ICE-CSE 2016 Debuts in China this Summer

When the 17^th International Congress of Endocrinology/15^th Annual Meeting of Chinese Society of Endocrinology debuts in Beijing in August, it will have a scientific program created by an international team of endocrine experts. Serving as the international chairman is Endocrine Society past-president, William F. Young, Jr., who shares his enthusiasm for this once-in-a-lifetime conference and tells you why you should attend.

For the first time in history, Beijing, China will play host to the brightest minds in endocrinology who will travel from around the world to be a part of the 17^th International Congress of Endocrinology/15^th Annual Meeting of Chinese Society of Endocrinology (ICE-CSE) from August 31 to September 4. The last time the International Congress of Endocrinology was held in conjunction with ENDO 2014 in Chicago, attendance records were shattered.

Heading up the scientific program of ICE/CSE 2016 is Endocrine Society Past-President William F. Young, Jr., MD, MSc, chair, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, Metabolism, and Nutrition, Tyson Family Endocrinology Clinical Professor, professor of medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minn., who is putting his wealth of knowledge to use as the International Chairman, Program Organizing Committee.

“Advances and discoveries in endocrinology are being made worldwide and they will be on display in Beijing.”

ICE/CSE will provide attendees with an experience of unparalleled diversity in terms of the setting, topics, faculty, and participants, according to Young. “It is an international celebration of endocrinology that spans basic science, clinical science, and clinical practice and will be the first International Congress of Endocrinology in mainland China,” he explains, adding that he anticipates more than 8,000 endocrinologists from around the world to attend the event August 31 to September 4 at the stunning China National Convention Center, which was built for the 2008 Olympic Games.

“The Convention Center is located in the heart of the Beijing Olympic Green precinct and is adjacent to the ‘Bird’s Nest’ Olympic Stadium, the Water Cube, and the National Indoor Stadium,” Young says. “There is a robust social program to visit historic Beijing sites such as Tian’anmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, Ming Tombs, and the Great Wall of China. Attendees will have the opportunity to enjoy Chinese culture — its history, religion, and cuisine.”

Young took time out of his extremely busy schedule to answer more questions about ICE-CSE 2016, what you can expect from the scientific program, and what he’s really looking forward to when he arrives in Beijing.

For complete information on ICE-CSE 2016, go to www.ice-cse2016.org/.

Q&A with William F. Young, Jr., MD, MSc

Endocrine News: If a trainee was on the fence about going to ICE-CSE 2016, what would you say to him or her to convince them to go to Beijing?

William F. Young, Jr.:The program is fantastic. An international Program Organizing Committee has developed a remarkable program that includes 11 plenary presentations, 60 symposia, and 38 meet-the-expert sessions. The program faculty come from 28 countries. What an outstanding opportunity to meet and learn from the world experts! Personally, I find international meetings unique in that the atmosphere is more relaxed and it is easier to network with the experts. (Details of the program can be found  here.)

“It is an international celebration of endocrinology that spans basic science, clinical science, and clinical practice and will be the first International Congress of Endocrinology in mainland China.”

EN: Endocrine Society members who have attended many ENDOs in their careers may think that they don’t need to go to ICE-CSE 2016. Why should they add this meeting to their schedule?

WY: Endocrine Society members should consider attending ICE-CSE 2016 because of its truly international program in a fantastic setting. Advances and discoveries in endocrinology are being made worldwide and they will be on display in Beijing. Although the program design of ICE-CSE 2016 will be similar to a typical ENDO meeting, the content will be truly international and all taking place in a once-in-a-lifetime setting.

EN: As a past-president of the Endocrine Society, what sort of unique perspective do you bring to your role as International Chairman of the Program Organizing Committee?

WY: In my role as the International Chair of the Program Organizing Committee for ICE-CSE 2016, I relied heavily on past similar roles with the Endocrine Society — I was Theme Chair for ENDO 2003 and overall chair of the Annual Meeting Steering Committee for ENDO 2007. In addition, having served as President of the Endocrine Society (2012-2013), I was able to build on many international connections, friends, and resources. We have an outstanding Program Organizing Committee that worked very hard to develop an innovative and exciting program.

EN: Can you give some of our basic scientists and clinical researchers a sneak peek at some of the new science that will be presented in Beijing?

WY: The ICE-CSE 2016 program is simply fantastic. Plenary topics span new insights in hormones and cancer to iodine and thyroid disorders in China to origins of sex differences in the brain to endocrine-disrupting chemicals to mechanisms of cell signaling in insulin secretion to nuclear receptors in development. We have an all-star cast of plenary speakers, including professors Wayne Tilly, Guan Ning, John Funder, Weiping Teng, Susumu Seino, Graham Williams, Sedaf Farooqi, Margaret McCarthy, Vincent Laudet, Andrea Dunaif, and Jean-Pierre Bourguignon. The 60 symposia topics span the breadth of endocrinology — the typical symposia has three experts and all from different countries.

EN: Finally, what are you looking forward to the most when you step off the plane in China?

WY: As any program organizing committee chair can tell you, what we most look forward to is a successful execution and completion of the meeting! This will be my fourth trip to China and each time it has been a great adventure — the culture, the sites, and of course the food. In the evenings I am looking forward to sampling Peking duck, Jiaozi dumplings, and Zha Jiang noodles!