ATA FELLOWS' EDUCATIONAL TRACK ENJOYS GREAT TURNOUT

"It was clear that the ATA has a strong commitment to engaging and educating fellows”

“The fellows track program was very well done. I found it incredibly educational”

The ATA Fellows' Educational Track had a great turnout in October 2011 with 165 fellows attending from 18 countries, 29 states who came together to participate in the 7th Annual Fellows' Track Program, held in conjunction with the 81st Annual Meeting of the American Thyroid Association (ATA) at the Renaissance Esmeralda in Indian Wells, California. The ATA welcomed Fellows with many benefits to engage them in the ATA meeting and programs. Over sixty fellows were accepted into the ATA Fellows' Grant Program which offered free meeting registration and complimentary shared sleeping room accommodations. Click here for a complete list of Fellows' Track Grant Recipients. The ATA Fellows' Educational Track was open to all 165 registered Annual Meeting Fellows and the benefits included complimentary buffet lunch throughout the meeting, continental breakfast before the early riser sessions and discounted tickets to the ATA Annual Banquet where the Fellows' danced up a storm alongside and with ATA leadership. The Fellows add a wonderful energy to the ATA meeting that is valued by one and all.

The ATA Fellows' Educational Track was specifically designed to enhance the "fellow experience" being comprised of special sessions running concurrently with the Annual Meeting program sessions. Leaders in the field presented on a variety of different topics. The Basic Fellows Track program was kicked off by a session on Perspectives on Basic Research in which how many basic fellows were able to enjoy dinner and network with their colleagues and potential mentors including ATA leaders Drs. Gregory Brent and Richard Kloos. Basic Fellows' track co-chairs. Frances Carr, PhD of the University of Vermont and Yun-Bo Shi, PhD of NICHD, NIH gave advice on career planning, identifying mentors, the importance of funding, and finding work/life balance. Basic fellows who were first authors on abstracts were offered complimentary registration and complimentary hotel accommodations (shared). Co-chairs for the Clinical Fellows Track Stephanie Fish, MD of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Andrew Gianoukakis, MD from University of California - Los Angeles, designed a parallel and integrated program which provided interesting lectures and skill enhancement opportunities. Fellows experienced a hands-on experience for neck ultrasound training. The Thyroid Ultrasound course, Thyroid Cytology, and Ultrasound Practicum offered a great chance to broaden and update knowledge of the thyroid gland and its disorders.

Drs. Carol Greenlee in private practice, Antonio Bianco and Elizabeth Pearce in academic practice, and James Magner in industry, offered insight to their career tracks and discussed different career opportunities within the field of endocrinology. In a separate session Drs. Robert Levine and J. Woody Sistrunk gave a detailed presentation on the step by step process setoff setting up a thyroid practice.

Fellows submitted interesting cases for thyroid experts to review and diagnose each case presentation. Drs. Peter Singer and Mary Samuels engaged the audience as they worked thyroid function cases. Drs. Ian Hay and Mike Tuttle had informative discussions regarding the treatment of thyroid cancer.

Drs. Gerard Doherty, Sylvia Asa, and Andrew Gianoukakis gave their different perspectives on how to communicate about the thyroid from a surgeon, pathologist, and endocrinologist's point of view. The importance of the research experience was pointed out by Dr. Matthew Ringel. He also asked for active participation as he provided some suggestions for grant writing. Dr. Emerson the Editor of Thyroid shared his guidance on how to craft a paper for journal publication.

Fellow's track participants evaluated the meeting overall as a huge success. Some comments from Fellows include:

“It is a very good experience for fellows and it covers most of the topics.”

“There was also an incredible sense of support from the association and its members”

Tell your colleagues about the ATA Fellows' Educational Track and Fellows' Grant programs and please join us this September in Quebec City!