John F. Steege

John F. Steege, M.D., was a pioneer in minimally invasive surgery and a leading authority in the evaluation and management of chronic pelvic pain. He was one of the first to use laparoscopy in treating pelvic pain and performing hysterectomies, and he continued to focus on the care and treatment of chronic pelvic pain throughout his career. As a founding member and Past President of the International Pelvic Pain Society, he co-authored and edited one of our field’s seminal works, *Chronic Pelvic Pain: An Integrated Approach*. Dr. Steege served as the Division Director of Advanced Laparoscopy and Pelvic Pain (now MIGS) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 1992-2014, when he retired as an Emeritus Professor. His passion for sharing knowledge, encouraging academic inquiry, and honing new surgical skills ultimately led him to establish one of the earliest minimally invasive gynecologic surgery fellowships in 1998. In recognition of his tutelage, in 2015, the Foundation of the AAGL established the John F. Steege Mentorship Award. Dr. Steege was a consummate academician who cared for his patients with compassion and humility and always took time out of his day for a didactic session with a curious student. Source: [AAGL](https://newsscope.aagl.org/volume-37-issue-2/steege-obituary/)