Honoured to speak and chair at RCOG World Congress in London #RCOG2025 3,000+ delegates • 98 countries • endless...

This afternoon's diverse sessions are starting and include fetal medicine, gynaeconcology and RCOG education, training and exams. There is also a stream celebrating esteemed RCOG Fellows and sessions on a systems approach to patient safety.

RCOG Vice President for Education Ian Scudamore is chairing the stream on RCOG education, training and exams with Kat Barton, Chair of the National Trainees’ Committee.

Clinical fellows Naomi Harvey and Hannah Pierce are presenting on the RCOG project to improve surgical skills training in O&G. This three-year initiative aims to tackle issues impacting current training provision and shape the future of surgical training. The ambition is to ensure surgical training and standards support the O&G workforce to provide high-quality, evidence-based care now and in the future.

Earlier this year, we published an interim report which provides a comprehensive assessment of the current state of surgical training and highlights five focus areas for improvement as the project moves into its second phase. You can read the report, view the infographic and listen to project podcast episodes here.

During the lunch break, we were pleased to host the Edwards and Steptoe Memorial lecture - a fascinating presentation by Professor Alan Handyside on the future of IVF.

It's lunch here on the final day of RCOG World Congress 2025.

You can find out more about the College's recent achievements in our new impact report - all made possible by the support of our members, volunteers and partners.

After the break we continue with our varied clinical programme. Sessions include supporting our doctors, trainees' perspectives on global women’s health and achieving equitable global access to postnatal contraception.

Supporting our doctors

In the 'Supporting our doctors' stream speakers are covering issues including civility in the workplace, the RCOG's race equity project and post-traumatic stress.

Supporting the O&G workforce and ensuring doctors are equipped and supported to deliver the highest levels of care to women and girls is a key strategic priority for the RCOG. As part of our work in this area, we have created multiple resources for O&G professionals, including our Workplace Behaviour Toolkit, wellbeing resources hub and other useful guidance. Find out more here.

Dr Ganga Verma - Consultant in fetal and maternal medicine

"It's the subtle things that we're talking about as well, rolling your eyes, whispering behind somebody's back, ignoring them, not saying good morning or any of those things can be deemed as being uncivil."

"The really important thing here is not what the behaviour was and whether that behaviour in itself was meant to be bad or not meant to be bad, but it has to do with how that's received. And it‘s when the person on the other side of our behaviour is left feeling upset by it in any way or affected by it in any way, then we have to acknowledge that."

As delegates head for a morning break, there are poster presentations taking place in the mini theatre, covering topics from early pregnancy complications to global health and health policy.

Want to see the kind of research that was submitted for #RCOG2025? The top 500 abstracts are available in this year's special BJOG supplement.

Women's health matters: communication, consent, and clinical excellence

This session has been organised by the RCOG's Women's Network. The Women’s Network is a strategic RCOG committee comprised of 14 core lay members and 4 clinicians from across the UK. All lay members have personal experience of obstetrics or gynaecological services.

They inform the College about issues affecting women during pregnancy, labour and birth, around fertility and gynaecological conditions through to the menopause and women’s health in later life. The RCOG Women’s Network aims to make sure that women are at the heart of everything the College does.

We were delighted to hear from RCOG Women's Network co-chairs Emma Crookes and Freya El Baz, as well as consultant obstetrician Dr Mariya Kalgo. Topics covered included:

Empowering choices: The importance of informed consent in women's health

The power of words: Language in women's health

Enhancing women's health through collaborative care and patient and public involvement

Sustainability and climate change

A key priority for the RCOG is sustainability and climate change. In this morning's stream on this increasingly important topic, President Ranee Thakar talked about the RCOG's role in sustainable practice and how we can drive change in the specialty.

You can find out more about the College's ambition for sustainability here.

RCOG Clinical Fellow for Sustainability and Climate Change, Maddie de Vicq, presented on the College’s collaborative project to deliver low carbon, equitable maternity care and the Green Maternity Challenge.

"We launched the Green maternity Challenge where we recruited and supported nine multi-disciplinary teams across the UK to pilot and measure carbon reducing initiatives in their services"

“We have drawn out 8 recommendations to support the RCOG membership to introduce carbon reducing initiatives in their services."

‘The climate crisis is a gendered issue. We need to act now to protect the future for women and girls of tomorrow."

"Think about one thing you can do to make an improvement in your practice. Please do get involved and seek out opportunities to make a positive impact."

Chaired by Professor Catherine Williamson, Today's first plenary session features presentations from four global experts on the immune, microbial and genetic drivers of early labour.

Our expert speakers:

Dr Lynne Sykes - Associate Professor at Imperial College London

Dr Jane Currie - Consultant in Obstetrics And Fetal Medicine, University Hospitals Bristol and Weston

Dr Pol Solé Navais - Research Group Leader, University of Gothenburg, Sweden

Dr Shivaprasad Goudar - Professor of Physiology & Principal Investigator, Women's and Children's Health Research Unit, KLE Academy of Higher Education and Research, J N Medical College, Belgaum, Karnataka, India

We've just heard from RCOG Vice Presidents Professor Hassan Shehata and Dr Laura Hipple, RCOG CEO Kate Lancaster and Mr Dudley Robinson about their highlights to look out for on day three.

Laura Hipple is looking forward to clinical improvement and ABC with Professor Tim Draycott, the Women's Network and chairing the Supporting our Doctors session.

This morning we were delighted to host a range of clinical sessions from our IRC colleagues from India, Malaysia, UAE and Sri Lanka.

RCOG International Representative Committees (IRCs) support the global work of the RCOG by developing a strong local network in country for RCOG Fellows, Members and Associates.

Welcome to the final day of RCOG World Congress 2025

As the Congress draws to a close, there’s still a full day of insightful sessions ahead. Today’s programme brings together global experts to explore key topics including:

• Challenging assumptions around birth for women with complex medical conditions
• Enhancing surgical training in O&G
• Innovations in technology and global women’s health

In the day two wrap-up Dr Alastair Campbell, Mr Andrew Sizer, Dr Sophie Bracke and Professor Asma Khalil shared the sessions they’re most looking forward to today. Don't miss out on:

• Panels on supporting doctors and trainees’ perspectives on global women’s health
• A session on the National Maternity and Perinatal Audit
• A thought-provoking plenary on preterm birth