Steven G. Gabbe, M.D.
Gabbe to preside over leading obstetrics/gynecology society
Steven G. Gabbe, M.D., dean of the School of Medicine and professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, has been elected president of the Society for Gynecologic Investigation.
The society is an international scientific organization in the fields of obstetrics, gynecology, reproductive medicine, and gynecologic oncology. The announcement was made at the society’s annual meeting in Houston late last month.
“It’s a great honor to be chosen by the membership of the society to serve in this role,” Gabbe said.
The first Vanderbilt faculty member to receive this honor, Gabbe said he’s excited to help the society promote excellence in research in the fields of obstetrics and gynecology and outlined his goals for his one-year term.
“I want to continue the society’s efforts to serve as a strong advocate for research in reproductive medicine and obstetrics and gynecology,” he said, “For academic departments of obstetrics and gynecology, one of the major problems today in supporting young investigators is the cost of malpractice insurance. It’s very difficult for a department to afford to pay the malpractice premium for someone who’s going to be spending most of his or her time in a research lab, where they are not going to be able to generate revenues to cover their premiums. We’re trying to address this issue through advocacy, talking to legislators in Washington and partnering with other organizations.”
Gabbe is also planning the organization’s first international meeting in 2005 — a summit meeting on pre-term labor that will take place in Siena, Italy. He also wants to grow the membership of the society, increasing it to more than 1,000.
“I would also like to increase the involvement of more junior members of the society in our activities. We have two categories for our junior members, one is an in-training category and the other is an associate member category. We plan to appoint these junior members to our education and our program committees,” Gabbe said.
As president, Gabbe is bringing the interim council meeting of the Society for Gynecologic Investigation to Nashville in November 2004. He will also preside over the annual meeting in Los Angeles in 2005, and has asked Vanderbilt Nobel Laureate Stanley Cohen, Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry, Emeritus, to give one of the plenary lectures.
“This presidency also gives us an opportunity to bring Vanderbilt’s important research programs in women’s health and reproductive biology to the attention of investigators in the United States and around the world,” Gabbe said.
The Society for Gynecologic Investigation held its first annual meeting in 1953 and currently has 964 members from 26 countries throughout the world. Along with its goal of fostering excellence in research, the society also provides international forums for scientific exchange, mentoring, career development and education, advocacy for research in women’s health and reproductive science, and collaboration among academia, government, industry and professional organizations.