Education and Research Records of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists

Records of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists relating to educational courses, scientific meetings, and conferences held by the RCOG, together with records of research awards, prizes, lectureships and travel grants, and continuing professional development programmes.

This collection consists of the following:

RCOG/E1 - Records relating to educational courses, conferences and scientific meetings, 1960-1972

RCOG/E2 - Records relating to educational courses, conferences and scientific meetings, 1970-1980

RCOG/E3 - Records relating to educational courses, conferences and scientific meetings, 1976-1983

RCOG/E4 - Records relating to educational courses, conferences, and scientific meetings, 1960-2010

RCOG/E5 - College correspondence with the Blair-Bell Research Society, 1960-1972

RCOG/E6 - Records of the British Congresses of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 1923-2010

RCOG/E10 - Records of research awards, prizes, lectureships and travel grants, 1939-2008

RCOG/E11 - Records of the RCOG Continuing Medical Education, later Continuing Professional Development, programmes, 1991-2002

The mission of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists is to set standards to improve women's health and the clinical practice of obstetrics and gynaecology both in the UK and across the world. One of the principal means of achieving this aim is through the College's provision of education, training, assessment and professional development.

The first scientific meeting of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists was organised as part of the programme to mark the opening of its new building in Regent's Park in 1960. The College's Scientific Advisory Committee was appointed to organise future meetings and courses; museum demonstrations were the responsibility of the Pathology Committee. These two committees merged in 1966.

In 1968 responsibility for postgraduate symposia and museum demonstrations passed to the newly created Postgraduate Medical Education Committee, and responsibility for scientific meetings passed to the newly created Scientific Programme and Central Congress Committee. In 1973 the Postgraduate Medical Education Committee was renamed the Postgraduate Committee, and became responsible for all meetings and scientific programmes. From October 1974, however, the Scientific Advisory and Pathology Committee acquired some responsibility for the initiation of scientific meetings, and became responsible for the revived programme of study groups. From 1981, the Scientific Advisory Committee became primarily responsible for all scientific and educational meetings, but the Postgraduate Committee continued to advise on their organisation.

The Postgraduate Committee was disbanded in 1992, and arrangements for postgraduate education meetings, courses and seminars and for meetings of study groups became the responsibility of the Postgraduate Medical Education Department of the College. This was later superseded by the Conference and Postgraduate Meetings Department. Production of printed proceedings of study groups became the responsibility of the Publications Editor in the Administration Department, and this function was later taken over by the Publications Department.

This collection of material has a legacy arrangement according to date of transfer to the College Archive: it is envisaged that future work on these records will bring a more chronological and subject-based arrangement to facilitate access.

Permission is required from College senior management for external access to College records less than twenty years old: all other records are open by appointment, Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm. Email: archives@rcog.org.uk

Internal transfers from the Administration Department, Postgraduate Committee, Postgraduate Medical Education Department, International Department, and Conferences and Postgraduate Meetings Department.

Details of contents of parts of the collection are available on request. Email archives@rcog.org.uk

Details of some parts of the collection are available through the AIM25 network: please note that these are not current or updated and all enquiries should be made to the College Archivist.

Record description compiled by Penny Bonning, Archivist, in May 2011.

Photocopies are available at the discretion of the College Archivist.

Copyright lies with the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and permission to reproduce material should be sought via the College Archivist.

Duplicate and routine administrative material is removed where applicable by the College Archivist.

These records have been brought together as a composite collection through transfers from many College departments, reflecting the administrative functions of the committees involved.

Additions to this collection are expected on a regular basis according to College record-keeping policies.