Secretary's Update, September 2015

John C. Morris, M.D. ATA Secretary/ Chief Operating Officer

International Thyroid Congress (ITC)

We are now in the final stretch in preparation for October's ITC meeting in Orlando. As you might guess, it is a busy time for the ATA office as we prepare to welcome physician, scientists, members and non-members from around the world. And it will start with a bang! Don't miss Sunday afternoon's (5:00 pm starting time) opening ceremony, where we will introduce leaders of all sister societies and celebrate this, the 15th time, all four have joined hands for an international congress. The opening ceremony will celebrate our camaraderie and friendship as well as our special venue and raise the spirits for the great things to come during the week. After the ceremony will be certainly one of the program highlights of the entire congress – the opening session. This session (chaired by ITC Program Chair Rebecca Bahn), which is entitled "Highlights of the Last Decade" features four highly recognized experts speaking about the most important discoveries and events in Thyroid Autoimmunity (Sandra McLachlan), Thyroid Cancer (Martin Schlumberger), Thyroid Hormone Action (Douglas Forrest) and Clinical Thyroidology (David Cooper) over the last 10 years. It will be followed immediately by a welcoming reception to which all are invited to join and greet, and wine and dine.

Spring Satellite Symposium, 2016

We are again planning a spring satellite symposium in conjunction with the March 2016 Endocrine Society meeting in Boston. As in the last 2 years, we will use this opportunity to introduce new or newly revised guidelines, which are soon to be or have been recently published. In 2016 the symposium will highlight 2 guideline updates – Pregnancy and Thyroid (chaired by Elizabeth Pearce and Erik Alexander) and Hyperthyroidism (chaired by Douglas Ross). The symposium will occur on Thursday afternoon March 31, on the site of and just before the opening of the Endocrine Society, in Boston.

In addition, the ATA accepted the invitation of the Endocrine Society to co-sponsor a Sunday morning session on ATA Guidelines, chaired by Mike Tuttle with speakers: Jennifer Sipos, Naifa Busaidy and Megan Haymart. The session takes place on the 3rd day of the Endocrine Society annual meeting, April 3, 2016. The ATA will receive formal recognition as part of the session promotion.

Leadership Changes

This will be my last Secretary's report, because my tenure as Secretary-elect and Secretary comes to an end with the closing of the ITC meeting. It has been a busy and terrific five years for me. I am happy to say that the ATA has grown significantly and continued to flourish during this time, thanks to the hard work, dedication, and loyalty of our staff, our leadership team, and all of you, our members. Each and all of you deserve thanks for this, but I wish to express special thanks to several persons who have helped me complete the task in an enjoyable and I hope effective way. The four presidents with whom I have served, Jim Fagin, Bryan Haugen, Hossein Gharib, and Bob Smallridge, have provided guidance, leadership, wisdom, and a calm perspective in numerous and uncountable situations and minor crises (there were no major crises!). Former ATA Secretary Rick Kloos taught me the job and saw that I inherited a terrific organization that was on firm and stable ground. David Sarne and Greg Randolph have provided superb financial oversight and leadership in their role as Treasurer of our organization and in their dedication to our executive committee activities. To say that Bobbi Smith is a superb Executive Director is a terrible understatement, because what she is to us is much more than what is in the description of her job. My most personal thanks go to her. There have been too many Board Members and Committee and Task Force Chairs to name here that have contributed hours, energy, effort and expertise to ATA's activities, who brought those activities to completion – thanks to all of you from me. I am pleased to know that President-elect Tony Bianco and Secretary-elect Vic Bernet will be strong and effective leaders for us as I complete my term.

But of course the success of any professional society like the ATA depends ultimately upon the energy, engagement, and love-of-the-organization by its members. I cannot recall even a single event when we/I have asked an ATA member to contribute in some way to an ATA activity or goal after which they said "no" in the absence of some irreconcilable conflict. This is what has made this job fun for me, and is the most obvious reason that we are able to do all the things we do, and why we are what we are. Thanks to all of you for the opportunity to serve, with you, the ATA.

John C. Morris, MD
Secretary/Chief Operating Officer