Maria Papaleontiou, MD

Chair’s Corner – February 2023

Dear ATA Women in Thyroidology Colleagues and Supporters,

Happy new year! It is an honor to serve as the 2022-2023 Chair of Women in Thyroidology (WIT), an all-inclusive community aiming 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 through advocacy and empowerment.

It was wonderful to network with so many colleagues and friends at our 2022 annual ATA meeting in Montreal and celebrate the 20-year anniversary of WIT. We had a very energizing and engaging WIT session, including a plenary talk from Dr. Jennifer Sipos, followed by a panel discussion with women representing various specialties and career stages regarding their career trajectories/overcoming barriers, and the role of mentorship, sponsorship and allyship in achieving gender equity. We had a very successful year overall, and WIT’s accomplishments are celebrated in this recently published editorial in Thyroid: Celebrating 20 Years of Women in Thyroidology in the American Thyroid Association, timed to highlight International Women’s Day on March 8th.

I am pleased to share that we will be continuing our virtual Coffee Hour/Webinar Series with the next event planned on March 21, 2023, from 1-2 pm EDT. This hour will focus on “The lives of women thyroidologists around the world” and will feature Drs. Denise Carvalho (Brazil), Haixia Guan (China), Rebecca Sippel (U.S.A.) and Christine Spitzweg (Germany). The discussion will be moderated by Drs. Gabriela Brenta and Naifa Busaidy. I invite everyone to register today to join this exciting discussion and support the mission of WIT. Registration for ATA members is complimentary.

We would like to congratulate several dynamic and exceptional women who won awards at the recent ATA annual meeting: M. Regina Castro, MD (Past WIT President), who received the Woman of the Year Award; Nancy Carrasco, MD, MS, who received the Valerie Anne Galton Lectureship Award; and Julie Ann Sosa, MD, MS (ATA President) who received the Distinguished Service Award. We would also like to congratulate two early-career women, Piyasuda Pukkanasut, MS, and Elisa Pasqual, MD, PhD, who received the Women Advancing Thyroid Research Award at the Montreal Annual Meeting. I would like to continue to encourage our ATA colleagues to nominate highly qualified and deserving women for ATA awards and leadership positions, as we work towards diversity, equity and inclusion. Awards nominations are due March 31st.

Furthermore, I also want to urge you to consider a contribution to the Valerie Anne Galton Fund currently at 55% of its fundraising goal, which supports the Valerie Anne Galton Distinguished Lectureship Award, the first ATA award named in honor of a woman. Dr. Valerie Anne Galton is a pioneer with outstanding contributions to the field of thyroidology and a role model to women worldwide.

Finally, I wanted to extend my warmest congratulations to our Chair-Elect, Dr. Naifa Busaidy, and thank our talented WIT council, the ATA leadership and staff and the ATA community as a whole for your support and excitement in promoting WIT’s mission. If you are interested in volunteering for a WIT workgroup, please let me or Carrie Prewitt know.

Warmest regards,

Maria Papaleontiou, MD
Chair, ATA Women in Thyroidology 2022-2023