Even through a screen, you could feel the inescapable energy and excitement of more than 7,000 endocrinologists gathered for ENDO 2021 in March. After weathering a year of the COVID-19 pandemic, we cherished the opportunity to share knowledge and network with our professional community more than ever.
ENDO 2021 drew one of our largest meeting crowds to date and delivered a tremendous program on par with an in-person event. The program offered plenty to explore and discuss, with more than 200 live and on-demand sessions, six plenaries, four basic science pathways, 20 oral sessions, and 2,200 abstracts. We heard about the evolving endocrinology landscape directly from luminaries including Nobel Prize winner Brian Kobilka, PhD, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Health Diseases (NIDDK) director Griffin Rodgers, MD, MACP, and director of Baylor College of Medicine’s Center for Precision Environmental Health Cheryl L. Walker, PhD.
Even through a screen, you could feel the inescapable energy and excitement of more than 7,000 endocrinologists gathered for ENDO 2021 in March. After weathering a year of the COVID-19 pandemic, we cherished the opportunity to share knowledge and network with our professional community more than ever.
We are so grateful for the hard work of the Annual Meeting Steering Committee — led by Felix Beuschlein, MD, Megan Haymart, MD, Jennifer Richer, PhD, and Bulent Yildiz, MD — and the more than 400 speakers who shared their time and expertise during the event.
The virtual format allowed attendees to join us from 90 countries, including sizeable contingents from Australia, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Thailand, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Canada, the Netherlands, and Ireland. Forty-five percent of ENDO 2021 attendees hailed from outside the U.S. About 2,000 attendees took part in the meeting for the first time.
Using the meeting platform’s chat function and social media channels, we embraced new ways to interact and connect with each other. Close to 5,000 Twitter posts mentioned the meeting. Attendees engaged in serious conversations about diversity and inclusion, discussed fascinating research findings, and even shared photos of their home office arrangements and pets. Yoga and meditation sessions provided relaxing breaks.
Our Special Interest Groups (SIGs) held dedicated events to facilitate networking. Next generation professionals had a chance to practice their elevator pitches during our Early Career SIG session, while the Entrepreneurship SIG session explored alternative funding sources. The Adrenal and Pituitary SIG and Transgender SIG hosted breakout sessions where attendees could network in small groups. You can sign up to join the ongoing conversations in our online Community Connect platform.
ENDO 2021 offered thought-provoking sessions on diversity, equity, and inclusion, building on our more than 25-year commitment to embracing and encouraging diversity in our field. Sherita Golden, MD, MHS, delivered this year’s Clark T. Sawin Memorial History of Endocrinology Lecture on the history of health disparities. Committee on Diversity and Inclusion Chair Bruno Ferraz-de-Souza, MD, PhD, chaired an illuminating conversation about institutional racism’s impact on healthcare and how we can counter it featuring moderator Camille E. Powe, MD, and speakers Bryan Wilson, PhD, MBA, Joshua Joseph, MD, MPH, and Sherri-Ann M. Burnett-Bowie, MD, MPH.
Our virtual ENDOExpo hall introduced attendees to more than 580 product videos and resources. Attendees visited virtual booths and interacted with more than 50 industry and nonprofit exhibitors in our interactive exhibit hall. Product theaters delivered 17 live sessions about commercial discoveries revolutionizing patient care.
ENDO 2021’s success demonstrated the power of virtual meetings to connect us and fuel important conversations about emerging science and evidence-based clinical practices. We hope to build on this experience and find new ways to deliver dynamic educational content to endocrine researchers and clinicians worldwide.
The world took notice of our successful event and the cutting-edge science that was presented. Nearly 1,000 separate news stories covered research presented at ENDO 2021, including news outlets such as The Washington Post, China National News, The Times of India, CNN, and the United Press International wire service.
ENDO 2021’s success demonstrated the power of virtual meetings to connect us and fuel important conversations about emerging science and evidence-based clinical practices. We hope to build on this experience and find new ways to deliver dynamic educational content to endocrine researchers and clinicians worldwide.
Our bonds and connections have only grown stronger, despite the challenges the pandemic continues to pose. I look forward to one day soon being able to meet up with many of you in the plenary audience and convention center hallways once again. Remember to save the date for our upcoming meetings:
- Clinical Endocrinology Update – Sept. 10-12 (Virtual)
- Endocrine Board Review – Sept. 22-24 (Virtual)
- ENDO 2022 – June 11-14, 2022
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