Victor J. Bernet, MD Secretary/Chief Operating Officer

Secretary's Update, May 2017

As we approach the end of the month of May, I feel it is appropriate that we acknowledge the upcoming Memorial Day. In 1868, following the American Civil War, Union veterans founded Decoration Day in Decatur, Illinois. They organized placing flowers on the graves of the Union war dead. Of course, Memorial Day now honors all Americans who have died while in military service. Having served 21+ years in the US Army Medical Corps, I was afforded an intimate view of the sacrifices made by service members and their families during military duty including some who made the ultimate sacrifice. As we move thru our busy lives, I urge us to pause to remember, and honor these individuals and their families.

We are pleased that the ATA continues to thrive in fulfilling its mission. The work of the task force to select the new Editor-in-Chief of VideoEndocrinology has been completed. Four excellent candidates applied for the position, all who brought many talents to the table and in a positive way made our selection a challenging one. We are excited to announce that William Barry Inabnet, III, MD, FACS has been selected as the next Editor-in-Chief of VideoEndocrinology (VE). We thank Jerry Doherty for his excellent work as the inaugural EIC of this new journal as he continues as editor through 2017. An exciting outcome generated by the VE EIC selection process is the creation of a VideoEndocrinology session to be presented at the annual meeting this fall in Victoria, BC.

Recently, a long term, respected ATA member approached me and asked "Vic, what is going on with the ATA strategic plan and will I see any results before my time is over?" So I thought this month's SIGNAL would be a great opportunity to respond and provide an update to the ATA membership on the progress of the strategic plan, which is comprised of four strategic areas and goals. We will tackle the update based on these goals respectively. Our first goal of Sustaining global leadership in the field of thyroidology encompasses much of the work of the ATA and there are so many accomplishments it would be difficult to list them all here, so we will highlight some key achievements and then you can peruse the full list in the ATA Strategic Goal Accomplishment Report. Social media presence and strategy is key, including Twitter, Facebook, and Linked-in which, allows us to reach a broad audience with our messages and activities on a global level and with segmented messaging including communities for Trainees and Women in Thyroidology. It seems like the 15th ITC is a fond memory in the not too distant past but we are already looking forward to the 16th International Thyroid Congress – 2020 in China and have appointed ATA representatives, Drs. Sheue-yann Cheng, Susan Mandel and Ralph Tufano, to participate on the Program Organizing Committee. Our dedicated committees and writing group volunteers work tirelessly to provide updated guidelines, topical statements, and responses to help inform and clarify ATA's position on key areas of thyroid. Early this year, the Thyroid Nodule and DTC Guidelines Committee published a statement on NIFT-P and the Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer Guidelines Task Force started work on revising the 2012 guidelines. Also, over the past month, the ATA Public Health and Clinical Affairs Committee has developed a statement/response to the NRC on RAI Treatment and Release Regulations. The ATA also released a statement this year commenting on the potential impact of proposed US travel restrictions ensuring a clear message that prioritizes free information exchange is heard throughout the thyroid and scientific community.

The next strategic goal that helps the ATA to extend its presence and relevance is Being the preferred educational resource for patients with thyroid disorders. Of significance in this area is the tremendous response - over 17,000! to the ATA Hypothyroidism Patient Survey that was developed and summarized by the Program Chairs for the ATA Spring 2017 Satellite Symposium: Hypothyroidism - Where Are We Now? in Orlando, Florida. Such engagement is significant and helps to expand the reach of the ATA. The responses were interesting and there are plans to publish the survey. In 2016, the Patient Affairs & Education Committee also completed 7 new patient information brochures, 2 brochure revisions and has finalized 14 Spanish translations of patient information. Forthcoming, the committee anticipates completion of 5-7+ pediatric and surgical brochures for publishing to the ATA website this year. We are pleased to announce also that 2 patient representatives now serve on the Patient Affairs & Education Committee and review all brochures with a 'patient-eye.' We are also pleased to be exploring a new approach for patient education by way of podcasts – the ATA Board has approved a pilot project for thyroid topics with DocThyroid. Already, several ATA members have given podcast interviews and we are optimistic about the possibilities for reaching a growing mobile audience both in the US and abroad. Lastly, we are exploring options to reinvigorate and create value for the annual patient forum – perhaps with an online component or even a celebrity participant.

As a society of scientific and academic history, we are always striving to Enhance/increase support for research within the field of thyroidology. In 2016, the Research Committee reviewed 56 grant applications and selected 8 for funding. This year we have received 72 grant applications giving the ATA opportunity to support novel and important research initiatives in thyroidology. ATA and the Research Committee are working on a new initiative with NURSA/Signaling Pathways making thyroid disease related data sets available for review and stimulate further investigation. The ATA also endorsed PCORI application in support of a large study in hypothyroid patients.

During our strategic planning sessions, participants were keenly aware that in order to carry out our goals, the organization must be diligent about revenue and continue to Develop new and innovative efforts to fund ATA missions and goals. In order to accomplish this, we must create and commit to a culture of philanthropy starting from within the organization. So, last year, we launched the American Thyroid Association Leadership in Action - 2017 Annual Giving Campaign –which resulted in a resounding100% BOD and Staff Participation. We plan to extend messages of philanthropy to the full ATA membership throughout the year. In addition, we have partnered with development team Just Write Solutions (JWS), well-respected development consultants in the non-profit community. The JWS team is able to provide expert guidance and resources on grant writing and foundation sourcing. JWS enabled the ATA to apply for the NIH All of Us program this spring – a major effort. ATA staff is pleased to have produced its first-ever professional Annual Report and Case for Support, with JWS support, which will fuel our fundraising efforts.

We believe the above accomplishments supports the contention that much fruit has been borne from the efforts of the 2016 Strategic Actions Conference and yet more will be generated in the future as well. All ATA members have a part in the success of the ATA, past presidents, current leaders and the many committee members so dedicated to continuing ATA's stature in the field of thyroidology. For my colleague's pertinent question, we hope this provides the answers you seek and note that we anticipate you being around for a long while to see more great developments as we move forward.

Next month the membership can expect John Morris to provide an update on results from deliberations of the Nominating, Awards and Research Committees.

Our annual meeting in Victoria, BC, Canada is getting off to a fast start. Be sure to register for the meeting and book your room (early bird deadline May 31).

Best Wishes for a refreshing start to Summer,

Victor J. Bernet, MD
Secretary/Chief Operating Officer