Beyond the Sessions: Integrating Wellness into the SGO Annual Meeting

By Drs. Kate Mills, Josephine Kim, and Stephanie Sullivan, on behalf of the SGO Wellness Committee.

The 2026 SGO Annual Meeting was themed Advancing Science. Empowering Teams. Embracing Change. The Wellness Committee took that charge personally.

We have always believed that wellness belongs at the center of what we do, not tucked into a single session between scientific abstracts. This year, we asked ourselves what it would look like if wellness was woven into the fabric of the Annual Meeting itself.  The answer took several forms: the inaugural SGO Wellness Scavenger Hunt, supported by the Foundation for Women’s Cancer, through a grant from N.E.D. (No Evidence of Disease), multiple wellness-focused sessions, and a new and improved lactation room.

Touchpoints for the scavenger hunt included a hydration station, a gratitude activity, a rest and recharge terrace space, walking and hydration reminders, and opportunities to connect with staff and fellow members — including the wildly popular K9Rx puppy booth sponsored by Merck.  Over 60 attendees participated in the hunt, and the response was everything we hoped for. SGO member and cancer survivor Mary Skehan put it best. “Since my surgery, walking and hydration have been a priority for me,” she told the Wellness Committee. “I appreciated the reminder to do this without having to carve out time for it.” That is exactly the kind of integration we were going for: wellness that meets you where you are, without asking you to step away from the meeting to find it.

SGO also refreshed the lactation room with healthy snacks, water, and milk storage bags, and the response from our lactating attendees was overwhelmingly positive.

The Annual Meeting also marked a significant milestone for SGO’s Peer Support Program. Meeting the charge in SGO’s strategic plan to build greater connectivity among members, cultivate relationships, and facilitate peer-to-peer support, SGO held the inaugural Peer Support Masterclass, the first formal training for the Society’s Peer Support Program.

The masterclass was delivered to 27 participants by Enid Yvette Rivera-Chiauzzi, MD, a nationally recognized expert in physician well-being and peer support whose work has shaped programs across academic medical centers. The program is built on a simple premise: provider well-being and patient outcomes are inextricable, and SGO is committed to supporting a workforce that reflects that.

Over in the Fellows Lounge, Lynn Calat, NP, and Brittany Davidson, MD, led a session on what wellness can look like in day-to-day practice. It was honest and grounded. Dr. Davidson spoke about breaking larger goals into daily or weekly milestones, so there is always something to celebrate, no matter how small the win. Ms. Calat reminded the group that wellness looks different at different stages of a person’s career and life, and that shifting definition is not a flaw in the framework. That is the point. Wellness is something we continually redefine for ourselves.

Refining our own process is part of wellness too. Committee chairs and members sat down with SGO members throughout the meeting to discuss what is working, what is missing, and where we can do better. Those conversations shape everything we plan next. SGO CEO, Kim Hoarle, along with SGO leadership and the Wellness Committee, are committed to an integrated approach to member wellness, both in practice and at our meetings.

And yes, we had fun. More than 1,000 SGO members, patients, advocates, and industry partners gathered at the Coca-Cola Music Hall for Legato en Movimiento — and there is a particular joy in watching your colleagues completely let loose after a week of hard work. It was a good reminder that community is its own kind of wellness. The evening embraced the vibrant spirit of Puerto Rican culture, and the atmosphere was joyful, warm, and deeply meaningful.

What took place in San Juan was a beginning. We are already thinking about what comes next, and we hope you are too.

Dr. Kate Mills is a gynecologic oncologist at the University of Chicago and Vice-Chair of the SGO Wellness Committee. Drs. Josephine Kim and Stephanie Sullivan are members of the SGO Wellness Committee and serve as course directors for the inaugural Peer Support Masterclass. Dr. Kim is a gynecologic oncologist at the City of Hope, Orange County, and Dr. Sullivan is a gynecologic oncologist at Gynecologic Oncology of Middle Tennessee.