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