SGS Scalpel Sessions

SGS prides itself on its commitment to advancing women's health care, reflected in our many research engines and the opportunities they create for members and non-members alike to connect, learn, and grow together.

In this episode of Scalpel Sessions, Dr. Elizabeth Casiano Evans joins Dr. Christine Vaccaro to reflect on her journey in urogynecology and the role both SGS and its research engines have played throughout her career. Dr. Evans shares how her involvement in the SRG helped turn her clinical interests into high-impact research while opening doors to new opportunities for mentorship and professional growth. Together, they discuss staying connected to research, finding opportunities at every stage of your career, and more!

Endometriosis surgery can be among the most complex procedures performed by gynecologic surgeons, yet the systems used to code and reimburse that care don't always reflect the work.

In this episode, Dr. Jasmine Tibon is joined by Dr. Ted Lee, a leader in minimally invasive gynecologic surgery and endometriosis care, to explore the challenges surrounding endometriosis coding and how they affect surgeons and patients alike.

Drawing on decades of clinical experience and his involvement in coding reform, Dr. Lee discusses the limitations of existing procedure codes, his work to expand endometriosis diagnosis codes, and why greater specificity can improve our ability to document and study the disease.

Physicians spend years mastering the skills needed to care for their patients, but few receive formal training in one of the most important aspects of practice: healthcare billing and coding.

Dr. Jocelyn Fitzgerald is joined by Dr. Marc Toglia, a double board-certified OB/GYN and expert in physician billing and coding. Together, they discuss common coding pitfalls, the disparities in reimbursement for women's healthcare, and some strategies to help you make the most of your time in the OR.

Once considered an emerging technique, vNOTES has become an established option in the minimally invasive surgical toolkit. To help us better understand this procedure, Dr. Christine Vaccaro is joined by MIGS surgeon and vNOTES expert Dr. Veronica Lerner. Together, they discuss the benefits and challenges of adopting this technique, patient selection, training considerations, and where vNOTES fits within today's minimally invasive surgical landscape.

Dr. Lerner is a Professor of OB/GYN at Zucker School of Medicine and Director of Simulation in the Department of OB/GYN at Lenox Hill Hospital.

Menopause is one of the most significant transitions in a woman’s life, yet it remains widely misunderstood and too often underdiscussed. To help make sense of the physical, emotional, and sexual health changes that accompany menopause, Dr. Jocelyn Fitzgerald is joined by New York Times bestselling author and menopause expert Dr. Sharon Malone, MD, FACOG, MSCP. Together, they explore the complexities of navigating menopause care, discuss why so many women struggle to find the support and treatment they need, and share insights to help women improve their health and well-being at every stage of life.

Season 2 of Scalpel Sessions kicks off with SGS’s immediate Past President, Dr. Kris Strohbehn! A fellowship-trained OB/GYN and Division Director of Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery at Dartmouth Medical Center, Dr. Strohbehn has brought years of leadership experience and insight to both our Society and this conversation. Together with Dr. Jocelyn Fitzgerald, he provides an inside look into his year as President and reflects on both the current state - and future - of our field.

Even as healthcare systems continue to confront their environmental impact, the operating room remains one of the most resource-intensive areas in medicine. Leading the push towards sustainability and mindful practice in the OR is Dr. Kelly Wright. She joins Dr. Christine Foley to discuss how to implement more "green" methods in medicine and how the changing global environment affects the health of our patients.

Dr. Wright is the Director of the Division of Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery and an Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Integrating major medical databases and large language models can feel overwhelming in today's evolving healthcare landscape. To help make sense of this new reality of modern medicine, Dr. Jasmine Tibon is joined by Dr. Douglas Luchristt to explore how clinicians can more effectively use technology in their practice. Together, they discuss how data powers meaningful medical research, the strengths and limitations of large databases, and why not everything labeled as “AI” is truly what it seems.

Curious what private practice looks like for a gynecologic surgeon? So were we! To answer our questions, we invited Dr. Lindsey Jackson to sit down with Dr. Jasmine Tibon to discuss the benefits, challenges and unique opportunities available at her current practice in San Antonio.

With the AUA’s newly released clinical guidelines on diagnosing, counseling, and treating patients with GSM, we knew we had to invite Dr. Gina Northington, a panel member directly involved in developing these guidelines, onto the podcast for a special pop-up episode!

In this roundtable conversation, Dr. Northington joins Drs. Jasmine Tibon, Christine Vaccaro, and Jocelyn Fitzgerald to discuss the guideline development process, their publication, and the broader impact these recommendations will have on clinical care. They also explore how this work contributed to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ decision to remove the black box warning from hormone-replacement therapies.