Register today for the ATA’s 2022 Annual Meeting on October 19-23, 2022 in Montreal, Canada.  View the program and make plans to join us in Montreal.

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The ATA announced today the recipients of ATA’s 2021 awards.  The awardees will be recognized during the 90^th Annual Meeting of the American Thyroid Association on September 30 – October 1, 2021.

“It is a distinct pleasure to be able to proudly recognize these valued ATA members who have given of their time and energy to the ATA over the decades. Each one of them has contributed to the ATA vision and mission by sharing their talents and expertise, and motivating our latest generation of thyroidologists,” said Jacqueline Jonklaas, MD, PhD, Secretary/COO of the ATA.

This year’s honorees are:

Matthew D. Ringel, MD – Sidney H. Ingbar Distinguished Lectureship Award
The Sidney H. Ingbar Distinguished Lectureship Award recognizes outstanding academic achievements in thyroidology, in keeping with the innovation and vision that epitomized Dr. Ingbar’s brilliant investigative career. The Ingbar award is conferred upon an established investigator who has made major contributions to thyroid-relatedresearch over many years. Dr. Ringel is the Ralph W. Kurtz Chair and Director of the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism at The Ohio State University, the Co-Director of the OSU Center for Cancer Engineering, Co-leader of the Cancer Biology program in the OSU Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Deputy Director of the OSU Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences.   Dr. Ringel is recognized for his innovative and visionary leadership and research in thyroid cancer.  Dr. Ringel’s research focuses on basic mechanisms of thyroid cancer tumorigenesis and metastasis, and his work in cell signaling in thyroid cancer has had an impact on the development of novel therapeutic approaches.

Sheue-yann Cheng, Ph.D. – Valerie Anne Galton Distinguished Lectureship Award
The Valerie Anne Galton Distinguished Lectureship Award recognizes an individual who has been instrumental in collaborative research that has significantly contributed to the advancement of our clinical knowledge of thyroid conditions. Dr. Cheng, the Chief of the Gene Regulation Section at the Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, is the inaugural recipient of the Valerie Anne Galton Distinguished Lectureship Award.  Dr. Cheng is recognized for her dedication to thyroid hormone research for more than 45 years and for inspiring and mentoring scientists worldwide.  Dr. Cheng was one of the early researchers studying the mechanism of thyroid hormone binding to serum and membrane proteins. Dr. Cheng is known for her trailblazing work in thyroid hormone action and the creation of mouse models to understand molecular actions of mutant thyroid hormone nuclear receptors in thyroid disorders, and thyroid cancer.

Kenneth D. Burman, MD – Lewis E. Braverman Distinguished Lectureship Award
The Lewis E. Braverman Distinguished Lectureship Award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated excellence and passion for mentoring fellows, students and junior faculty; has a long history of productive thyroid research; and is devoted to the ATA.  Dr. Burman is Chief, Endocrine Section, MedStar Washington Hospital Center; Program Director, Integrated Endocrine Fellowship Program MedStar Washington Hospital Center/MedStar Georgetown University Medical Center; and Professor, Department of Medicine, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, as well as Professor of Medicine of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.  Dr. Burman is celebrated for his countless contributions to the ATA and for supporting and mentoring more than 100 endocrine fellows throughout his career.  Dr. Burman is also recognized for his pioneering research in thyroxine deiodination, T3 conversion in the euthyroid sick syndrome and “polar T3 syndrome”, autoimmunity in Graves’ disease, anti-idiotypic antibodies in thyroid disease, and TSH receptor gene expression. Dr. Burman’s research has recently focused on the pathophysiology, diagnosis and treatment of thyroid cancer.

John C. Morris, III, MD – Distinguished Service Award
The Distinguished Service Award honors a member who has made important and continuing contributions to the American Thyroid Association® (ATA).   Dr. Morris is a Professor of Medicine at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Rochester, MN. Dr Morris’ research is notable for his contributions to our understanding of the sodium iodine symporter and its role in thyroid physiology and pathology. He has also advanced our understanding of its role in the therapy of thyroid cancer and other diseases. Dr. Morris is recognized for his longtime service to ATA, serving on numerous committees, as a member of the Board of Directors, and in officer roles such as Secretary/COO and President.  Dr. Morris has also contributed to ATA’s growth and success over the years and has mentored many ATA members and leaders.

Leonard Wartofsky, MD – John B. Stanbury Thyroid Pathophysiology Medal
The John B. Stanbury Thyroid Pathophysiology Medal recognizes outstanding research contributions, either conceptual or technical, to the understanding of thyroid physiology or the pathophysiology of thyroid disease, as evidenced by having a major impact on research or clinical practice related to thyroid diseases.  Dr. Wartofsky is Professor of Medicine at Georgetown University and the Uniformed Services University and emeritus Chair of Medicine at Washington Hospital Center.  Dr. Wartofsky has significantly contributed to our overall understanding of thyroid diseases and physiology as a researcher and mentor.  He has advanced the field by leading research efforts in the areas of managing hypothyroidism, thyroid nodules, thyroid cancer, and thyroid emergencies. The Burch-Wartofsky scoring system for thyroid storm has become part of our collective lexicon.

“By nominating an extremely talented and successful slate of candidates, the ATA membership made the task of the 2021 Awards Committee, a very difficult one; we hope to be similarly challenged next year and in the years to come,” said Andrew Gianoukakis, MD, Chair of the ATA Awards Committee.

About the American Thyroid Association®
The American Thyroid Association (ATA) is dedicated to transforming thyroid care through clinical excellence, education, scientific discovery and advocacy in a collaborative and diverse community. ATA® is an international professional medical society with over 1,800 members from 43 countries around the world. The ATA® promotes thyroid awareness and information through Clinical Thyroidology® for the Public, a resource that summarizes research for patients and families, and extensive, authoritative resources on thyroid disease and thyroid cancer in both English and Spanish. The ATA® website www.thyroid.org serves as a bonafide clinical resource for patients and the public who look for reliable thyroid-related information.

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• Joanna Klubo-Gwiezdzinska, MD, PhD is a Lasker Tenure Track Investigator and Acting Section Chief: Thyroid Tumors and Functional Thyroid Disorders, Metabolic Diseases Branch of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive Kidney Diseases at the NIH. Klubo-Gwiezdzinska’s research focuses on finding optimal options for diagnosis and treatment of thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer as well as on an understanding of the mechanisms of thyroid cancer response to therapy.  She serves on the Editorial Board for Thyroid journal and is recognized for the 2020 article Targeting Integrins with Radiolabeled RGD Analogues for Radiotheranostics of Metastatic Radioactive Iodine Nonresponsive Thyroid Cancer: New Avenues in Personalized Medicine.
• Spyridoula Maraka, MD, MS is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Maraka’s research focuses on thyroid disorders, mainly hypothyroidism in pregnancy and subclinical hypothyroidism in older adults, with the goal to advance patient-centered, evidence-based endocrine care.  She serves on the Editorial Board for Thyroid journal and is recognized for the 2020 article Clinical Outcomes After Discontinuation of Thyroid Hormone Replacement: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
• Maria Papaleontiou, MD is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology and Diabetes at the University of Michigan Dr. Papaleontiou’s research focuses on evaluating the risks of thyroid hormone overtreatment and misuse in older adults, understanding the role of providers and patients in thyroid hormone use and misuse and how it relates to patient outcomes in the aging population, the role of age and comorbidity in thyroid cancer decision-making and thyroid cancer overdiagnosis and overtreatment. She serves on the Editorial Board for Thyroid journal and is recognized for her publications in Thyroid: Patient Report of Recurrent and Persistent Thyroid Cancer and Too Much of a Good Thing? A Cautionary Tale of Thyroid Cancer Overdiagnosis and Overtreatment.

“Core to the American Thyroid Association’s mission is supporting our members’ career development and fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion in the field.  The Women Advancing Thyroid Research Award is one way that we can recognize not only the role that our members play in advancing research and clinical care, but also their contributions to supporting the American Thyroid Association community.  Drs. Klubo-Gwiezdzinska, Maraka and Papaleontiou are globally recognized experts and we congratulate them on this well-deserved recognition,” said Jacqueline Jonklaas, MD, PhD, ATA’s Secretary. “We wish them continuing success in their careers”.

The American Thyroid Association thanks Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. and the Rosalind Franklin Society, sponsors of this award.

“The Rosalind Franklin Society is thrilled to congratulate these eminent scientists. They bring important attention to the critical contributions of women and multicultural perspectives to the advancement of thyroid research,” Karla Shepard Rubinger, Vice President & Director, Professional Education, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. 

About the American Thyroid Association®
The American Thyroid Association (ATA) is dedicated to transforming thyroid care through clinical excellence, education, scientific discovery and advocacy in a collaborative and diverse community. ATA® is an international professional medical society with over 1,800 members from 43 countries around the world. The ATA® promotes thyroid awareness and information through Clinical Thyroidology® for the Public, a resource that summarizes research for patients and families, and extensive, authoritative resources on thyroid disease and thyroid cancer in both English and Spanish. The ATA® website www.thyroid.org serves as a bonafide clinical resource for patients and the public who look for reliable thyroid-related information.

About Mary Ann Liebert
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research. A complete list of the firm’s more than 90 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on its website.

About the Rosalind Franklin Society
The Rosalind Franklin Society recognizes and celebrates the contributions of outstanding women in the life sciences and affiliated disciplines, promotes broadened opportunities for women in the sciences, and through its many activities motivates new generations of women to this calling.  The Society honors the achievements of Rosalind Franklin (1920-1958), a British x-ray crystallographer whose extraordinary work, though largely overlooked and under-appreciated at the time, was crucial to the discovery of DNA’s structure by James Watson and Francis Crick.

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We’re now accepting abstracts for the 2021 virtual ATA annual meeting, which attracts clinicians and researchers from around the world who look forward to discussing novel and cutting-edge thyroid research. Don’t miss this opportunity to share your work with leading physicians, scientists, and healthcare professionals in the field.

• Autoimmunity
• Disorders of Thyroid Function
• Health Disparities
• Iodine Uptake and Metabolism
• Thyroid and Development
• Thyroid Cancer
• Thyroid Hormone Action
• Thyroid Hormone Metabolism and Regulation
• Thyroid Imaging
• Thyroid Nodules and Goiter

Submit an abstract today!

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If so, apply today!

Dr. Electron Kebebew will transition from his role as Editor-in-Chief of Thyroid® in December 2021. We are now inviting applications for a new Editor-in-Chief for an initial 5-year term, starting in 2022, with preparatory work starting in Fall 2021.  We are seeking an Editor-in-Chief to serve as a global ambassador for Thyroid who will continue to enhance its reputation and growth.  ATA is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion and we encourage all who are interested to apply. Learn more today!

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Click here to register today!

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With more than 56,000 cases of thyroid cancer likely to be diagnosed in the United States in 2012 alone, the incidence of thyroid cancer is increasing faster than any other cancer. Although it is unlikely that radiation exposure is the predominant contributor to this trend, an increase in the use diagnostic x-rays, particularly computed tomography, is widespread and necessitates the protection of the thyroid gland where possible to diminish thyroid cancer risk.

“Increased radiation exposure among both children and adults is of primary concern to the ATA because the thyroid gland is among the most susceptible sites of radiation-induced cancer,” said Dr. Elizabeth Pearce, Board of Directors of the American Thyroid Association. “This policy statement aims to reduce thyroid exposure to medical radiation as a means to reduce the risk of developing cancer of the thyroid gland.”

The first section of the ATA’s policy statement is written for a general audience, while the second section reviews the medical literature supporting the policy. The ATA’s chief conclusions and recommendations are as follows:

1. The risk of thyroid cancer arising from radiation exposure is very strongly dependent on age at exposure. It is only recently that a thyroid cancer risk for exposure after age 15 has been observed. This risk is low, but not absent.
2. For the purposes of public health planning, most experts and organizations assume that the risks for cancer, including thyroid cancer, are reduced proportionately with the dose.
3. The necessity of all diagnostic x-rays should be evaluated before they are performed. This must include the potential risks as well as the potential benefits to the patient. This must also include a consideration of the alternative methods for obtaining the same or related clinical information.
4. Thyroid-protective collars should be used for all dental x-rays when they do not interfere with the examination. Thyroid-protective collars are not needed for screening mammograms.
5. The patient or the patient’s decision maker should be made aware of the potential risks and benefits of radiation in a manner that is understandable to them.
6. Clinicians should be adequately informed about the potential risks of radiation and the general principles of radiation dosimetry, especially as they relate to children and to the thyroid.

To access the statement in its entirety, visit www.thyroid.org.

…………………………

About the American Thyroid Association

The American Thyroid Association (ATA) is the leading worldwide organization dedicated to the advancement, understanding, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of thyroid disorders and thyroid cancer. ATA is an international individual membership organization with over 1,600 members from 43 countries around the world. Celebrating its 89th anniversary, ATA delivers its mission through several key endeavors: the publication of highly regarded monthly journals, THYROID, Clinical Thyroidology and Clinical Thyroidology for Patients; annual scientific meetings; biennial clinical and research symposia; research grant programs for young investigators, support of online professional, public and patient educational programs; and the development of guidelines for clinical management of thyroid disease. Visit www.thyroid.org for more information.

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What is the thyroid gland?

The thyroid gland is a butterfly-shaped endocrine gland that is normally located in the lower front of the neck. The thyroid’s job is to make thyroid hormones, which are secreted into the blood and then carried to every tissue in the body. Thyroid hormone helps the body use energy, stay warm and keep the brain, heart, muscles, and other organs working as they should.

What is Hypothyroidism?

Hypothyroidism is an underactive thyroid gland. Hypothyroidism means that the thyroid gland can’t make enough thyroid hormone to keep the body running normally. People are hypothyroid if they have too little thyroid hormone in the blood. Common causes are autoimmune disease, surgical removal of the thyroid, and radiation treatment.

What are the symptoms?

When thyroid hormone levels are too low, the body’s cells can’t get enough thyroid hormone and the body’s processes start slowing down. As the body slows, you may notice that you feel colder, you tire more easily, your skin is getting drier, you’re becoming forgetful and depressed, and you’ve started getting constipated. Because the symptoms are so variable and non-specific, the only way to know for sure whether you have hypothyroidism is with a simple blood test for TSH.

KEEPING OTHER PEOPLE INFORMED

Tell your family members. Because thyroid disease runs in families, you should explain your hypothyroidism to your relatives and encourage them to get regular TSH tests. Tell your other doctors and your pharmacist about your hypothyroidism and the drug and dose with which it is being treated. If you start seeing a new doctor, tell the doctor that you have hypothyroidism and you need your TSH tested every year. If you are seeing an endocrinologist, ask that copies of your reports be sent to your primary care doctor.

WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT OVER THE LONG TERM?

There is no cure for hypothyroidism, and most patients have it for life. There are exceptions: many patients with viral thyroiditis have their thyroid function return to normal, as do some patients with thyroiditis after pregnancy.

Hypothyroidism may become more or less severe, and your dose of thyroxine may need to change over time. You have to make a lifetime commitment to treatment. But if you take your pills every day and work with your doctor to get and keep your thyroxine dose right, you should be able to keep your hypothyroidism completely controlled throughout your life. Your symptoms should disappear and the serious effects of low thyroid hormone should stop getting worse and should actually improve. If you keep your hypothyroidism well-controlled, it will not shorten your life span.

What causes hypothyroidism?

There can be many reasons why the cells in the thyroid gland can’t make enough thyroid hormone. Here are the major causes, from the most to the least common.

• Autoimmune disease. In some people’s bodies, the immune system that protects the body from invading infections can mistake thyroid gland cells and their enzymes for invaders and can attack them. Then there aren’t enough thyroid cells and enzymes left to make enough thyroid hormone. This is more common in women than men. Autoimmune thyroiditis can begin suddenly or it can develop slowly over years. The most common forms are Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and atrophic thyroiditis.
• Surgical removal of part or all of the thyroid gland. Some people with thyroid nodules, thyroid cancer, or Graves’ disease need to have part or all of their thyroid removed. If the whole thyroid is removed, people will definitely become hypothyroid. If part of the gland is left, it may be able to make enough thyroid hormone to keep blood levels normal.
• Radiation treatment. Some people with Graves’ disease, nodular goiter, or thyroid cancer are treated with radioactive iodine (I-131) for the purpose of destroying their thyroid gland. Patients with Hodgkin’s disease, lymphoma, or cancers of the head or neck are treated with radiation. All these patients can lose part or all of their thyroid function.
• Congenital hypothyroidism (hypothyroidism that a baby is born with). A few babies are born without a thyroid or with only a partly formed one. A few have part or all of their thyroid in the wrong place (ectopic thyroid). In some babies, the thyroid cells or their enzymes don’t work right.
• Thyroiditis. Thyroiditis is an inflammation of the thyroid gland, usually caused by an autoimmune attack or by a viral infection. Thyroiditis can make the thyroid dump its whole supply of stored thyroid hormone into the blood at once, causing brief hyperthyroidism (too much thyroid activity); then the thyroid becomes underactive.
• Medicines. Medicines such as amiodarone, lithium, interferon alpha, and interleukin-2 can prevent the thyroid gland from being able to make hormone normally. These drugs are most likely to trigger hypothyroidism in patients who have a genetic tendency to autoimmune thyroid disease.
• Too much or too little iodine. The thyroid gland must have iodine to make thyroid hormone. Iodine comes into the body in food and travels through the blood to the thyroid. Keeping thyroid hormone production in balance requires the right amount of iodine. Taking in too much iodine can cause or worsen hypothyroidism.
• Damage to the pituitary gland. The pituitary, the “master gland,” tells the thyroid how much hormone to make. When the pituitary is damaged by a tumor, radiation, or surgery, it may no longer be able to give the thyroid instructions and the thyroid may stop making enough hormone.
• Rare disorders that infiltrate the thyroid. In a few people, diseases deposit abnormal substances in the thyroid and impair its ability to function. For example, amyloidosis can deposit amyloid protein, sarcoidosis can deposit granulomas, and hemochromatosis can deposit iron.

How is hypothyroidism diagnosed?

The correct diagnosis of hypothyroidism depends on the following:

• Symptoms. Hypothyroidism doesn’t have any characteristic symptoms. There are no symptoms that people with hypothyroidism always have and many symptoms of hypothyroidism can occur in people with other diseases. One way to help figure out whether your symptoms are due to hypothyroidism is to think about whether you’ve always had the symptom (hypothyroidism is less likely) or whether the symptom is a change from the way you used to feel (hypothyroidism is more likely).
• Medical and family history.You should tell your doctor:
  • about changes in your health that suggest that your body is slowing down;
  • if you’ve ever had thyroid surgery;
  • if you’ve ever had radiation to your neck to treat cancer;
  • if you’re taking any of the medicines that can cause hypothyroidism— amiodarone, lithium, interferon alpha, interleukin-2, and maybe thalidomide;
  • whether any of your family members have thyroid disease.
• Physical exam. The doctor will check your thyroid gland and look for changes such as dry skin, swelling, slower reflexes, and a slower heart rate.
• Blood tests. There are two blood tests that are used in the diagnosis of hypothyroidism.
• TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) test. This is the most important and sensitive test for hypothyroidism. It measures how much of the thyroid hormone thyroxine (T4) the thyroid gland is being asked to make. An abnormally high TSH means hypothyroidism: the thyroid gland is being asked to make more T4 because there isn’t enough T4 in the blood.
• T4 tests. Most of the T4 in the blood is attached to a protein called thyroxine-binding globulin. The “bound” T4 can’t get into body cells. Only about 1%–2% of T4 in the blood is unattached (“free”) and can get into cells. The free T4 and the free T4 index are both simple blood tests that measure how much unattached T4 is in the blood and available to get into cells.

How is hypothyroidism treated?

Thyroxine (T4) replacement.

Hypothyroidism can’t be cured. But in almost every patient, hypothyroidism can be completely controlled. It is treated by replacing the amount of hormone that your own thyroid can no longer make, to bring your T4 and TSH back to normal levels. So even if your thyroid gland can’t work right, T4 replacement can restore your body’s thyroid hormone levels and your body’s function. Synthetic thyroxine pills contain hormone exactly like the T4 that the thyroid gland itself makes. All hypothyroid patients except those with severe myxedema (life-threatening hypothyroidism) can be treated as outpatients, not having to be admitted to the hospital.

Side effects and complications.

The only dangers of thyroxine are caused by taking too little or too much. If you take too little, your hypothyroidism will continue. If you take too much, you’ll develop the symptoms of hyperthyroidism— an overactive thyroid gland. The most common symptoms of too much thyroid hormone are fatigue but inability to sleep, greater appetite, nervousness, shakiness, feeling hot when other people are cold, and trouble exercising because of weak muscles, shortness of breath , and a racing, skipping heart. Patients who have hyperthyroid symptoms at any time during thyroxine replacement therapy should have their TSH tested. If it is low, indicating too much thyroid hormone, their dose needs to be lowered.

Follow-up

You’ll need to have your TSH checked about every 6 to 10 weeks after a thyroxine dose change. You may need tests more often if you’re pregnant or you’re taking a medicine that interferes with your body’s ability to use thyroxine. The goal of treatment is to get and keep your TSH in the normal range. Babies with hypothyroidism must get all their daily treatments and have their TSH levels checked as they grow, to prevent mental retardation and stunted growth. Once you’ve settled into a thyroxine dose, you can return for TSH tests about once a year.

You need to return sooner if any of the following apply to you:

• Your symptoms return or get worse.
• You want to change your thyroxine dose or brand, or change taking your pills with or without food.
• You gain or lose a lot of weight (as little as a 10-pound difference for those who weren’t overweight to begin with).
• You start or stop taking a drug that can interfere with absorbing thyroxine (such as certain antacids, calcium supplements and iron tablets), or you change your dose of such a drug. Medications containing estrogen also impact thyroxine doses, so any change in such a medication should prompt a re-evaluation of your thyroxine dose.
• You’re not taking all your thyroxine pills. Tell your doctor honestly how many pills you’ve missed.
• You want to try stopping thyroxine treatment. If ever you think you’re doing well enough not to need thyroxine treatment any longer, try it only under your doctor’s close supervision. Rather than stopping your pills completely, you might ask your doctor to try lowering your dose. If your TSH goes up, you’ll know that you need to continue treatment.

Further Information

Further details on this and other thyroid-related topics are available in the patient information section on the American Thyroid Association^® website at www.thyroid.org.

Hypothyroidism Brochure for Saving and Printing (PDF File, 458 KB)

Hypothyroidism Brochure for Saving and Printing (PDF File, 193 KB)

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