Victor J. Bernet, MD Secretary/Chief Operating Officer

Secretary's Update
July 2019

What is the ATA and why do we exist? A very basic question to which the answer in 2019 might seem to be self-evident. However, the American Thyroid Association wasn't always the "ATA." Actually when first formed in 1923 we were named the American Association for the Study of Goiter. Then, in 1948, it was renamed the American Goiter Association and it was not until 1960 that it became known as the American Thyroid Association. If an organization's mission can be inferred by its organization name then apparently our group focused on just goiters for its first 37 years of existence or maybe not. Of course, the ATA's present day interest comprises all of thyroidology spanning from basic science to clinical care, physician and patient education plus public health issues.

Just as past ATA leadership gave thought to our association's name and updated it with the times, present day leadership decided it was time for some self-reflection. As Elizabeth Pearce mentioned in the June Signal message, a diverse group of select ATA members plus the Board of Directors and Headquarters' staff met in May 2019 in Arizona to formulate a new strategic plan for our association. During the process, we were challenged by our facilitator to re-examine the ATA Vision and Mission statements which engaged us in an enthusiastic discussion of who we are and where we are headed.

It also became evident that before deciding on long term strategic plans that we the ATA needed to update our Vision - meaning "where are we trying to go" and our Mission - meaning "how were we going to get to our goal." The best Vision statements are concise and aspirational in intent. Mission statements refer to the society's main activities while having a list of organization values is also recommended.

Following the several recommendations of the strategic planning group, the Board of Director's selected the new ATA vision, mission and value statements will be:

Vision: Optimal Thyroid Health for All

Mission: Transforming thyroid care through clinical excellence, education, scientific discovery and advocacy in a collaborative community

Values: Scientific inquiry • Clinical excellence • Patient advocacy • Education • Public service • Diversity, equity and inclusion • Ethical conduct • Worldwide collaboration and collegiality

The BOD is holding extra meetings in July so that we can review and deliberate the strategic conference results and make recommendations on the focus of ATA goals for the future. We then plan to actively disseminate this information as it becomes available and also plan interactive briefings on strategic plans at the annual meeting in Chicago and invite membership feedback. To be successful and meet the designated association goals, active committee and member involvement will be critical. After all, the plan is owned by and for the society as a whole and so we want each and every member to be involved in contributing to the implementation as we move the ATA to new heights.

Victor J. Bernet, MD
Secretary/Chief Operating Officer