Staying a Step Ahead

As many of you reading this column are aware, there are other publications in the endocrinology/diabetes space other than Endocrine News. However, unlike these other publications, Endocrine News has a secret weapon stockpile the others do not: the expertise, accomplishments, and passion of Endocrine Society members!

Nowhere is that more evident than in a quick rundown of this month’s stories:

• February’s cover story featured a “First Person” article written by Endocrine Society member Eliza B. Geer, MD, director of Memorial Sloan Kettering’s Multidisciplinary Pituitary & Skull Base Tumor Center in New York City who describes the holistic approach she and her team take when treating people with acromegaly. According to Geer, virtual education programming has been shown to have positive effects on acromegaly patients’ perceptions of their disease and should be incorporated as part of a multi-disciplinary model of long-term care for this condition, adding that clinicians “should have a thorough discussion with their patients about their treatment options to ensure the patient’s adherence and comfort, followed by regular follow-up conversations to gather honest assessments of their patient’s symptoms.”

• Former Endocrine Society president Richard J. Santen, MD, talks to senior editor Derek Bagley about how even though he’s achieved well-earned emeritus status at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, he’s still seeing patients. In “Out of Practice,” Santen details how he started “treating” patients in rural and underserved parts of southwest Virginia via telehealth technology, with an assist from the Federally Funded Community Health Centers program.

• More of Endocrine Society’s members’ expertise comes into play in “Endocrine Society Publishes First Hypercalcemia of Malignancy Guideline” that details the first treatment guideline of its kind for this condition. Eric Seaborg speaks with guideline committee chair Ghada El-Hajj Fuleihan, MD, MPH, of the Department of Internal Medicine, American University of Beirut in Lebanon, who says that treatment of hypercalcemia of malignancy substantially and rapidly alleviates symptoms, improves quality of life, and, importantly, provides an opportunity to administer life-saving therapies targeting the primary malignancy,” she says, adding “Despite the widespread availability of efficacious medications, evidence-based recommendations to manage this debilitating condition have been lacking.”

• Finally, as part of our Laboratory Notes department, Glenda Fauntleroy Shaw talks to 2023 Endocrine Society Laureate Richard E. Weitzman Outstanding Early Career Investigator Award recipient, Rana K. Gupta, PhD, about his research, how his parents and his AP biology teacher impacted his career choice, and why the lab is his “happy place” in “The Pursuit of Happiness.”

As you can see, once again we have an extremely packed issue, thanks to the contributions and expertise of a variety of Endocrine Society members, which is the chief reason we will always remain a step ahead of the competition.

If you have any ideas for future stories, feel free to drop me a line at [email protected].

Also, feel free to download the entire February issue here.