Victor J. Bernet, MD Secretary/Chief Operating Officer

Secretary's Update, January 2017

Time flies! Hard to believe we are already a month into 2017! ATA activities are in full swing and before you know it the ATA Spring 2017 Symposium: Hypothyroidism - Where are We Now? on 31 March will be here. Our co-Chairs, Jackie Jonklaas and Tony Bianco have put together an excellent program for the symposia which is being held at the Orlando County Convention and Exhibition Center. In addition to a great slate of lecturers and topics, there will be discussion of a recently distributed ATA survey of patients diagnosed with hypothyroidism as well as a panel discussion including several patients with hypothyroidism.

• Clinicians: Please pass along the hypothyroidism survey https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/hypothyroidpatientsurvey to your patients and post to your practice websites (and link to patient education materials http://www.thyroid.org/thyroid-information/ written by your colleagues posted to the ATA website.)
• Registration for the ATA satellite program is available using the online Endocrine Society registration website at http://www.endocrine.org/endo-2017/registration. The ATA program is listed under Step 3: Events and Activities.

As previously mentioned we are beginning the selection process for the next Editor-in-Chief of VideoEndocrinology. Please note that a call for candidates has been sent out to membership.VideoEndocrinology has made some great strides under Jerry Doherty's leadership and it is essential we identify a member who can carry the momentum forward as we try to expand the journal's content and viewership. In addition, it is time to nominate candidates for Board election and annual prestigious ATA awards. We will have the President-elect and 3 director positions open to be filled in Fall 2017. Please think about nominating colleagues who you think can make meaningful contributions to the ATA and its missions. Also, please take some time to consider nominations for our ATA awards. We have many active members who have made significant contributions in the field of thyroidology and are deserving of acknowledgement for their efforts and service to the ATA.

Development efforts have been identified as an important ATA strategic focus. Having adequate funds allows the ATA to pursue our endeavors supporting the ATA's overall mission. Potential philanthropic contributors to the ATA perceive the commitment of membership in the form of giving as an important factor in considering their investment. In late 2016, the Board of Directors launched the American Thyroid Association Leadership in Action - 2017 Annual Giving Campaign. We are proud to report that 100% of the ATA office staff and Board of Directors have contributed to this campaign. As the campaign proceeds, we will be reaching out to our membership at large for participation. Regular contributions by a healthy majority of membership signals a focused dedication to the association's mission which is seen in a very positive light by potential donors.

We are excited to announce the publication of the 2017 Guidelines of the American Thyroid Association for the Diagnosis and Management of Thyroid Disease during Pregnancy and the Postpartum (Alexander, Pearce, et al., Thyroid. DOI: 10.1089/thy.2016.0457). Congratulations are in order for the entire guidelines committee and, of course, co-Chairs Elizabeth Pearce and Eric Alexander – job well done! The Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer Guidelines Committee has begun their work on to update these guidelines and we will inform membership when they are nearing completion which will probably be sometime in 2018. Finally, we would like to announce that our President Dr. John Morris has invited Drs. Sheue-yann Cheng, Susan Mandel and Ralph Tufano to serve as the ATA representatives to the Program Organizing Committee for the 16th International Thyroid Congress to be held in September 2020 in Xi'an China.

Hope to see you in Orlando in March!

Sincerely,

Victor J. Bernet, MD
Secretary/Chief Operating Officer