in between lockdowns. Luckily, with the aid of electronic meetings, we could stay in touch. We met with the board monthly and twice a year with the Executive Committee. Sadly, the EBCOG conference in Norway was cancelled due to the pandemic.
After the travel bans were released and still hampered by postponement, we were finally able to organize the 20th ISPOG-Congress in Vienna in July 2022. This was organized in conjunction with the 4th Dreiländertagung by the German and Austrian Societies and the Swiss Working Group for Psychosomatic Gynecology and Obstetrics. The venue was the Sigmund-Freud-Privatuniversity, aesthetically very appealing and provided with a technically high level of equipment. During ISPOG 2022, we celebrated ISPOG’s 60th diamond jubilee with a reminiscence symposium. All in all, we received 250 registered participants from 20 nations and five continents. 15 nations were involved in the preparation of the 20th ISPOG Congress through the International Scientific Committee. A magnificent highlight of the social program was the reception in the historic City Hall of Vienna by Kristina Hametner, the Women’s Health Commissioner of the City of Vienna.
During the General Assembly at ISPOG 2022, Chulmin Lee was appointed as our next president-elect and Sibil Tschudin stepped down from the board as immediate past president.
However, Sibil Tschudim was immediately appointed chair of the newly formed Research Committee of ISPOG. After a second successful session at ISPOG 2022 (the first was during ISPOG 2019 in the Hague), we are very happy that she will use her wide experience to work on this important goal of ISPOG. During ISPOG 2025, another symposium is organized by Sibil Tschudin in collaboration with Julie Quinlivan. Also, prizes for best short presentations were discussed and approved. Further opportunities to promote scientific work are under discussion, also in co-operation with Taylor & Francis, the publisher of the JPOG journal.
Our theme in a psychosomatic perspective is the physical and mental health of women in gynaecology and obstetrics. This was presented in a broad spectrum during the ISPOG congress in Vienna, with a focus on experiences and studies during the pandemic. ISPOG 2022 resulting in a big project: the post-conference book on Women’s Health and Pandemic Crisis, edited by Vivian Pramataroff-Hamburger and Mechthild Neises-Rudolf. This book contributes to another goal of ISPOG namely education.
The results from the conference and experiences gained from exchanging ideas in a well-functioning network at ISPOG 2022 are summarised in 260 pages by 48 dedicated authors with many thanks to all who contributed, including the staff of Springer Publisher. We extend special thanks to Jeanne Ann Conry, President of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (FIGO), who wrote an exceptionally kind foreword to the book publication and Wolf Lütje, President of the German Society, DGPFG, whose balanced and positive review can be found on our homepage. We invite interested readers and our members to submit a review for publication.
For advocacy, we mainly used our website www.ispog.org. In the section with latest news, one can find ISPOG’s statement on refugees and migration. In war and other situations of conflict, care for women and children is especially vulnerable and reproductive rights will be violated more easily.
Mechthild Neises-Rudolf started a statement on the climate crisis and its consequences, especially for obstetrics and women’s health from the German perspective. This was continued by Barbara Maier for the Austrian perspective.
A book review of Pramataroff-Hamburger V. & Neises-Rudolf M. (ed.) Women`s Health and Pandemic Crisis. Springer 2024 by Dr. med. Wolf Lütje, President DGPFG German Society for Psychosomatic OB/GYN was presented.
You’ll also find obituaries for deceased members, in the year prior to last, Marianne Springer-Kremser, Austria, and, pending, the loss of our colleague Michael Edward Pawson, GB
Regarding education, educational content for the website was developed by Jonathan Schaffir and other contributors. A survey of POG teaching in our member societies was performed and its results presented at ISPOG 2022 and published by Jonathan Schaffir & Vivian Pramataroff-Hamburger in our JPOG journal.
We have a next book in preparation, as a follow-up on the first edition by Marieke Paarlberg and Harry van de Wiel: „Bio-psycho-social Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Editors this time will be Vivian Pramataroff-Hamburger, Chulmin Lee and M.Caroline Vos. This wil also be published by Springer and will be full open access. This is made possible by contributions of ISPOG, its members and a general donation from the German society.
Our Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology (JPOG) is published by Taylor & Francis. It was founded in 1982 and focuses on psychosomatic and psychosocial aspects of women’s health in various disciplines such as gynaecology, obstetrics, nursing, psychiatry and psychology. By 2023 (Volume 44), it converted to a full Open Access journal. This is an important reason to agree on updated contract modalities.
For the journal metrics, the publication process in terms of average speed of article publication has more than been halved over the last 10 years to around 14 days after acceptance. The number of downloads by readers is continuously increasing, and the impact factor that has averaged 2.6 over the last six years.
Luckily, the JPOG has not seen many problems with the actions on academic integrity by various research groups about articles from past issues. This shows the dedication and good work of the editorial team over the years.
We owe these developments to the dedicated work of the two Editors-in-Chief: Julie Quinlivan and Mijke Lambregtse van den Berg and the 24 colleagues on the Editorial Board from 12 nations. See: https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/ipob20/about-this-journal#abstracting-and-indexing
International cooperation with colleagues on other symposia is a strong feat of ISPOG where advocacy, education and research goals are all three met. ISPOG members were represented (with symposia) at the following events.
Finally, we have arrived in Seoul, Korea for our triannual conference for the 21st time. It is timed 3-5 April 2025 coinciding with the cherry blossoms. The congress motto is Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynaecology in the Globalised World. We have opened at Villa the Noche on the 3rd of April and will continue at Omnibus Park, Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, St.Mary´s Hospital on the 4th and 5th of April 2025. We extend sincere thanks to the organisers, the congress president, Keun Ho Lee, the chair of the scientific committee, Kyu Ri Hwang, and the entire team for their dedicated preparation. Most of all, we extend a special heartfelt thanks to Chulmin Lee, who has been a dedicated link between the ISPOG Board, the members of the organising committee and the organising team over the past three years.
We want to extend good wishes for the new board members and the future of ISPOG.
„The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team. Good teams become great ones when the members trust each other enough to surrender the me for the we.“ (quote from Philip Douglas “Phil” Jackson, born September 17, 1945, an American professional basketball executive, former coach and former player).
On behalf of ISPOG’s board: Chulmin Lee, president-elect, Vivian Pramataroff-Hamburger, treasurer, Leroy Edozien, immediate past-president, M.Caroline Vos, secretary-general.
Prof. Mechthild Neises-Rudolf, president
April 4th, 2025.
Report from the 21st ISPOG Congress, 3–5 April 2025, Seoul, Korea Traditionally, the ISPOG congresses bring together people from different nations across continents every three years under the theme of […]
Read more »From the start in 2019, the three main topics for the work of the board were advocacy, education and research. However, soon after the board took office in October 2019, […]
Read more »Michael Edward Pawson MBBS (London), MRCS, LRCP, MRCOG, FRCOG “Mike” to his friends and family Michael Pawson, who was Chairman of the British Society of Psychosomatic Obstetrics & Gynaecology 1995-96 […]
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