The upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic led many of us to rethink aspects of our lives. At the Endocrine Society, this period gave us the chance to rethink many of our traditional approaches. While we are proud of the Society’s storied history, we balance that with continually thinking of new ways to serve you and to accelerate the growth of our field. It has been a privilege to lead our organization as we identify new ways to evolve and flourish.
Presiding over ENDO 2023 in Chicago, Ill., will be a true highlight of the year for me. For more than a century, endocrine researchers and clinicians have shared ideas and networked at ENDO. Over the course of several years, we have collected input from attendees and members to see how our meeting can provide you with the most value.
As a result, our program this year emphasizes in-person networking, with events like the All-Attendee Social and the Special Interest Group and Early Career Networking Reception. Our Basic Science Pathways and even our move to combine our ENDO store with the Society booth are all designed to provide environmental opportunities for you to start conversations with your peers.
To balance this approach, we recognize that our clinical members want to focus on education during our Endocrine Board Review and Clinical Endocrinology Update events. Those meetings will remain in a virtual format this year to meet members’ needs.
Your participation in grassroots campaigns and visits to policymakers has helped us raise awareness of the importance of biomedical research funding and the need to regulate endocrine-disrupting chemicals.
As we consider our role in improving public health, few issues are more pressing than climate change. Our endocrine perspective can help shed light on how climate change is inextricably linked to diabetes and obesity. Heat and extreme weather can impact our food supply. If people could strike a better balance between meat-based and plant-based diets, we would be able to make a sizeable dent in greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution while improving public health.
Our ENDO 2023 Presidential Plenary will delve into these issues. I’m proud to have been part of highlighting this important issue at ENDO 2023 and in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism’s editorial last year.
Speaking of our journals, this year we launched JCEM Case Reports. Our new online-only, Open Access journal publishes original clinical cases covering the entire spectrum of endocrinology worldwide. We created this journal in response to member demand. We recognize how important case reports are to your work, and we are excited to elevate them in JCEM Case Reports.
This year, we published two new Scientific Statements examining key issues in our field — hormones and aging, and the impact of health disparities on pediatric and LGBTQIA populations. Through these statements, we can lend our expertise to examine emerging scientific issues and identify areas where further research is needed.
We are continuing to find new ways to strengthen our leadership pipeline and recruit talented young professionals into the field of endocrinology. We are holding our first Endocrinology Mentor Day at ENDO 2023 to drive medical students’ and residents’ interest in the field. We are engaging with the best and brightest and supporting underrepresented minority professionals entering in the field with our Excellence in Clinical Endocrinology Leadership (ExCEL) and Future Leaders Advancing Research in Endocrinology (FLARE) programs.
As I reflect on the past year, we have so much to take pride in, including our advocacy work. Seeing the United States pass legislation to cap insulin prices for seniors insured through Medicare was inspiring and rewarding. Your participation in grassroots campaigns and visits to policymakers has helped us raise awareness of the importance of biomedical research funding and the need to regulate endocrine-disrupting chemicals.
While we are proud of the Society’s storied history, we balance that with continually thinking of new ways to serve you and to accelerate the growth of our field. It has been a privilege to lead our organization as we identify new ways to evolve and flourish.
I am truly grateful to our dedicated member leaders who have contributed to our success. Our Executive Committee has provided invaluable support to me over the course of the past year. Many thanks to our presidential officers, immediate Past-President Carol Wysham, President-Elect Stephen Hammes, and Secretary-Treasurer Jeff Boord. I also want to express my gratitude to our Board members for their vision, hard work, and dedication to the field’s success.
Our CEO Kate Fryer is a valued partner in advancing the organization. I am thankful for her steadfast support and leadership. She heads a talented and creative staff who have achieved amazing results in partnership with our dedicated members.
Thank you to all of you who, as members, lend your time and talents to ensure our continued success. I am honored to have served as your president.
Ursula B. Kaiser, MD
President, Endocrine Society
Loading ...