ENDO 2016 will celebrate century of achievements; latest research

The Endocrine Society’s annual meeting this year will celebrate a century of success, featuring the latest research in diabetes, obesity, bone and hormone health while honoring the groundbreaking discoveries of Nobel-prize winning endocrinologists over the past 100 years.

ENDO 2016, the Endocrine Society’s 98^th Annual Meeting & Expo, will bring approximately 9,000 society members to the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center from April 1 to 4 to hear from global experts in the field and connect with peers. This year’s schedule includes nearly 200 sessions and 2,000 posters over 4 days, along with special centennial symposia and new science pathways sessions.

“We spent an enormous amount of time trying to make sure that the meeting has value for all of the constituents in our society — the basic scientists and those who are clinical scientists,” Carol Wysham, MD, chair of the society’s annual meeting steering committee, said in an interview. “We have new science coming out in all the different fields, with at least half related to clinically relevant areas. We strive to get the best speakers available to present more of a case-based presentation to help those who attend have cutting-edge [information] in 72 different areas in endocrinology.”

Carol Wysham

Some of the meeting highlights include the following:

Preconference events taking place Thursday, March 31, will feature diabetes care and management, an obesity management workshop and a hands-on thyroid ultrasound workshop, along with a daylong Early Career Forum offering professional development for postdoctoral fellows, clinical fellows, and medical and graduate students.

Plenary sessions this year will be thematically grouped around Nobel prizes awarded in endocrinology, in honor of the society’s centennial theme. Topics encompass breakthroughs in diabetes, preservation of female fertility, clinical advances in adrenal disease and new approaches to treating osteoporosis. “More than almost any [other] year, the plenaries marry clinically based talk with a more basic talk,” Wysham said. “It’s a good opportunity for attendees not only to see what’s being discovered in the fields, but to gain some very practical information. Each session has both basic and clinical information.”

New Science Pathway sessions will offer deeper insight into G-protein coupled receptors, neuroendocrinology and nuclear receptors.

A Centennial Wall will also feature the greatest achievements in endocrinology over the past 100 years, from the discovery of insulin through the birth of the world’s first test-tube baby.

Lynn Loriaux , MD, PhD, will present the Clack T. Sawin Memorial History of Endocrinology Lecture, the Endocrine Society’s annual reflection on the history of the field. Loriaux will speak Saturday, April 2, at 11:30 a.m.

This year’s meeting will offer more ways for attendees to earn maintenance of certification by attending the preconference workshops sessions, practice guideline sessions and other select sessions, Wysham said. The Endocrine Society will also launch a free, interactive clinical practice guideline app during the meeting, featuring diabetes and obesity guidelines clinicians can use with patients at the point of care.

The Endocrine Today and Healio.com staff will provide coverage from ENDO 2016, including reports on the sessions, onsite video interviews and much more. For more information on the ENDO agenda and registration, visit www.endocrine.org/endo-2016. – by Regina Schaffer