Women in Thyroidology (WIT) Semi-annual Newsletter Winter 2019

<
>

Women in Thyroidology (WIT)
Semi-annual Newsletter WINTER 2019

Women in Thyroidology

WIT panel discussion featuring Elizabeth Pearce, MD, Spyridoula Maraka, MD, MSc, and Aime Franco, PhD.

GOALS of Women in Thyroidology (WIT):

  1. Recruit and retain more women ATA members.
    • More than 50% of graduating medical students and about 50% of endocrine fellows are women, 37% of ATA members are women (up from 10% in 2002).
    • Actively recruit women endocrine fellows, members of other medical and scientific organizations, and authors of ATA abstracts and other publications about the thyroid.
    • Welcome and mentor new women Associate Members to promote collegiality, network scientifically and socially, and encourage progressing to Active Membership.
  2. Increase women's visibility within ATA.
    • Nominate more qualified women to committee and leadership positions.
    • Encourage and promote the nomination of more women for ATA awards.
    • Suggest the names of women to participate in the annual meeting scientific program.
  3. Better address women's thyroid health topics at ATA and other meetings.
    • Increase coverage of autoimmune thyroid disease, maternal hypothyroidism, and thyroid disease and obesity.
  4. Engage Women in Thyroidology in technology to promote professional and personal interaction.

WIT TASKFORCE MEMBERS 2018—2019

WIT PRESIDENT
Sissy Jhiang, PhD

WIT PRESIDENT-ELECT
Megan R. Haymart, MD

WIT PAST-PRESIDENT
Whitney Goldner, MD

MEMBERS

Sophia Ali, MD

Brittany Avin, PhD Candidate

Aime Franco, PhD

Sabrina Gill, MD

Masha Livhits, MD

Neha A. Patel, MD

Jennifer Perkins, MD

Spyridoula Maraka, MD, MSc

Lourdes Quintanilla-Dieck, MD

ATA STAFF
Sharlene Cano
Director, Publications and Membership
Carrie Prewitt
Membership, Development and Technology Specialist

2018 – 2019 Task Force Bios and Photos

88th Annual Meeting of the ATA

President's Corner

Dr. Sissy JhiangDear Members of Women in Thyroidology,

Welcome to the 17th year of Women in Thyroidology!

The current state of Women in Thyroidology is strong. Among the 1788 ATA members, 728 of them are women. Women in ATA leadership positions include: President (Pearce), President-Elect (Zeiger), Treasurer (Sosa), Secretary/COO-Elect (Jonklaas), Board Directors (Carty, Schweppe, Haymart, and Leung), and Chairs or Co-Chairs on various ATA committees.

Women in Thyroidology had a wonderful annual meeting in Washington, DC. We had a designated room for Women in Thyroidology Networking Reception which was nested within ATA Welcome Reception on Wednesday evening. The Women in Thyroidology Program and Business meeting held early Thursday morning was well attended with a bountiful breakfast supported by the ATA. Our past president, Dr. Whitney Goldner, gave a concise update on the current state of Women in Thyroidology, and chaired a program and panel discussion entitled "Making Critical Work and Life Transitions", which stimulated a lot of enthusiastic discussion and provided helpful resources and suggestions. The panel members were Dr. Elizabeth Pearce, Dr. Aime Franco, and Dr. Spyridoula Maraka. A big "Thank You" to the ATA leadership, and Bobbi, Carrie, Sharleene, to make this possible.

Dr. Elizabeth PearceWe would like to congratulate Dr. Elizabeth Pearce, the 7th recipient of the Woman of the Year. She is Professor of Medicine at Boston University School of Medicine. She has been an ATA member since the year 2000 and has made significant contributions to fulfill ATA mission in many ways. She was the 2011 recipient of ATA Van Meter Award and is currently the ATA President.

For the coming year, we will continue our mission to (1) recruit and retain more women ATA members, (2) increase women's visibility within the ATA by nominating women for awards and leadership positions, (3) better address women's thyroid health topics, and (4) engage women in technology to promote professional and personal interaction. Specific focus will be on creating networking platforms to share experiences, information, and resources that are pertinent for women to succeed in their career advancement and personal goals.

Furthermore, we would like to continue to encourage our colleagues to nominate women for ATA leadership positions and awards. The Call for Nominations for ATA Awards and Board of Directors is now open through March 31, 2019.

• 2019 Call for Award Nominations

• 2019 Call for Board of Director Nominations

Our 12 dedicated WIT Task Force members are ready to lead and work together for an exciting and productive year!

Sincerely,

Sissy M Jhiang, PhD

Sissy M Jhiang, PhD
ATA Women in Thyroidology, President

WIT Woman of the Year

Women in Thyroidology (WIT) elects a Woman of the Year who is announced during the Women in Thyroidology yearly gathering held at the Annual Meeting of the ATA.

The Woman of the Year is selected based on her long-standing commitment to the ATA and to the advancement of women both within the organization and in the thyroid field. The nominees need not have been recognized for their academic or clinical contributions.

We are pleased to have recognized the following women for their outstanding commitment to mentoring and advancing Women in Thyroidology:

2012 – Carole A. Spencer, PhD
2013 – Virginia D. Sarapura, MD
2014 – Rebecca S. Bahn, MD
2015 –  Stephanie L. Lee, MD, PhD
2016 – M. Carol Greenlee, MD
2017 – Julie Ann Sosa, MD
2018 – Elizabeth Pearce, MD

Woman of the Year 2018

Women in Thyroidology (WIT) Meetings:

The Woman in Thyroidology Task Force will meet during the 89th Annual Meeting of the American Thyroid Association in Chicago, IL. (Dates and times are subject to change)

  • WIT Networking Hour – Wednesday, October 30 at 6:30 PM
  • WIT Business Meeting – Thursday, October 31 at 7:00 AM
88th Annual Meeting of the ATA

How to get involved with WIT at the Meeting

  • CONNECT with WIT throughout the meeting via Facebook @ATA - Women in Thyroidology.
  • Post topics for discussion

Sign up for the WIT Community here https://members.thyroid.org/atawomeninthyroidology through ATA Members Only and click the "Follow Community" button to subscribe. We encourage you get the conversation going by adding new topics for discussion (click on "Add Discussion Forum" ).

All current ATA members are encouraged to join the Women in Thyroidology. Sign up if you are interested in joining the ATA’s WIT special interest group and receiving email alerts for WIT news and events. We won’t share your email address with anyone, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Come by the WIT networking event – Wednesday, October 30 at 6:30 PM

Join us for: WIT Business Meeting – Thursday, October 31 at 7:00 AM

WIT Meeting 2018

Women in Thyroidology (WIT)
American Thyroid Association
6066 Leesburg Pike, #550
Falls Church, VA 22041
703.998.8890 ph
703.998.8893 fax
www.thyroid.org

Annual WIT Meeting

Save the date and time:
Thursday, October 31 at 7:00 AM

89th Annual Meeting of the ATA