Losing One of Our Own

Patricia Ann Kovac, 61, of Atlanta, Ga., passed away Friday, October 9, 2009 after a ten year battle with breast cancer.

She was born to Earl Trower and Gloria Swanson Trower, September 23, 1948, in St. Louis, Mo.

For more than 20 years Pat was the Executive Director for a conference that educated gynecological surgeons from across the globe. In 1995 she helped create the Society of Pelvic Reconstructive Surgeons (SPRS). In August of 2009, the Vaginal Surgeons Award was renamed in her honor for her dedication and hard work to create and maintain SPRS and its goal to advance the art and science of vaginal surgery.

Pat is survived by: her mother, Gloria Trower; her two brothers, Bob and Ray Trower; her sister, Kelly Hellman of Washington, Mo.; her four sons: Bob Daniels of Milwaukie, Or., Philip Kovac of Atlanta, Ga., Brian Daniels and Stephen Kovac; and her daughter-in-law, Sarah Daniels of St. Louis, Mo. She is also survived by three grandchildren, as well as her devoted husband S. Robert Kovac, M.D. of Atlanta, Ga.; and her beloved cat Louie.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the "Patricia Kovac Educational Fund" of the Society of Pelvic Reconstructive Surgeons (sprs.org) are desirable.

Memorial services will be held at the Peachtree United Methodist Church (prumc.org) in Atlanta, Georgia October 24th at 12 p.m. with a reception following.

2009 Conference Wraps Up

I wanted to personally thank everyone for their attendance at the 18th International Pelvic Reconstructive and Vaginal Surgery Conference held at the St. Louis Union Station Marriott. It was an absolute pleasure meeting all of the participants, faculty and exhibitors.
I hope you felt you were a part of the SPRS family. I did my best to hear opinions and suggestions from everyone regarding the next conference. The 19th IPRVS Conference is tentatively scheduled for the third week in August 2010. We had hoped to move the conference earlier in the summer to accommodate those participants with children but the Practical Anatomy Lab at St. Louis University was unavailable. A definitive date will be announced on the SPRS website in the next few weeks.
We did hear your concerns and have decided to eliminate the half day at the end of the conference to allow registrants time off before returning to work Monday morning. And although we won’t be able to move the cadaver program to the end of the conference, we will be adding a full hour of comprehensive study before heading into the lab in the morning and again in the afternoon. We hope this will allow participants a better understanding of anatomy and surgical techniques before engaging in the hands-on learning.
The SPRS Board of Directors and I tried to be aware of everyone’s opinion on our new location at the Union Station Marriott. We have decided to continue at this venue next year. The Marriott is currently undergoing extensive renovations to be completed by next summer and we believe the facilities will far exceed our expectations. SPRS has the understanding that over 300 guest rooms will be renovated along with the downstairs ballrooms before the next conference. In the fall of 2010 the Marriott also intends to restore the original check-in area as well as the hotel restaurant. We are also excited to announce that wireless internet will be provided at no additional cost next year to all registrants, faculty and exhibitors.
There are many other suggestions we are currently taking into consideration and we will inform you along the way as to our plans for the upcoming conference. Please check our website periodically for any updates.
Congratulations again to Dr. Sheldon Weinstein for winning the 2009 Patricia Kovac Vaginal Surgeons Award. It was an honor to hear you speak of your journey and life's accomplishments.
If you missed Dr. Weinstein's acceptance speech, please see the videos below.
I mailed CME certificates last week. with this letter. If you did not receive your letter or feel you have not received the correct number of credits please contact me as soon as possible. Again, I would like to thank you for attending this year’s conference. With the enthusiasm of our participants and faculty, we can only get better. If you have any suggestions that were not listed your evaluation or would rather talk to me personally, please feel free to call me at any time; 314-302-3826.
I look forward to seeing you again next August.
Kind Regards,
Sarah Daniels

SPRS.org - Patricia A. Kovak Pelvic Surgeon Award - Sheldon Weinstein

18th Annual Pelvic Surgeons Award - Sheldon Weinstein - from Grip Agency on Vimeo.

Society of Pelvic Reconstructive Surgeons

The Eighteenth International Pelvic Reconstructive and Vaginal Surgery Conference

The Eighteenth International Pelvic Reconstructive and Vaginal Surgery Conference will be held on August 20th through 23rd, 2009 at the St. Louis Marriott at Union Station

The cadaver program will be held on August 20th, 2009 at the Practical Anatomy & Surgical Education Lab of the St. Louis University School of Medicine

Programs and Registration Cards will be sent in 2009.

Registration is now open for the 2009 conference.

2009 Registration Packet