Secretary's Update - June 2012

The American Thyroid Association is truly a diverse organization. Although all our members have an interest in one small gland that is located at the base of the neck, it is a complicated little gland that plays important roles in our health and well-being. To study and know about it, in all its ramifications, and to care for patients who suffer illness from or related to it requires a very broad range of expertise. This phenomenon is well reflected in the membership of the ATA. Our ATA colleagues include basic, translational and clinical scientists, and those who work in all three arenas. We include clinicians with backgrounds in Endocrinology & Internal Medicine, Primary Care, Surgery (both General/Endocrine Surgery and Otolaryngology), Nuclear Medicine, Pathology, Oncology, Radiology and perhaps others that may not come to mind as I write this. Our members and those who come to our meetings range in academic rank from Endowed Professors to medical students, residents and fellows and our work places range from academic medical centers and medical schools to private offices and hospitals and from research laboratories to the bedside and to biomedical and pharmaceutical industry. Increasingly if we are a clinician, we may not be an MD but rather an Allied Health Provider and we may see adults or children or both. And, of course, we may be female or male, and we may be American or from outside the USA.

This diversity is a great strength for the ATA. In a large sense it is a reason the ATA exists. ATA, through our meetings, publications, committees, and other efforts, offers an opportunity for those with special interest in thyroid medicine and science to share their expertise and to learn from that of others, and to do so across boundaries that may traditionally restrict such interactions in other societies and organizations. We are seen as being the host of and the repository for the best in the art and science of Thyroidology. Perhaps the best examples of this are our clinical guidelines, which are viewed as the most authoritative and scientifically grounded in the literature for thyroid disorders. These guidelines will soon include a basic science document through the work of Tony Bianco and members of his task force who are hard at work and nearing completion of it.

However, this diversity is also a challenge for us. In recent years both our membership numbers and our membership diversity have increased. For example, did you know that ATA currently has within our membership more than 120 surgeons? The challenge is to maintain programming, in all its forms, that appeals to our diverse needs and that leaves no interest group behind. We have a special concern that was articulated by President Jim Fagin recently, that our basic science membership may not be as well served as we would like it to be and that this group within our membership may be declining. However, we do not have data that confirms this concern because we do not have information from our members that define our diverse backgrounds.

At our recent strategic planning retreat, the first and most important area of focus was our constituencies and member benefits. In order to serve our diverse constituencies best, we need to better understand who we are and what our membership wants and needs from the ATA. To help our office and board with this we ask you to please update your member profile. This can be easily accessed on the ATA website through the members-only portal. If you need help with this, a phone call or email note to the ATA office will quickly resolve the problem.

You will soon be receiving the Spring Fundraising letter. Please consider contributing to ATA to help support our efforts towards guideline development, research funding, patient education, and trainee travel grants.

Finally, planning and preparation for our annual meeting in Quebec City is progressing nicely. The scientific program is being completed by the program committee, led by Elizabeth Pearce and Doug Forrest and will be outstanding. September in Quebec promises to be delightful. Make your plans early for a great meeting that cannot be missed.

Sincerely,

John Morris, MD
Secretary/Chief Operating Officer