ENDO 2017 offers latest research, cutting-edge science at annual meeting

The Endocrine Society’s annual meeting will once again bring together the latest research in endocrine science and medicine, offering basic, translational and clinical research across the subspecialties ranging from diabetes and obesity to transgender issues and hormone health.

ENDO 2017, the Endocrine Society’s 99th Annual Meeting & Expo, will bring approximately 7,500 society members to the Orange County Convention Center from April 1 to 4 to hear from global experts in the field and connect with peers. This year’s schedule includes more than 300 sessions in 24 tracks and 2,000 posters over 4 days, along with special symposia, debates and popular “meet the experts” opportunities.

“One important thing that sets this meeting apart is the presence of at least three constituencies in the arena at the same time,” Ann Danoff, MD, chief of medical service at the CPL Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center in Philadelphia and the meeting’s clinical chair, told Endocrine Today. “I think a lot of us are strong believers that the best way to move biomedical science and clinical care forward is to create an environment that encourages exchange between cliniciansm translational and basic science investigators, and policy makers, because it is important for moving science and health care forward.”

Ann Danoff

Some of this year’s meeting highlights include the following:

Plenary sessions: This year’s presidential plenary “The Influence of the Microbiome in Childhood,” taking place Saturday, April 1, will explore gut microbiota and childhood undernutrition, as well as early life microbiota and physiologic development. Other plenary topics include “Coming of Age in the Teenage Brain” and “Oxytocin and the Biology of Attachment.”
“I would encourage people to go to the plenary sessions,” Danoff said in an interview. “If you really want to do what endocrine does so beautifully, and that is let you think from bench to bedside and keep your imagination open, I think the plenaries are fabulous for that.”
Early career opportunities: Preconference events taking place Friday, March 31, include the EndoCareers Early Career Forum, providing student, fellow and postdoc members an in-depth look at career opportunities in endocrinology.
“We have an entire training and development program, as well as an early career program, organized by and for trainees and early career professionals,” Gary Hammer, MD, PhD, director of the endocrine oncology program at the University of Michigan and chair of the annual meeting’s steering committee, told Endocrine Today. “It includes everything from optimizing mentor/mentee relationships to salary negotiations. Aside from that, the trainees get to meet leaders in the field. It’s one of the perhaps less well-defined benefits of the meeting — the networking that goes on and the relationships that we make professionally.”
Science Pathways: The popular “Science Pathways” sessions return this year, including sessions grouped within specific topics to allow for an easy-to-follow lineup. This year’s science pathways, running throughout the meeting, are focused on G-protein-coupled receptors, neuroendocrinology and nuclear receptors.
Endocrine surgery joint sessions: This year, the American Association of Endocrine Surgeons will hold their 38th annual meeting concurrent with the Endocrine Society, offering a unique, collaborative opportunity with several joint sessions on topics including endocrine tumors, Hammer said.
“One of the platforms I have been very interested in supporting is pushing the interface of endocrinology with other disciplines and trying to showcase the multi-disciplinary nature of our field,” Hammer said. “Endocrinology is at the root of that. This year, we partnered with the American Association of Endocrine Surgeons, who are meeting at the same time, to present some joint sessions that are pertinent to both groups.”
Guideline deep dives : “Beyond the Guidelines” sessions will offer attendees opportunities to hear moderated discussions among international experts on challenging clinical cases encountered in an office practice that may not be resolved with certainty by recently released guidelines. Additionally, clinical practice guideline “curbside consultations” will offer meeting attendees a chance to pose tough questions to the guideline chairs.

“We really have something for everybody,” Hammer said. “The challenge is some people may feel the meeting is too big ... but I feel the meeting has a lot to offer. This meeting is big enough that you can go and have, in a sense, a meeting within a meeting. We try to cluster individual topic areas that allow for a more intimate setting for attendees in a given area of science or clinical care.”

Danoff, a former fellowship program director, said the meeting also offers unique opportunities for attendees who may be early in their career.

Gary Hammer

“I still have very deep, carved-on-my-brain memories of being a young attendee at these meetings 30 years ago,” Danoff said. “The awe at being able to be in the room and learn first-hand, in person from the people whose papers you’re reading is really very special. The senior members are deeply committed to bringing junior members along through the ranks. They’re very accessible to the junior members, and that person-to-person relationship has a very strong impact.”

This year’s meeting also offers ways for attendees to earn maintenance of certification by attending the preconference workshops sessions, practice guideline sessions and other select sessions.

The Endocrine Today and Healio.com staff will provide coverage from ENDO 2017, including reports on the sessions described above and others, onsite video interviews and much more. For more information on the ENDO agenda and registration, visit www.endocrine.org/endo-2017. – by Regina Schaffer