Meet the Organising Committee

United States of America

Nawal Nour

Dr. Nawal Nour is the Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She holds the Kate Macy Ladd Professorship at Harvard Medical School. Prior to assuming the role of Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dr. Nour served as the Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer for Faculty, Trainees and Students, since 2018. Dr. Nour has also served as the director of Ambulatory Obstetrics Practice for two decades and assumed leadership of the Ambulatory Gynecology Division last year. In addition, she is the Founding Director of the African Women’s Health Center and the Division Director of both Ambulatory Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Recently named one of Forbes 40 Women to Watch Over 40, Dr. Nour established the world-renowned African Women’s Health Center which provides appropriate holistic health and outreach programs to the African community in Boston. As the founder and current director, Dr. Nour was honored as a 2003 MacArthur Foundation Fellow for creating the country’s only center of its kind that focuses on both physical and emotional needs of women who have had or undergone female genital cutting. Dr. Nour has also published several articles related to women’s health including, HIV and Pregnancy in Resource-Poor Settings. Dr. Nour was born in the Sudan and raised in Egypt and England. She came to the United States to attend Brown University. She received her medical degree from Harvard Medical School, completed an Ob-Gyn residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and an MPH at Harvard School of Public Health. She has received numerous awards for her community work and outreach including honorary doctorate degrees from Bowdoin College and Williams College. Dr. Nour presently serves on the Brigham Health Board of Trustees.

Treasurer of FIGO, United States

Ralph Hale

Dr Ralph Hale is the FIGO’s Treasurer.

Dr. Hale has long been a leader among his fellow obstetrician-gynecologists,and has devoted his career to furthering women’s health around the world.
He graduated from the University of Illinois College of Medicine in 1960. Following his residency training in Obstetrics and Gynecology, he began his medical career at the University of Hawaii, where in 1975 he was appointed Professor and Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, a position in which he served until he joined the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) as Executive Vice President in 1993. He served in this role until 2011.

Dr. Ralph Hale has been extensively involved in FIGO activities and has served on the Executive Committee for over 20 years. He was Chair of the Organizing Committee for the XIX Cape Town Congress in 2009 and was responsible for the management of all aspects of the meeting, except for the scientific program. He also served on many FIGO committees, including the program committee and scientific committee for at least two FIGO congresses; selection committees for the present CEO, the PCO and future meeting sites; and the committee to twin with lesser developed societies. When called upon, Dr Hale also has served as FIGO’s designated representative in place of FIGO officers at professional gatherings such as the Pan American Health meeting.

Dr. Hale is accustomed to managing budgets and personnel due to his previous position as Executive Vice President of ACOG, where he handled a budget of over $40 million and managed more than 200 employees. During his tenure, Dr Hale ably led more than 58,000 members across North America and beyond.

Dr. Hale is devoted to a woman’s true well-being, as evidenced by his interest in programs and research in women and exercise. He developed a health curriculum for undergraduates and served as team physician for women’s sports at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Among his more than 200 publications are many research articles on the effects of exercise. Dr Hale also served on the U.S. Olympic Committee for 16 years and was Vice President from 1992 to 1996. In 1996, he was Chef de Mission in charge of the U.S. Olympic Team for Atlanta. In addition, Dr Hale has served as Chair of the Board of Directors of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.

Argentina

Néstor César Garello

Prof. Dr. Néstor César Garello received his Doctorate in medicine and surgery at the National University of Córdoba, Argentina. He works as a Mastologist, Gynaecologist and Oncologist. Néstor is also a professor of Gynaecology at the Faculty of Medical Sciences of the National University of Córdoba. He is a Fellow of the American College Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (ACOG) and President Elect of the Latin American Federation of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Societies (FLASOG). Hi was the former President of the Argentine Federation of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Societies (FASGO) and a former Member of the FIGO Executive Council (2009-2015).

United Kingdom, Chief Executive of FIGO

Mary Ann Lumsden

Mary Ann Lumsden is Professor of Medical Education and Gynaecology, Head of the Academic Unit of Reproductive & Maternal Medicine at the University of Glasgow. She is an Honorary Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. She has a clinical and research interest in heavy menstrual bleeding and the menopause.

Malaysia

Abd Aziz Yahya

Dr. Abd Aziz Yahya is a Consultant Gynaecological Oncologist in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He is a certified Robotics Surgeon. He graduated with the MBBS from the University of Malaya in 1982 and became a Specialist Obstetrician and Gynaecologist in 1988 after obtaining his qualification from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in London. He spent another two and half years at the St. Mary’s Hospital in London where he undertook further training in Gynaecological Oncology. He was the Past President of the Obstetrical and Gynaecological Society of Malaysia. He was a past Board Member and Chairman of the Gynaecological Oncology Subcommittee of AOFOG. He was an Executive Board Member of FIGO from 2002 to 2015. He has been involved with the World Congress of FIGO in various capacities. He was the local Organising Chairman of World Congress in 2006 (Kuala Lumpur). He was a member of the Congress Organising Committee in Rome (2012) and was the Chairman of the Congress Organising Committee in Vancouver (2015). His vast experience will be useful in his role as a member of the Congress Organising Committee for the Sydney 2021 FIGO’s World Congress. He was conferred the Honorary Fellowship of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in 2017.

COC Chair, Canada

André Lalonde

Dr. André Lalonde obtained his Fellowship from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, the American College of Surgery, and the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. He also earned a Masters Degree in Health Planning and Financing from the London School of Economics. Dr. Lalonde held the position of Executive Vice President at the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC) for 20 years, Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Ottawa and McGill University, Adjunct Professor in Health Administration at the University of Ottawa, Chief of the Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology at LaSalle General Hospital, President of IHPMI and President of the Board of Directors of LaSalle General Hospital. Dr. Lalonde is past president of the FIGO Safe Motherhood and Newborn Health Committee and special advisor to the FIGO Education and Capacity Building Committee. He is a founding member of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH), and has participated on World Health Organization’s (WHO) expert panels on safe motherhood, substance abuse and postpartum hemorrhage. Dr. Lalonde has received honorary fellowships at the Royal College of Obstetrics & Gynaecology (UK), the College National des Obstetricians et Gynécologues de France, and in Chile, Japan, Bolivia, Argentina and Uganda. Dr. Lalonde has been responsible for the development and implementation of several maternal and newborn care risk management programmes which are implemented across Canada (MOREOB, ALARM) and in over twenty low resource countries. Currently he is responsible for the development and implementation of the International Childbirth Initiative on quality of obstetrical care. André has developed extensive knowledge and expertise in several areas of women’s health such as: risk management, assessment and development of collaborative care models, health programs to meet the unique health needs of aboriginal populations, development and implementation of clinical practice and consensus guidelines, consumer health education programmes and capacity building of health delivery systems in Canada and in low resource countries. He is a recognised expert in postpartum hemorrhage simulation workshops and training obstetricians, family physicians and midwives to help reduce maternal mortality and morbidity. He continues as an expert reviewer for the International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. He is an expert consultant in implementing midwifery birthing projects in the Cree Nation (Northern Quebec). He lectures extensively in Canada and around the world.

Bolivia, President of FIGO

Carlos Fuchtner

Dr. Carlos Fuchtner is President of FIGO (2018-2021). Dr. Fuchtner graduated as a Medical Doctor in The Medical School Universidad Estadual de Campinas in Sao Paulo, Brazil in 1984. He then completed Residency Training in Obstetrics and Gynaecology in the University of Chile, Santiago de Chile and did a Clinical Research Fellowship in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in the University of California from 1989 to 1991 in Irvine, United States. Dr. Fuchtner was a gynaecologist at Instituto Oncologico del Oriente Boliviano in Bolivia from 1991 to 2008. He was the Chairman of the Gynaecology Oncology Department, at Instituto Oncologico del Oriente Boliviano from 2001 to 2003. Dr Fuchtner was Extraordinary Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Hospital Municipal de la Mujer from 2009 to 2015 in Bolivia, President of the Bolivian Obstetrics and Gynaecology Society from 2000 to 2002 and President of FLASOG from 2005 to 2008. In 2010 he was awarded an Honorary Fellowship from SOGC and in 2014 he was made MAESTRO of Latin American Obstetrics and Gynaecology in Ecuador. Dr. Fuchter has been actively involved in numerous aspects of FIGO’s work for many years, including being a member of FIGO’s Executive Board from 2002 to 2005 when he represented FLASOG, and from 2012 to 2018 representing SBOG. He was a member of the FIGO Audit Committee from 2004 to 2006.

SPC Chair, Germany

Frank Louwen

Frank Louwen is Professor of Medicine / Gynaecology and Obstetrics at the University of Frankfurt/Main, Germany. He is on the Goethe University Medical School Clinical Ethics Committee and Scientific Committee, Vice President of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gynäkologie und Geburtshilfe (DDGG - German Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics), member of the Board for Quality Management of the Government of Germany and President of the German Foundation for Women's Health. Internationally, he is Executive Board Member of International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO), Council Member of the European Board and College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (EBCOG) and President of the German-Israel Society for Gynaecology and Obstetrics. He received an Honorary Doctorate from the Russian Academy of Sciences. Frank is the coordinator of Evidence Based Medicine Guidelines on Normal vaginal delivery and Sectio caesarea. His current research covers molecular mechanisms of preeclampsia, molecular correlation of obesity with preeclampsia and breast cancer, stem cells from breast milk in oncology and the function of mitotic regulators and their inhibitors in oncology.

United States of America, President-Elect, FIGO

Jeanne Conry

Dr. Jeanne Conry became President-Elect of FIGO in 2018. Dr. Conry has more than 28 years of experience practising obstetrics and gynaecology. She is Past President of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (ACOG), past member of the FIGO Executive Board, chair of the United States Women’s Preventive Services Initiative, a collaborative initiative of health professional organisations and consumer advocates who recommend and guide preventive health services across a woman’s life span; and past Co-Chair of the FIGO Working Group on Reproductive and Developmental Environmental Health. Conry is also a seasoned global lecturer and author of numerous publications. In addition to her many achievements during her ACOG Presidency, Conry introduced the National Maternal Health Initiative, a collaborative that focuses on maternal mortality and women's health across their life spans. Dr. Conry has a special interest in convening groups to advocate for bringing women’s health to the forefront of international issues, support effective family planning choices for all women, and educate and advocate for awareness about the impact of the environment on reproductive health.

LOC Chair, Australia

Steve Robson

Professor Steve Robson is immediate past-President of RANZCOG. He is a general obstetrician and gynaecologist based in Canberra. Steve's special interests include reproductive medicine and IVF. He is the co-founder of the maternal health charity Send Hope, and is a member of Australia's National Health and Medical Research Council.

Australia

Vijay Roach

Vijay Roach is an obstetrician and gynaecologist in Sydney, Australia. He is the current President of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. His area of clinical interest is perinatal mental health and he is a passionate advocate of the importance of emotional wellbeing for patients and medical staff. Vijay is married and has five children.

Associate Professor Christine Tippett AM

Christine Tippett

Professor Tippett was elected to the position of Honorary Treasurer of FIGO in 2018 and was previously the first – and only – female President of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG), from 2006 to 2008. She was also a dedicated member of the FIGO 2021 Congress Organising Committee. Professor Tippett made an enormous contribution to the international OBGYN community and will be greatly missed as a friend and colleague.

Having been appointed as one of just three trainees in obstetrics and gynaecology at Queen Victoria Medical Centre (QVMC) in Melbourne in 1981, Professor Tippett went on to receive the FJ Brown Medal for her results in the Royal Australian College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology exams. Following completion of training, she specialised as an obstetrician and was later appointed as head of a diabetes pregnancy service. Her interest in high-risk obstetrics and maternal medicine saw her deliver more than 10,000 babies throughout her career.

Professor Tippett was an advocate for change for women’s health. She became instrumental in the creation of safer environments for mothers and their babies in Australia and beyond. Her professional achievements and dedication to women transformed the maternity care landscape. Professor Tippett’s legacy will continue to positively impact the lives of women for generations to come.