Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada

The SOGC's stated mission 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.[1]

The SOGC's stated core beliefs and principles are:[1]

• Women should have equitable access to optimal, comprehensive health care provided with integrity and compassion.
• Women should have the information they need to make choices about their health.
• The Society's members have the right to practice in a safe and supportive environment.
• The practice of obstetrics and gynaecology must be based on the best scientific evidence available.
• The Society has a responsibility to facilitate change in relation to health system issues affecting the practice of obstetrics and gynaecology.
• The Society has a responsibility to continue promoting patient safety throughout health care systems.
• The Society has a responsibility to be visible through advocacy efforts in support of women’s health globally.

The SOGC has been granted full accreditation by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) as a Continued Professional Development provider for physicians and health care providers in Canada. The Society offers a portfolio of professional educational activities including the Annual Clinical Meeting, RCPSC-accredited Continuing Medical Education (CME) programs, e-learning modules, and its Managing Obstetrical Risk Efficiently (MORE^OB) patient safety program.[1]

A leading authority on reproductive health care, the SOGC produces national clinical guidelines for both public and medical education on important women's health issues, and publishes the monthly Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada (JOGC), Canada's peer-reviewed journal of obstetrics, gynaecology, and women's health.[1]

The SOGC's International Women’s Health Program (IWHP), under which the SOGC volunteers work with partner OB/GYN associations, strives to achieve a better world for women via a rights-based approach. The IWHP promotes sexual and reproductive health and rights, including safe motherhood and newborn health.[1] Through IWHP, the SOGC partners with obstetrics and gynaecology associations in low-resource countries to upgrade the organizational capacity of the association and to enhance the skills of health care professionals so that they may assume a leadership role in the promotion of sexual and reproductive health.[2]

The ALARM (Advances in Labour and Risk Management) International Program, a training tool designed to reduce maternal death or injury in developing countries, has been delivered in over 20 countries around the world by SOGC member volunteers.[2]

The SOGC was founded in 1944 as a response to the need to promote physician education, research, and excellence in care.[1] The members of its Founding Council, which governed from 1944 to 1945, were:

• President: Léon Gérin-Lajoie
• President-elect: William A. Scott
• Vice-president: John D. McQueen
• Secretary: James C. Goodwin
• Treasurer: D. Nelson Henderson
• Councillors: Arthur B. Nash and Hector Sanche[1]

Dr. Léon Gérin-Lajoie, the SOGC's first president, suggested the name "Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada - Société des obstétriciens et gynécologues du Canada." Gérin-Lajoie was one of several SOGC representatives at the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) First World Congress in 1954, and went on to become FIGO's vice-president in 1957 and president in 1958.[1]

Beginning in the late 1980s, the SOGC gradually broadened its purpose to include international women's health, advocacy, indigenous health, public education, patient safety, and human resources in obstetrics and gynaecology. During this period, the Society also began admitting members of related medical professions, such as nursing and midwifery.[1]

• Official SOGC website