September 19, 2016 — The American Thyroid Association (ATA) has announced that the recipient of the 2016 Distinguished Service Award is Gregory A. Brent, M.D., Departments of Medicine and Physiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, and Chair, Department of Medicine at VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System. The ATA will present the award to Dr. Brent at its 86th Annual Meeting, September 21-25, 2016, in Denver, Colorado.
The Distinguished Service Award (DSA) honors a member who has made important and continuing contributions to the ATA. Dr. Brent has been a member of the ATA for more than 25 years, and during that time has been an active participant and made significant contributions to the advancement of the society, of its journal and to the field of thyroidology. He has a long and distinguished record of service in ATA leadership, including completing terms as Secretary/Chief Operating Officer, President-Elect, President, and Past-President. He has also served on and chaired several ATA committees, including the Membership, Program, Publications, Nominations, and Bylaws Committees.
In response to being notified of the award, Dr. Brent stated, “The ATA has been my professional home since my fellowship and it has been a privilege to serve with my many valued colleagues and with such a committed and talented staff. I am most grateful to my mentors, who have encouraged and guided me. The professional and personal growth I have experienced from my involvement with the ATA are immeasurable. The ATA has grown dramatically in stature and impact, but retains a warmth and closeness that can provide an opportunity for any member to serve.”
Dr. Brent is recognized by his peers for his work with the ATA to support programs that brought together clinicians, scientists, and policy makers to address thyroid-related issues of significant impact. These efforts included promoting multidisciplinary conferences at the interface of basic science and clinical thyroidology and encouraging positive directions in public policy. Dr. Brent worked with partner institutions to organize conferences, bringing scientists and clinicians to address important problems in thyroid physiology and thyroid diseases. These included meetings with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on thyroid disease and pregnancy, and a series of conferences with the National Institutes of Health on topics related to the thyroid and aging, development, and the environment.
Dr. Brent has also been an active participant in the growth and operations of ATA publications. He has served as an Associate Editor and a member of the Editorial Board of Thyroid. He coordinated the transition of Clinical Thyroidology to ATA management. Dr. Brent has also contributed to the development of the ATA website and takes an active role in media outreach.
Among Dr. Brent’s key legacies is the Fellow’s track embedded within the ATA program, aimed at educating and engaging the youngest ATA members. It was first launched at the ATA’s 2005 Thyroid Cancer Spring Meeting and offered a special clinical and basic science track for Fellows that spanned the meeting. It continues to be a highlight of the meeting.
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The American Thyroid Association (ATA) is the leading worldwide organization dedicated to the advancement, understanding, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of thyroid disorders and thyroid cancer. ATA is an international membership medical society with over 1,700 members from 43 countries around the world. Celebrating its 93rd anniversary, the ATA delivers its mission — of being devoted to thyroid biology and to the prevention and treatment of thyroid disease through excellence in research, clinical care, education, and public health — through several key endeavors: the publication of highly regarded professional journals, Thyroid, Clinical Thyroidology, and VideoEndocrinology; annual scientific meetings; biennial clinical and research symposia; research grant programs for young investigators, support of online professional, public and patient educational programs; and the development of guidelines for clinical management of thyroid disease and thyroid cancer. The ATA promotes thyroid awareness and information through its online Clinical Thyroidology for the Public and extensive, authoritative explanations of thyroid disease and thyroid cancer in both English and Spanish. The ATA website serves as the clinical resource for patients and the public who look for reliable information on the Internet. Every fifth year, the American Thyroid Association joins with the Latin American Thyroid Society, the European Thyroid Association, and the Asia and Oceania Thyroid Association to co-sponsor the International Thyroid Congress (ITC).
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