Event Reviews

September 2024 Update

Doctors for Choice Annual Conference

“On the 7th of June, I attended the Doctors for Choice UK and Abortion Talk’s annual conference titled ‘Abortion: Decriminalise, Destigmatise, Demedicalise’ at the Fetal Medicine Research Institute at King’s College London. It was a pleasure to be able to meet a wide range of doctors, legal experts, researchers and activists with interest in this field, and gain greater insight into abortion services in the UK. The different talks covered topics such as reproductive justice, abortion stigma in research and practice, decriminalisation in the UK and whether abortion should be demedicalised. I now have a much deeper understanding of the challenges faced by abortion providers in the UK and beyond, and I was able to take part in informative discussions around key issues such as how we as medical professionals can help destigmatise abortion amongst our peers and to patients. It was also wonderful to hear from Laura Russell, the chair of trustees at Abortion Talk, about the fantastic work they are doing to fight abortion stigma. They run a confidential Talkline 4 days a week for anyone to talk about their decisions or experiences with abortion with a trained volunteer, who can also signpost to trusted services. I gained so much from this event as someone who is extremely passionate about this area of women’s health, and would recommend everyone reads more about Doctors for Choice UK’s integral work campaigning for abortion rights.” – Anya Soin, University of Nottingham

Endometriosis Network Meeting

“I recently attended and presented at the Endometriosis Network Meeting 2024 which this year was hosted in Liverpool. I presented initial findings for TEPEA UK which is an international study I am currently very involved with (managing). The day was extremely interesting, with speakers discussing all things Endometriosis. We heard about the use of dichloroacetate in a new trial in Edinburgh, a new potential urine biomarker for endometriosis, non-hormonal contraceptive research happening in Dundee, immunity modulation and it’s potential for targeted treatment in endometriosis patients and more. It was also really interesting to hear about a new study on flare ups and what they actually mean to patients and how these are managed by patients, as this seems to be an area of research often missed, despite patients commonly reporting ‘flares’. The NCEPOD report is also worth a read as this was released just before the meeting and was a topic of discussion throughout the day. Conferences and Meetings are a great way to network and we went out for a lovely meal in the evening which allowed us to chat to the experts and get our names out there a little bit. I would hugely recommend getting involved in research in something you are passionate about.” – Megan Lawrence, University of Liverpool

RCOG Careers Day

“I recently attended the online RCOG Careers day event on the 22nd June 2024. This was an informative day explaining the different RCOG careers, and what I need to do to embellish my e-portfolio to help me onto a training pathway. Listening to our BUSOG rep speak as well was a highlight! Furthermore, how to make the most of an F3 year was very useful as this is something I am planning on doing.” – Eleanor Godhard, University of Sheffield