Committees & Workgroups

AWARDS COMMITTEE

The Awards Committee shall select the recipients of the Van Meter Award, the Sidney H. Ingbar Distinguished Lectureship, the Val Galton Lectureship Award, the Lewis Braverman Distinguished Lectureship, the Distinguished Service Award and the John B. Stanbury Thyroid Pathophysiology Medal.

Awards Committee members will serve as ambassadors to encourage nominations, with a particular focus on expanding the diversity of the nominees. The committee will consider the nominees and make recommendations as to the most worthy recipient to the Board of Directors.

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION COMMITTEE

The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee is an advisory committee to the Board of Directors. The committee will work to integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion through all ATA committees, activities, and initiatives. Specifically, the committee will:

– Lead ATA’s efforts to promote robust diversity in all manners to include, but not limited to race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and medical specialty, as well as advancement in all levels of ATA leadership.

– Foster an environment within the ATA membership where everyone, regardless of their race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation/identity or attributes or beliefs, feel welcome, comfortable, safe, respected, valued, and can thrive.

– Develop diversity-related programs and symposia for ATA members.

– Make recommendations to the BOD to support ATA’s efforts to recognize and celebrate the contributions and efforts made to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in the ATA (including consideration of the creation of new award(s), and in the research and healthcare community.

CLINICAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

The Clinical Affairs Committee shall review issues relevant to standards of practice in thyroid disease and update publications and other recommendations relating to practice guideline, which have been published on behalf of the Association regarding practice guidelines. The Committee shall also receive, review, and prepare responses to matters affecting the practice of clinical thyroidology, in coordination with other committees as needed. The Committee shall coordinate with the Guidelines and Statements Committee prior to initiating the development of statements to ensure that pursuits are aligned, approved, not already in progress.

FINANCE AND AUDIT COMMITTEE

The Finance and Audit Committee shall

1. Recommend balanced annual budgets to the Board of Directors
2. Monitor the Society’s finances and report on any significant
   budget variances to the Board of Directors
3. Recommend appropriate organizational fiscal policies
4. Ensure that adequate internal controls are maintained to protect and safeguard the Society’s assets
5. Affirm proposal from Executive Director on which firm should be selected as the Society’s independent auditor
6. Review recommendations and decisions of the Board of Directors Investment Policy Committee to oversee the Society’s investment portfolio in a fiscally responsible manner

GUIDELINES AND STATEMENTS COMMITTEE (GSC)

Improve and sustain the quality of ATA Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) and Statements
Promote diversity among authors of ATA documents and patient stakeholder representation on guidelines

 The Guidelines and Statements Committee (GSC) will improve and sustain the quality of ATA Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) and Statements. The committee will also maintain an active list of official ATA guidelines and statements, proactively identify new statements to create and evaluate proposals for new ATA guidelines and statements.

 The GSC will ensure that ATA guidelines follow the GRADE methodology in a consistent manner.

HISTORY AND ARCHIVES COMMITTEE

The History and Archives Committee shall obtain, collate, file, and record relevant information pertaining to past, present, or future events of the Association, which will be maintained at the Association’s Headquarters’ office. The Committee shall also determine the presenter of the Sawin Vignette and maintain “The Clark T. Sawin History Resource Center.”

INTERNATIONAL COORDINATING COMMITTEE

The International Coordinating Committee will work closely with each of the other Thyroid Associations to help propose meeting sites and times and to help coordinate all relevant scientific, economic, and geographical considerations relevant to International Meetings.

INTERNET AND SOCIAL MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE

The Internet and Social Media Communications Committee serves as the editorial board of the ATA website and will advise staff on usability and content needs.

 Additionally, the Committee will:
-Participate in social media interactions that support the ATA social media strategy
-Evaluate social media initiatives and collaboration opportunities
-Provide suggestions to staff for ATA social media content

LABORATORY SERVICES COMMITTEE

The role of the Laboratory Services Committee is to serve as a resource to the ATA and its membership on all aspects of clinical laboratory testing relevant to thyroid health and disease. All members shall have a strong knowledge base and interest in clinical laboratory testing. Their combined knowledge base should cover most aspects of clinical laboratory practice relevant to clinical thyroidology.

MEMBERSHIP PANEL

-The Membership Panel will review all ATA membership applications.

NOMINATING COMMITTEE

The ATA Nominating Committee is charged with providing the membership with a slate of candidates to fulfill the Board of Directors commitment to diversity and representation.

PATIENT AFFAIRS AND EDUCATION

The overarching goal for the Patient Affairs and Education Committee is to continually identify and pursue opportunities in support of the ATA goal to be the patient-preferred resource for education and information pertaining to thyroid disease. This includes developing patient resources for the website, coordinating patient forums, and suggesting content for the patient newsletter. The Committee will also work with the Development Committee to explore opportunities for funding patient resources and activities.

PROGRAM COMMITTEE

The Program Committee shall consist of a balance of specialty areas with members serving staggered three-year terms. In general, the Co- chairs, will represent clinical and basic science and shall have been committee members for two years. The Program Committee shall select from abstracts submitted to it those topics, subjects, or papers that are to be presented at the scientific meeting of the Association and to arrange their order of presentation.

No abstract, a major portion of which has been published or read before any other national or international meeting in North America shall be considered for presentation on the scientific program of the Association unless by special permission of the Program Committee.

 The committee may with the consent of the Board of Directors arrange for invited lectures or symposia as part of the scientific program.

The Program committee shall follow the organizational timeline in order that faculty are invited, the program developed, and arrangements made by the headquarters’ staff to distribute the program. All accepted abstracts will be published unless withdrawn by the author.

Those who have submitted abstracts and titles for the program will be informed as quickly as possible of the action of the committee after its deliberations.

Satellite programming to the annual meeting may be added as appropriate based on need, gap or interest as designated by the Board of Directors with consultation to the Program Committee. Consultation with staff shall be required to ensure the availability of contract meeting facility space to add additional programming.

The Program Committee shall support headquarters staff with the appropriate scientific information and data required to pursue continuing medical education accreditation and educational grant support.

ATA Program Committees will exercise highest ethical standards, be transparent in dualities and conflicts of interest, and aim to be diverse, equitable and inclusive throughout their deliberations and decisions.

PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE

The Publications Committee will work with the Executive Committee and Board of Directors to ensure that the ATA’s publications are high-quality and adhere to publishing and ethics standards.

The Committee will:

•  Maintain familiarity with the policies governing scholarly publishing.
•  Serve as an advisory group for the editors of Thyroid, Clinical Thyroidology, Video Endocrinology and Clinical Thyroidology for the Public by:
  -Meeting annually with the EICs to provide insight into competitive landscape and strategies for ensuring the ATA’s publications remain competitive
  -Providing suggestions and ideas to the EIC for consideration on how to enhance the publications
• Respect the editorial independence of the Editors-in-Chief with respect to evaluation, selection, and editing of journal articles
• Provide suggestions to the Board on potential new directions for the journal program and publications
• Serve as advisors to staff and publisher as needed to develop readership and author surveys

RESEARCH COMMITTEE

The Research Committee shall be concerned with the following areas:

• Review and score thyroid research grant applications based on scientific merit and select the projects to be funded.
• Review thyroid research grant program process and policies annually to ensure it is commensurate with the National Institutes of Health’s standard grant submission process and policies. Make recommendations to change as needed.
• Evaluate progress of funded thyroid research projects to be reported to the ATA Board and grant funders.
• Review and approve/decline surveys to be sent as needed.
• Provide guidance and support as needed to the Signaling Pathways Project to assist in the curation and reusability of datasets that are highly-relevant to investigators in the area of thyroid receptor signaling.
•   Recommend changes to the grant review process or selection parameters to the Board of Directors as needed.
• Propose grantees to present at the annual meeting.
• Update publication citations from the research grants given by the ATA.

SURGICAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

The Surgical Affairs Committee seeks to improve patient care by fostering multidisciplinary, collaborative interactions through actively participating in the development of clinical practice guidelines, the planning and implementation of educational activities, the identification and encouragement of joint research efforts, and working to increase surgical membership within the ATA.

TRAINEES AND CAREER ADVANCEMENT COMMITTEE

The Trainees and Career Advancement Committee shall create and promote professional development and career advancement opportunities for trainees and early career professionals who are interested in advancing their knowledge of thyroid physiology, disease and treatment.

GOALS of Women in Thyroidology (WIT):

Women in Thyroidology (WIT) was founded in 2002 as an all-inclusive community of American Thyroid Association (ATA) members across backgrounds, genders, and subspecialties.  Through advocacy and empowerment, WIT aims to foster an environment that addresses the unique challenges of women in the field of thyroidology, to celebrate the achievements and contributions of women advancing thyroid research and clinical care, and to promote gender equity in the thyroidology workforce.

Initiatives
The WIT Executive Council will ensure that all initiatives are in accordance with the ATA Strategic Plan.  Initiatives may include, and are not limited to:

• Developing year-round webinars, workshops, and programs on topics of interest
• Coordinating an onsite networking and mentorship/sponsorship opportunity event during the ATA Annual Meeting
• Formulating a WIT plenary to be held at each ATA Annual Meeting, in conjunction with the Program Committee
• Promoting nominations of female ATA members for the annual ATA Awards, for leadership positions on the ATA Board of Directors, and for the editorial boards of the ATA journals
• Coordinating the annual WIT Woman of the Year Award to be celebrated at the ATA Annual Meeting
• Collaborating with the ATA Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee and other groups to support inclusivity, leadership growth, and career development of female ATA members

Thyroid ^®

Editor-in-Chief: Anna M. Sawka, MD, PhD
The leading, peer-reviewed resource for original articles, patient-focused reports, and translational research on thyroid cancer and all thyroid related diseases.

Clinical Thyroidology ^®

Editor-in-Chief: Trevor Angell, MD
Commentaries of the latest and impactful articles in the clinical thyroid literature are an important resource for those who care for patients with both benign and malignant thyroid disease.

VideoEndocrinology ™

Editor-in-Chief: Catherine F. Sinclair, MD
Peer-reviewed videos of cutting-edge surgical and diagnostic imaging procedures covering thyroid, parathyroid, and adrenal tumors and diseases, with minimally invasive, robotic, and open surgical procedures.

Clinical Thyroidology^® for the Public

Clinical Thyroidology^® for the Public summarizes selected research studies discussed in the previous month’s issue of Clinical Thyroidology, an official publication of the American Thyroid Association^®.

Clinical Thyroidology^® for the Public Editorial Board

Editor
Alan P. Farwell

Editorial Board

Jessie Block-Galaraza
Gary Bloom
Maria Brito
Debbie Chen
Susana Ebner
Alina Gavrila
Shirin Haddady
Sun Lee
Joanna Miragaya
Jason D. Prescott
Marjorie Safran
Phillip Segal
Vibhavsu Sharma
Pinar Smith
Ebru Sulanc
Whitney Woodmansee