Newswise — TAMPA, Fla. (March 25, 2014) – Richard R. Barakat, MD, FACS, Deputy Physician-in-Chief for Memorial Sloan Kettering Regional Care Network and Alliances in New York, will begin his one-year term as the 46th President of the Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) and fourth President of the Foundation for Gynecologic Oncology at the conclusion of the Society’s 45th Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer, March 22-25, 2013, in Tampa.

Dr. Barakat, who is also Chief of Gynecology Service and the Ronald O. Perelman Chair in Gynecologic Surgery at Memorial Sloan Kettering, said that he is encouraged by SGO’s growth in membership and he looks forward to leading the Society and Foundation over the course of the next year.

“I hope to increase the profile of the Society nationally as well as internationally to help spread the Society's mission of ensuring the highest quality of care for women with gynecologic cancer throughout the world,” said Dr. Barakat. “With more than 1,800 members now, we are poised to make great strides in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of this disease.”

Dr. Barakat’s main areas of surgical expertise are advanced robotic and laparoscopic surgery for uterine cancer as well as radical procedures for debulking ovarian cancer. He is also involved in clinical research to help determine the best treatments for patients with gynecologic cancers, including studies that have helped show a benefit to the role of intraperitoneal therapy in the treatment of women with advanced ovarian cancer. At Memorial Sloan Kettering, Dr. Barakat was the lead investigator on several studies, including a study to compare the benefits of laparoscopic versus standard surgery for patients with endometrial cancer.

On a national level, Dr. Barakat was the Vice Chairman of the Cancer Prevention Committee of the Gynecologic Oncology Group and still is actively involved with cancer prevention studies on that committee. He is currently the lead investigator on a federally funded national trial to evaluate the risk factors for the development of lymphedema (swelling of the lower extremities) following radical surgery for gynecologic cancer. He is also an examiner for the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Dr. Barakat serves as a reviewer for numerous medical journals and is an associate editor of the Atlas of Procedures in Gynecologic Oncology. He is also one of the editors of the 6th edition of Principles and Practice of Gynecology Oncology, one of the leading texts in the field.

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About SGOThe Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) is a 501(c) 6 national medical specialty organization of physicians and allied health care professionals who are trained in the comprehensive management of women with malignancies of the reproductive tract. The Society’s membership, totaling more than 1,800, is primarily comprised of gynecologic oncologists, as well as other related medical specialists including medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, nurses, social workers and pathologists. SGO members provide multidisciplinary cancer treatment including chemotherapy, radiation therapy, surgery and supportive care. www.sgo.org

About the FoundationThe Foundation for Gynecologic Oncology is a 501(c)3 organization that ensures that SGO meets the needs and provides the resources for members and the women’s cancer care community. www.sgo.org/foundation