Patricia Kovac assumed the position as Executive Director after the First International Conference on Vaginal Surgery in 1988. Pat, as she is known to her family and friends, was the first to raise funding for our conference and began recruiting various speakers. She spoke with private practices all over the United States and convinced them that they needed to learn about vaginal surgery and they couldn’t learn it anywhere else but with us.

Pat continued over the next 12 years, speaking with corporate sponsor and recruiting exhibitors to assist with the meetings. In 1995, this woman with limited nursing skills but strong influences in the medical field put together a core group of doctors to form the Society of Pelvic Reconstructive Surgeons. Drs. Robert Porges, Thomas Julian, Robert Rogers, and Robert Kovac became the first members of the Board of Directors.

Pat’s next conquest was to take the society’s education in vaginal surgery to a country less fortunate. Vienna was a city in the 19th century where many world renowned physicians went to learn new practices. After World War II, Vienna’s consideration as the leading city in surgical education soon fell. It was Pat’s mission to bring this back. Pat enlisted five American surgeons and educators to help her. In Vienna, Pat along with the American educations, held the first conference to bring together people from other countries and teach improved surgical care of women.

Soon Vienna began to see a rise in the number of gynecologists and surgeons visiting their country for the purpose of vaginal surgery education. Because of her extended effort to help, the Mayor of Vienna presented Pat with a key to the city.

Throughout the 18 years of this conference Pat has seen the numbers of attendance grow to over 500. But due to failing health Pat was unable to keep up with the society. In 1998 Pat was diagnosed with breast cancer. And though she was fighting her cancer with chemo-therapy, Pat continued to make the 15th and 16th conferences the best they could be.

Pat has done many things for this conference that we still value today. She was the first to suggest a cadaver program and with that made SPRS the first society to conduct a vaginal dissection on a specimen. She brought cadavers directly into the private rooms at the Ritz Carlton before acquiring space at the Practical Anatomy lab, where it has been held since.

Looking back so many years ago, it is hard to realize this society, the first vaginal surgery meeting in the country, was brought together by a woman who wasn’t paid and even used her own money to make it possible. She donated all of her time for the continuing medical education. And as a result, doctors became better surgeons.

If you ask, you will hear that not only the attendees, but the speakers of this conference have become better surgeons and that they have seen an increase in vaginal surgeries.

Because of her commitment, we owe Patricia Kovac 22 more years of education in the field of vaginal surgery.

For a woman, a scholar and a mentor, we - the Board of Directors for the Society of Pelvic Reconstructive Surgeons, have decided to bestow the only substantial gratitude we are able to give. We have decided to rename our award the “Patricia Kovac Vaginal Surgeons Award”. It is in honor of Patrica Kovac’s dedication and hard work to create and maintain the Society Pelvic of Reconstructive Surgeons and its goal to advance the art and science of vaginal surgery.