Meet SGO Incoming President, Matthew A. Powell, MD
Dr. Powell shares more about his background, new role, and plans for the upcoming year.
Matthew A. Powell, MD, assumed the position of SGO president today at the conclusion of this year’s Annual Meeting. SGO Meeting News caught up with him in advance to discuss his work and his priorities for 2026.
“It was such a great honor to be elected by my colleagues to this position. I have benefited immensely these past two years serving as president-elect with outstanding role models of presidents Drs. Amanda Nickles Fader and Karen Lu as well as our new SGO CEO Kim Hoarle,” Dr. Powell said. “We have many challenges in this rapidly changing medical landscape and are very fortunate to have an amazing team with extremely dedicated SGO staff and volunteers.”
Dr. Powell has spent his career at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri, and is currently the Ira C. and Judith Gall Professor in the division of gynecologic oncology. He previously served as division chair and fellowship director while donating his time to several boards, including SGO, the Foundation for Women’s Cancer (FWC), and the Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) Foundation.
Over the past six years, Dr. Powell has also chaired the NIH-sponsored NRG Oncology uterine corpus committee, where he has helped pioneer practice-changing clinical trials.
“These experiences have shaped my leadership style, provided me with excellent operational knowledge, and allowed extensive collaboration with a wide variety of groups within and connected to these organizations,” Dr. Powell said.
With his clinical, professional, and business acumen combined, Dr. Powell said he is ready to take the next step in leading the SGO and continuing its mission to support members, the specialty, and patients by advancing “innovative, high-quality, equitable, and comprehensive gynecologic care.”
Dr. Powell is committed to shaping the future of gynecologic oncology and has identified goals that align with the SGO and FWC’s new strategic plan.
“My top priorities include working with our outstanding meeting program chairs and committees to create exceptional content for our key events: SGO Winter Meeting, The SGO Annual Meeting on Women’s Health, and SGO Allied Health Professionals Meeting,” he said. “We know we need to adapt to provide timely educational materials for our members, and many efforts such as updating our web/device portals will remain a priority. We will also focus on making the lives of our communities better through not only educational offerings but by continuing to empower and advocate for tools to improve wellness.”
Dr. Powell said he is also looking forward to strengthening the SGO’s partnerships with associations that have related objectives, including the FWC, GOG, NRG Oncology, International Society of Gynecologic Cancer (IGCS), and American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).
“There are many organizations striving to improve gynecologic cancer care, and this is best achieved with collaboration and avoiding duplicate efforts,” he said. “Caring for gynecologic cancer patients and their caregivers requires cooperation and coordination across all aspects of care.”
The SGO Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer is a unique event where colleagues can share breakthrough clinical data and innovative approaches to patient care, said Dr. Powell, who presented an abstract himself on Sunday. (“Four-year survival outcomes with dostarlimab plus chemotherapy in dMMR/MSI-H primary advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer in the ENGOT-EN6-NSGO/GOG-3031/RUBY trial.") He is eager to interact with SGO members around the country and to carry the torch into the future.
