In 2007, the Austrian Society of Gender Specific Medicine (Österreichische Gesellschaft für Geschlechtsspezifische Medizin) was founded by doctors and scientists from a wide range of disciplines to optimize medical care by raising awareness of and taking into account sex- and gender differences as well as biological and psychosocial similarities between men and women. The ÖGGSM is an interdisciplinary academic society that is open to all societies and expert groups related to health care including physicians, scientists, nursing staff, physiotherapists and nutritionists.

The society strives for better awareness and knowledge of sex- and gender-based medicine, working on sex-and gender differences in basic science, clinical medicine and prevention, and scientifically supporting and promoting sex- and gender-specific medicine. The aims are 1) the implementation of research results in clinical guidelines encouraging sex and gender sensitive clinical practice, 2) the introduction of research results to the public, politics, authorities and health care institutions and 3) to promote national and international networking and collaboration.

By linking science and practice, the ÖGGSM offers the ideal platform for developing concepts for implementing the latest scientific findings of gender medicine in practical application. Thanks to the continuous exchange of information between members and the worldwide network, research into individual sex-and gender-specific needs and their integration into daily medical practice has already been successful in some respects. The fact that every human cell has a biological sex and every individual also has a gender has already entered the minds of most medical professionals in Austria.

In order to meet this requirement, the statutes of the society have been adapted several times over the years, membership of all members of the ÖGGSM in the International Society of Gender Medicine has been ensured and regular national and international conferences have been organized. In 2007 we hosted the 2nd IGM Congress and in 2019 the 9th IGM congress in Vienna. News from the ÖGGSM can be found on its website (gendermedizin.at) or via Facebook (facebook.com/oeggsm).

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The current members of the ÖGGSM board are:

Prof. Alexandra Kautzky-Willer, MD – President
alexandra.kautzky-willer@meduniwien.ac.at

Michael Leutner, MD MSc PhD – Vice President
michael.leutner@meduniwien.ac.at

Jürgen Harreiter, MD MSc PhD – Treasurer
juergen.harreiter@meduniwien.ac.at

Prof. Margarethe Hochleitner, MD – Vice Treasurer
margarethe.hochleitner@i-med.ac.at

Prof. Harun Fajkovic, MD MSc – Secretary
harun.fajkovic@meduniwien.ac.at

Prof. Anita Holzinger, MD MPH – Vice Secretary
anita.holzinger@meduniwien.ac.at