As president of the Endocrine Society, I am committed to ensuring that we are forward-thinking in how we can continue to enhance our reputation as a champion of endocrine science and practice, as well as serve as a valuable resource for our members. Our current Strategic Plan (SP3) gives direction to our member and staff leadership in their work for the Society. The core of the plan is:
Direction I: Leadership: Lead endocrine science and medicine toward the goal of improved human health worldwide.
Direction II: Impact and Influence: Position the Society and its Hormone Foundation as the authoritative and trusted source of knowledge that drives sound health and science policy and informs the public.
Direction III: Member Value: Deliver a dynamic portfolio of programs and services that enrich the professional lives of Society members across the continuum of their careers.
Direction IV: Capacity to Lead: Build greater leadership capabilities in every facet of the Endocrine Society and ensure an agile, technologically sophisticated organization and infrastructure to support the Society’s goals.
At our recent Council meeting, we invited the editors-in-chief and committee chairs to join the Endocrine Society elected Council and discuss three topics that are relevant to our members. It is our hope that by discussing these issues and identifying opportunities for the Society, we can develop initiatives that will support our strategic directions and our members. The topics we discussed were:
Influence of Technology on Endocrine Science and Practice
Technology plays a critical role in the advancement of endocrine science and practice, and its influence will only continue to grow. Applied technology impacts how scientists make discoveries and share their data, how physicians interact with patients, and how patients use personal health data and learn more about their conditions. As a Society, it is important to discuss how technology will impact our work, how we deliver information and resources to our members about future technologies, and how our members contribute to Society initiatives as new technologies are developed.
Diversity and Inclusion: Leveraging Next Gen Strategies to Strengthen Our Approach
As one of the world’s leading organizations supporting the field of endocrinology, the Society has a major responsibility to ensure strong recruitment and retention of diverse talent. It is also critically important that Society members and leaders reflect the diversity of the biomedical field, and that we develop a leadership pipeline to ensure that this happens. For the Society, diversity and inclusion are defined broadly to encompass all aspects of diversity – cultural, ethnic, racial, gender, sexual orientation, etc. As we move forward we need to continue to foster an inclusive environment and ensure that there are opportunities for all of our members to be involved and pursue leadership opportunities both in the field and within the Society.
Increasing the Visibility of Hormone Research, the Practice of Endocrinology, and Their Impact on Public Heath
The public is often unaware of the field of endocrinology and endocrine-related diseases and disorders. Increasing this understanding, filling gaps in available public information, and correcting misinformation will raise the visibility of endocrinology to key audiences like patients, policymakers, and regulators. This will have a positive impact on increased research funding, patient referrals, as well as heighten the interest of young people to enter the field as researchers and clinicians. We should explore potential opportunities for the Society to take a proactive role in educating the public and advocating for our members.
The outcomes from the meeting included identification of further discussion topics and a need to engage our members in the creation of strategies in these areas. We will be sharing the meeting notes with the Endocrine Society committees and task forces so that they can begin discussions to address these issues in their work. We also want to hear from you. If you have a particular interest in any of these topics, please let us know. We want you to share your ideas on how the Society can best support our members in these areas. Please email [email protected] and let us know how you would like to be involved and/or your suggestions for potential Society initiatives.
Loading ...