The International Society of Gynecological Pathologists was first conceived by Dr. Hernando Salazar, who after recognizing the need for a forum to exchange ideas among specialized gynecological pathologists, took the initiative to congregate colleagues and circulate a letter globally to 100 pathologists recognized for their contributions to the field. The proposal to create an international society of gynecological pathology, stated in the letter, was supported by 81% of respondents. This led to the foundation of the Society in 1976 during a meeting at the XV World Congress of the International Academy of Pathology (IAP) in Washington, D.C. (United States). Dr. Robert Scully became its first president (chairman). In 1978, the Society adopted its first logo, which was also created by Dr. Salazar.
After its creation, the Society rapidly became a viable organization and created relationships with major scientific organizations. In 1977, ISGyP acquired companion society status with the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology (USCAP), joining five other subspecialty pathology societies. At its first USCAP meeting in Toronto (Canada), the society not only organized a companion society academic session but also led the popular evening specialty session in gynecologic pathology. In 1978 in Jerusalem (Israel), the Society started participating in the biennial IAP congress developing a stand-alone session in gynecologic pathology. In 1979 the Society obtained an official liaison with the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO), which led to the appointment of Dr. Robert Scully to serve as liaison member of the FIGO Cancer Committee which formulates rules for gynecological cancer staging. Lastly, in 1983, the World Health Organization partnered with the Society to revise the International Histological Classification of Tumours of the Female Genital Tract (known as the Blue Book). The first two series of the blue book were produced in official partnership with ISGyP.
In 1981 the Society founded the International Journal of Gynecological Pathology, a peer-reviewed publication indexed by PubMed with worldwide recognition.
In recent years the Society has doubled efforts to increase its global outreach. First, ISGyP developed its own educational website under the guide of Dr. Blake Gilks and during his tenure as president. The website now serves as a repository of diverse and high-quality educational content. Second, with Dr. Glenn McCluggage as president, the Society successfully had its first “Presidential Project”, devoted to endometrial carcinoma and which resulted in several consensus and evidence-based guidelines made freely available to the scientific community via the Society’s journal. Dr. Esther Oliva followed with her presidential project on endocervical adenocarcinoma, with a similar format resulting in consensus-based reviews. Lastly, in 2020 and in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Society launched its Live Virtual Education (LiVE) educational program, conducted entirely in a virtual format and made free for pathologists and other healthcare providers. The program, now in its 4th year, features weekly educational activities in different formats, many featuring trainees and early-career pathologists. After the success of ISGyP LiVE, the Society organized its first Annual Meeting in 2021, hosted virtually and also freely available; this activity is now an annual educational event and also hosts the Society’s annual business meeting. Since 2022, annual educational events are also organized by the Society in Spanish, Portuguese, and Mandarin.
The membership of the Society has increased from 31 in 1976 to more than 250 by 1981, and to over 600 in 2022.
References:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10638448/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11773747/
DR. HERNANDO SALAZAR – FOUNDING MEMBER
Dr. Hernando Salazar was born in Ibague, Colombia, in 1931, and completed his medical school training at the National University of Colombia (Bogota, Colombia). He then obtained training in anatomy, cell biology, electron microscopy and biochemistry at Tulane University (New Orleans, Louisiana, United States) and Washington University (St Louis, Missouri, United States), followed by residency training in pathology at Universidad del Valle (Cali, Colombia) and subspecialty training in gynecologic and obstetric pathology at Magee – Women’s Hospital (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States). He also obtained a Master of Public Health degree.
After his initial faculty appointment in the department of pathology at Magee-Women’s Hospital, Dr. Salazar held positions in community hospitals in western Pennsylvania, followed by appointments as Chief of Surgical Pathology at Fox Chase Cancer Center (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States) and lastly at Reading Hospital and Medical Center (Reading, Pennsylvania, United States). His numerous contributions as scholar include the ultrastructural characterization of the human breast and the description of undifferentiated ovarian neoplasms. Teaching was Dr. Salazar’s passion, translated in his numerous roles as educator and mentor, mounting back to his residency years and spanning decades of service in academic medicine. He is the conceiver and founder of the International Society of Gynecological Pathologists, to which he also served as Secretary, Vice-President and President. He also maintained close connections with Latin America, facilitating training of Latin American professionals in North America. He co-founded the Latin American Pathology Foundation (LAPF), an organization aimed at connecting pathologists in Latin America with Latin American Pathologists in North America.
Reference: International Journal of Gynecological Pathology 2001;20(2):103-104
DR. ROBERT SCULLY – FIRST ISGyP PRESIDENT
