Spyridoula Maraka, MD, MS

Women in Thyroidology Chair’s Corner – February 2026

Dear ATA Women in Thyroidology colleagues and supporters,

Happy New Year! It is an honor to serve as the 2025-2026 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 2025 annual ATA meeting in Scottsdale and celebrate the 22-year anniversary of WIT. We had a very energizing and engaging WIT session, including a panel discussion for Educating the Next Generation of Thyroidologists.

Under the leadership of our past Chair, Dr. Laura Boucai, the past year was marked by exceptional accomplishments. We hosted two complimentary ATA Leadership Series webinars, culminating in the highly engaging workshop, “The Art & Science of Leading Through Pressure: Conflict, Change & Culture in Modern Medicine.” The WIT Council also proudly nominated numerous deserving colleagues for ATA awards, recognizing their outstanding contributions to advancing thyroid research and patient care.

We would like to congratulate several dynamic and exceptional women who won awards at the recent ATA annual meeting: Angela M. Leung, MD, who received the WIT Woman of the Year Award; Susan J. Mandel, MD, MPH, who received the Lewis E. Braverman Distinguished Lectureship Award; and Kristien Boelaert, MD, PhD, who received the Valerie Anne Galton Distinguished Lectureship Award. We would also like to congratulate two early-career women, Sarinya Wongsanit, PhD student and Lama Alzoebie, MBBS, who received the Women Advancing Thyroid Research Award at the 2025 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 February 28th.

Furthermore, I also want to urge you to consider a contribution to the Valerie Anne Galton Fund currently at 69% 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. Julie Chen, and thank our talented WIT group, 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,

Spyridoula Maraka, MD, MS

Chair, ATA Women in Thyroidology 2025-2026