Established in 2010, BIARGS is the gynae robotic professional society in the UK and Ireland and encompasses all disciplines of gynaecological surgery and robotic surgical care. BIARGS is a charitable multidisciplinary society established to promote and encourage the safe implementation and uptake of robotic gynaecological surgery. BIARGS exists for the exchange of clinical experience, scientific thought and investigation, the promotion of research and evaluation of robotic surgery, and the widespread use of agreed terminology and definitions.
BIARGS is a leader in setting standards for training and clinical governance in the rapidly growing field of robotic surgery, and is a registered specialist society of the RCOG who oversee all postgraduate specialty training in the UK and are responsible for setting clinical standards in Obstetrics & Gynaecology.
Robotic gynaecological surgeons in UK and Ireland have access to BIARGS annual audit returns to gain BIARGS recognised robotic surgeon status and BIARGS/SERGS membership benefits for maintaining CPD.
history
BIARGS was conceived at the first SERGS (Society of European Robotic Surgery) meeting in Milan in 2009, and established by Peter Barton-Smith, Professor John Shepherd and Professor Jeremy Wright as a forum for surgeons starting in robotics for benign and oncological surgery. BIARGS is affiliated to SERGS, with membership of BIARGS conferring membership benefits of SERGS. BIARGS became a
recognised specialist society of the RCOG after 6th annual BIARGS 2015 in the Wirral.
The first gynaecological robotic case in the UK was performed by Thomas Ind and Professor John Shepherd in 2007 who performed a hysterectomy at The Royal Marsden Hospital, while the first embedded gynaecological robotic surgery service in the UK was commenced at The Royal Surrey County Hospital, Guildford in 2009. Since then, many more systems using different robotic platforms have been acquired by NHS and private hospitals, with growing numbers of gynaecologists adopting
robotic surgery for differing applications across thew breadth of surgical gynaecology.
BIARGS produced a scientific impact paper for the RCOG and after undertaking a Delphi assessment of required knowledge, and skills, went on to develop robotic training curricula for both first assistants and the SITM in robotically assisted surgery, within the 2024 Curriculum of the gynaecology specialist training programme. BIARGS continues to be very involved in the development of future training and assessment of gynaecological surgery with the RCOG. There can be little doubt that the future is robotic.
The inaugural meeting of BIARGs was held on 12 th to 13 th October 2010 at the RCOG in Regent’s Park, London and was attended by overseas experts Prof Arnold Advincula and Dr John Dulemba from the USA who were awarded honorary membership. BIARGS hosted the joint meetings with SERGS in London in 2013 and again in Cork in 2020 when BIARGS celebratied its 10th anniversary.
Annual Scientific Meetings
| Date | Location | Organiser |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 9th Newcastle | Tony Chalhoub |
| 2018 | 8th Guildford | Simon Butler-Manuel |
| 2017 | 7th Leicester | Esther Moss |
| 2015 | 6th The Wirral | Nahid Gul |
| 2014 | 5th Wolverhampton | AlaaElghobashy |
| 2013 | 4th London | Thomas Ind &Peter Barton-Smith |
| 2012 | 3rd Manchester | Ahmed Ahmed |
| 2011 | 2nd Cork | Matt Hewitt |
| 2010 | 1st RCOG, London | Peter Barton-Smith |
List of Officers and Council since the start of BIARGS
| 2010-2012 | |
|---|---|
| President | John Shepherd |
| Vice-President | Matt Hewitt |
| Secretary | Peter Barton-Smith |
| Treasurer | Jeremy Wright |
| Council | Thomas Ind Barry O’Reilly Ahmed Ahmed MoaidAlazzamm Simon Butler-Manuel Nick Elkington Adel Abdel-Razek |
| 2013-2015 | |
|---|---|
| President | Matt Hewitt |
| Past President | John Shepherd |
| Vice-President | Peter Barton-Smith |
| Secretary / Treasurer | Thomas Ind |
| Officers | Thomas Ind Ahmed Ahmed Simon Butler-Manuel MoaidAlazam Nick Elkington This was the year we did not get many applicants |
| 2015-2017 | |
|---|---|
| President | Peter Barton-Smith |
| Vice-President | Thomas Ind |
| Past-President | Matt Hewitt |
| Treasurer/secretary | Nick Elkington |
| Council | Simon Butler-Manuel Alan Gillespie AlaaElghobashy Anil Taylor Dezita Taylor Nahid Gul Marielle Nobbenhuis |
| 2017-2019 | |
|---|---|
| President | Thomas Ind |
| Vice-President | Nick Elkington/TD> |
| Past-President | Thomas Ind |
| Secretary / Treasurer | Marielle Nobbenhuis |
| Council | Nahid Gul Dezita Taylor Orfhlaith O’Sullivan Tony Chalhoub Alan Gillespie Esther Moss Jonathan Lippiatt AlaaElghobashy |
| 2018-present | |
|---|---|
| President | Nick Elkington |
| Vice-President | Marielle Nobenhuis |
| Past-President | Thomas Ind |
| Secretary / Treasurer | Nahid Gul |
| Council | Doreen Contreras Esther Moss Helen Smith-Clarke Jonathan Lippiatt Manou Kaur Orfhlaith O’Sullivan Tony Chalhoub |
