Laura Boucai, MD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center – WIT Chair

Laura Boucai, MD is an Associate Member at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and an Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College. She graduated from Universidad de Buenos Aires, completed her Internal Medicine Residency at Cornell and an Endocrinology Fellowship at Albert Einstein College of Medicine where she joined the faculty soon after. Her research interests have focused on thyroid cancer biology. Surrounded by a multidisciplinary team of basic scientists, pathologists, medical oncologists and radiologists at Memorial Sloan Kettering, she studies the genomic and transcriptomic landscape of thyroid cancer to attempt to find new therapeutic strategies for the most advanced forms of the disease. Her current research efforts concentrate on describing the genomic profile of exceptional responders to RAI and understanding the effects of radioactive iodine on the hematopoietic system. Dr. Boucai is an active member of the Endocrine Society where she serves on the Annual Meeting Steering Committee for ENDO2024. She also serves on the board of the International Thyroid Oncology Group (ITOG) and as liaison for the Membership Committee at ITOG. She has been appointed chair of the Corporate Leadership Council within ITOG. The American Thyroid Association (ATA) has been her professional home. She has had multiple roles within the ATA including member of the Surgical Affairs committee, member and Chair of the Nominating Committee, Co-chair of the ATA Spring Symposium 2020, and Co-chair of the first ATA Leadership Course. She is on the editorial board of the Journal of the Endocrine Society and she is an Associate Editor of Frontiers in Endocrinology. Dr Boucai is a strong advocate for national and international trainees interested in thyroidology. Her bicultural background and strong commitment to education allows her to bridge knowledge gaps locally and in developing countries and expand the professional network of collaborators. As Chair-Elect of WIT, Dr. Boucai hopes to contribute to its crucial mission of engaging and supporting women’s professional growth in the field of thyroidology.

Spyridoula Maraka, MD, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences & Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System – WIT Chair-Elect

Spyridoula Maraka, MD, MS is a Clinician-Scientist and Chief of the Endocrine Section at the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System. She is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and serves as the Program Director of the endocrinology fellowship program.

Dr. Maraka graduated summa cum laude from the University of Athens Medical School, Greece. She pursued postgraduate research training at the Division of Endocrinology at Northwestern University. She completed residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Connecticut and fellowship in Endocrinology at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester. She obtained a master’s degree in Clinical and Translational Science from Mayo Clinic College of Medicine. She is a co-founder of the Knowledge and Evaluation Research Unit in Endocrinology and she maintains an appointment as a Research Collaborator at the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, Nutrition, and Metabolism, Mayo Clinic.

Dr. Maraka’s research is supported by intramural funding and is focused on thyroid disorders, mainly hypothyroidism and levothyroxine overuse, with the goal to advance patient-centered, evidence-based endocrine care. She is a Task Force member of the 2025 Guidelines of the American Thyroid Association for the Diagnosis and Management of Thyroid Disease During Preconception, Pregnancy, and the Postpartum Period. Dr. Maraka has lectured nationally and internationally, published over 80 papers and book chapters, and received numerous honors and awards in recognition of her academic and research activities, including the 2020 Women Advancing Thyroid Research award by the American Thyroid Association.

Dr. Maraka is an Endocrine Society Guideline Methodologist and a member of the Clinical Affairs Core Committee. She has been a member of the American Thyroid Association since 2013. She has previously served as a member of the Women in Thyroidology Task Force and the Clinical Affairs Committee and co-chair of the Guidelines and Statements Committee. She is a reviewer for several high impact journals and serves on the Editorial Board of Thyroid.

As Chair-elect, Dr. Maraka will contribute to its initiatives and foster an environment which supports other women in the field of Thyroidology to achieve their goals.

Naifa Busaidy, MD, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center – WIT Past Chair

Naifa Busaidy is Tenured Professor at University of Texas–MD Anderson Cancer Center. Clinical & research expertise/interests are primarily focused-driven to improve outcomes in advanced thyroid carcinomas patients.

Dr. Busaidy attended Baylor College of Medicine medical school, residency and fellowship with research fellowship-UT MD Anderson to advance her clinical/research knowledge in Endocrine Tumors. She joined the UTMDACC faculty where she serves on committees & directs thyroid nodule clinic.

She serves as PI/Co-PI of NCI and industry trials with aims to identify molecular mechanisms of disease progression and targets for improving response to therapy. She serves on NCCN Thyroid Cancer Guidelines, NCI’s PI3K/mTOR taskforce and advisory boards/consultant for oncology groups/industry to shape the treatment spectrum of thyroid cancer.

She has published extensively on thyroid cancer/Endocrine effects of cancer therapy and sits on various guidelines committees. She serves on the boards of both International Thyroid Oncology Group (ITOG) and American Thyroid Association (ATA). She also serves several endocrine societies, where she served on various committees, including: program, research grant and awards committees and is a fellow of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinology (AACE).

Amy Chen, MD

Rachel Pessah-Pollack, MD, New York University Langone Health
Dr. Rachel Pessah-Pollack is a Clinical Professor of Medicine in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism at NYU Langone Health in New York City. She trained at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, where she completed her Internal Medicine Residency and Endocrinology Fellowship and is Board Certified in Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism.
She has served on the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists(AACE) Board of Directors for six years, recently completing her term. She has served as Chair of the AACE Clinical Practice Guidelines Oversight Committee and Chair of the AACE Women’s Leadership Dinner in 2019. She is a coauthor of numerous peer-reviewed articles and clinical practice guidelines including the 2012 Clinical Practice Guidelines for Hypothyroidism in Adults: cosponsored by AACE and ATA and is involved in the ongoing ATA update of the Hypothyroid Guidelines. She has co-moderated the Women In Thyroidology Virtual Event in August 2023 “The Pathway To Transformational Leadership.” Dr. Pessah-Pollack lectures nationally on the topic of thyroid disease and remains actively involved in medical education and the training of endocrine fellows. She has a special interest in social media and serves on the ATA Internet and Social Media Committee and co-hosts the EndoJournalClub.