A Special Message for Memorial Day
This Memorial Day, please join us in recognizing and honoring our military service members who made the ultimate sacrifice for our great nation. We observe this day to honor their heroic, selfless acts and preserve their memories.
To our Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) active-duty, reserve, and veteran members, we applaud you for your service to our country and gratefully appreciate your exceptional care for our patients.
To our many gynecologic cancer patients, caregivers and survivors that are members of our active-duty, reserve, and veteran community, we honor your service to the country. You continue to embody resilience, courage, and determination, and your stories of strength and triumph have inspired countless others to face challenges with hope and optimism.
Approximately 17% of military active-duty personnel are women and there are two million living female Veterans. Women are the fastest growing patient population using Veterans Health Administration (VHA) services and account for 30% of their new patients.[1,2]
With the continued rise of women in the military, we know that ensuring access to care, advancements in research, and informed cancer prevention strategies are vital. We are inspired to work together to further increase Department of Defense (DoD) funding for gynecologic cancers. Endometrial cancer research is now included in the DoD Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Program and the DoD Ovarian Cancer Research Program (OCRP) to support high-impact, innovative research continues to grow. We are ardently advocating for future investments to support gynecologic cancer in 2024 and beyond.
As we honor our military members, we are inspired to build our future together. As the SGO/FWC, we work to enhance opportunities to support our gynecologic cancer patients and their caregivers that are a part of our vibrant, honored and cherished active military and veteran community. We are committed in our work to optimize the prevention and treatment of gynecologic cancers for all patients.
With our very best to all on this special day,
Ginger J. Gardner
FWC Chair
Angeles Alvarez Secord, MD, MHSc
SGO President
