Establishing the global working group on Reproductive and Developmental Environmental Health (RDEH): practicum of a global resource

Advocacy, training, and research for the prevention of adverse health effects from environmental exposure are the major foci of the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) Reproductive and Developmental Environmental Health (RDEH) Working Group. A critical need for a consistent global effort to address these threats to human reproductive and developmental health was identified after the publication of influential committee opinions (ACOG, Obstet Gynecol, 2013; FIGO, Int J Gynaecol Obstet, 2015) and the assembling of the FIGO 2015 Pre-Congress Workshop, “Summit on Shaping Our Planetary Legacy: Setting an Agenda for Environmental Reproductive Health.” RDEH’s goals are to convene experts of diverse backgrounds to generate evidence-based knowledge and propose solutions to the increasing threats of harmful environmental chemicals to global human reproduction and development by prevention of harm through education, research, and advocacy. This practicum is a guide for establishing a global task force, such as FIGO RDEH, for developing collaboration among experts across disciplines and time zones, and for building accessible and vital databases.