Spyridoula Maraka, MD, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences & Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System – WIT Chair

Spyridoula Maraka, MD, MS is a Clinician-Scientist and Chief of the Endocrine Section at the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System. She is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and serves as the Program Director of the endocrinology fellowship program.

Dr. Maraka graduated summa cum laude from the University of Athens Medical School, Greece. She pursued postgraduate research training at the Division of Endocrinology at Northwestern University. She completed residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Connecticut and fellowship in Endocrinology at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester. She obtained a master’s degree in Clinical and Translational Science from Mayo Clinic College of Medicine.

Dr. Maraka’s research is supported by intramural funding and is focused on thyroid disorders, mainly hypothyroidism and levothyroxine overuse, with the goal to advance patient-centered, evidence-based endocrine care. She is a Task Force member of the 2026 ATA Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Thyroid Disease During Preconception, Pregnancy, and the Postpartum Period. Dr. Maraka has lectured nationally and internationally, published over 100 papers and book chapters, and received numerous honors and awards in recognition of her academic and research activities, including the 2020 Women Advancing Thyroid Research award by the ATA.

Dr. Maraka is an Endocrine Society Guideline Methodologist and a member of the Clinical Affairs Core Committee. She has been a member of the ATA since 2013. She has previously served as a member of the Women in Thyroidology Task Force and the Clinical Affairs Committee and co-chair of the Guidelines and Statements Committee. She is a reviewer for several high impact journals and serves on the Editorial Board of Thyroid.

As WIT Chair, Dr. Maraka will contribute to its initiatives and foster an environment which supports other women in the field of Thyroidology to achieve their goals.

Amy Chen, MD, City of Hope Cancer Center – WIT Chair-elect

Amy Y. Chen, MD, MPH, MBA, FACS is Chief of Surgery and Director of Thyroid Oncology at the City of Hope Cancer Center in Atlanta, Georgia. Her expertise is in thyroid and parathyroid surgery. She was Director of Health Services Research in the Department of Surveillance and Health Policy Research of the American Cancer Society. She currently serves on the Board of the Asian Pacific Institute on Gender Based Violence, and the Partnership for Southern Equity.

Dr. Chen has been instrumental in developing a team approach to patient care. Her primary focus of research is in measuring outcomes of oncology treatment as well as measuring determinants of successful outcomes of care. Dr. Chen’s research agenda is to create a multi-disciplinary, multi-site center dedicated to health services research, outcomes, and quality of care. Her secondary focus of research is directed toward translational research of head and neck and thyroid malignancies.

Dr. Chen completed a residency in Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine and a fellowship in Head and Neck Surgical Oncology at the MD Anderson Cancer Center, both in Houston, Texas.

She is board certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology and holds a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Texas School of Public Health and a Master of Business Administration at Goizueta Business School at Emory. Dr. Chen has received numerous awards and honors, including the Helen F. Krause, MD Trailblazer Award, Emory Eminent Physician Award, the Margaret Butler Award for Outstanding Mentor of Women Head and Neck Surgeons, Emory School of Medicine Excellence in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award, Top Atlanta Doctor, Gussack Memorial Award for Teaching, Percy Memorial Research Award, the Rande Lazar Health Services Research Award, the American Head and Neck Society Scholarship Award, and The Women’s Fund for Health, Education and Research Grant. She is married and is a mother of two adult daughters. She misses her recently deceased rescue yellow Labrador retriever.

Laura Boucai, MD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center –  WIT Past Chair

Laura Boucai, MD is a Clinical Member at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and an Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College. She graduated with honors from Universidad de Buenos Aires, completed her Internal Medicine Residency at Cornell and an Endocrinology Fellowship at Albert Einstein College of Medicine where she joined the faculty soon after. Her research interests have focused on thyroid cancer biology. Surrounded by a multidisciplinary team of basic scientists, pathologists, medical oncologists and radiologists at Memorial Sloan Kettering, she studies the genomic and transcriptomic landscape of thyroid cancer to attempt to find new therapeutic strategies for the most advanced forms of the disease. Her current research efforts concentrate on describing the genomic profile of tumors susceptible to RAI therapy and understanding the role of clonal hematopoiesis in thyroid cancer. Dr. Boucai is an active member of the Endocrine Society where she serves on the Annual Meeting Steering Committee for ENDO2026. She is also Secretary and serves on the board of the International Thyroid Oncology Group (ITOG) and has been appointed chair of the Corporate Leadership Council within ITOG. The American Thyroid Association (ATA) has been her professional home. She has had multiple roles within the ATA including member of the Surgical Affairs committee, member and Chair of the Nominating Committee, Co-chair of the ATA Spring Symposium 2020, and Co-chair of the ATA Leadership Course that she continues to co-lead. She is on the editorial board of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism and she is an Associate Editor of Frontiers in Endocrinology. Dr Boucai is a strong advocate for national and international trainees interested in thyroidology. Her bicultural background and strong commitment to education allows her to bridge knowledge gaps locally and in developing countries and expand the professional network of collaborators. As Past-Chair of WIT, Dr. Boucai hopes to continue to contribute to its crucial mission of engaging and supporting women’s professional growth in the field of thyroidology.

Naifa Busaidy, MD, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Naifa Busaidy is Tenured Professor at University of Texas–MD Anderson Cancer Center. Clinical & research expertise/interests are primarily focused-driven to improve outcomes in advanced thyroid carcinomas patients.

Dr. Busaidy attended Baylor College of Medicine medical school, residency and fellowship with research fellowship-UT MD Anderson to advance her clinical/research knowledge in Endocrine Tumors. She joined the UTMDACC faculty where she serves on committees & directs thyroid nodule clinic.

She serves as PI/Co-PI of NCI and industry trials with aims to identify molecular mechanisms of disease progression and targets for improving response to therapy. She serves on NCCN Thyroid Cancer Guidelines, NCI’s PI3K/mTOR taskforce and advisory boards/consultant for oncology groups/industry to shape the treatment spectrum of thyroid cancer.

She has published extensively on thyroid cancer/Endocrine effects of cancer therapy and sits on various guidelines committees. She serves on the boards of both International Thyroid Oncology Group (ITOG) and American Thyroid Association (ATA). She also serves several endocrine societies, where she served on various committees, including: program, research grant and awards committees and is a fellow of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinology (AACE).

Julie Chen, MD is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Division of Endocrinology at Stanford University where she specializes in thyroid disease with a focus on thyroid cancer.

Dr. Chen earned her medical degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and completed her internal medicine residency at the University of California, San Diego. Following her residency, Dr. Chen pursued an endocrinology fellowship at Stanford University and later joined the faculty. In addition to her clinical practice, Dr. Chen is deeply committed to medical education and mentorship. She currently serves as the Program Director for the Stanford Endocrinology Fellowship Program.

Dr. Chen has held numerous leadership roles in national professional organizations, including the American Thyroid Association (ATA), the Association of Program Directors in Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolism (APDEM), and the Endocrine Society. Within the ATA, she serves on the Trainee and Career Advancement Committee, focusing on initiatives that support trainees and early-career physicians. In recognition of her dedication to endocrine fellowship education, she was elected to the APDEM council and previously served as Chair of the Membership Recruitment Committee. Within the Endocrine Society, Dr. Chen is on the Clinical Endocrine Education Committee and the steering committee for the Endocrine Cancers Special Interest Group.

Dr. Chen looks forward to continuing efforts to support women in the field of thyroidology and to foster a welcoming professional community.

Julie Hallanger Johnson, M.D., is a board-certified endocrinologist with expertise in endocrine tumors and endocrine cancer.

Dr. Hallanger Johnson attended medical school at the University of North Dakota. She obtained training in internal medicine and fellowship training in endocrinology, nutrition, and metabolism at Mayo Clinic Rochester.

Dr. Hallanger Johnson’s clinical practice focuses on the treatment of patients with endocrine tumors and endocrine cancers. She has experience in clinical trials for endocrine cancers and is interested in creating new and efficient pathways of care for patients with endocrine problems.