Endocrine Society highlights year of achievements, advocacy efforts

ORLANDO, Fla. — The Endocrine Society is celebrating a year of pivotal accomplishments at its 99th annual meeting, including expanded education efforts, victories in clinical advocacy and pushing for legislative reforms on a national and global scale.

In opening remarks, Henry M. Kronenberg, MD, president of the Endocrine Society and chief of the endocrine unit at Massachusetts General Hospital, highlighted some of the important efforts the society has worked on in 2016 and goals for 2017:

Henry M. Kronenberg

Endocrine disrupting chemical policies: The society has worked hard to influence global policies with relation to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), Kronenberg said. At the end of 2016, the society’s European Union EDC task force successfully implemented a strategy to work with individual EU member states to block a vote on a European Commission proposal that members did not support. “A new proposal was then released, and we organized task force members to meet with their representatives in Brussels to make sure the latest science was used to guide policy,” Kronenberg said. “In addition, we’re working with the United Nations to guide the regulation of chemicals and endocrine disruptors.”
Clinical advocacy: The society continues to serve as an advocate for diabetes prevention, coverage and treatment, Kronenberg said, and works closely with the bipartisan diabetes caucus in Congress, which helped expand screenings for prediabetes and access to diabetes technologies. “We also support our clinician members during the transition to the new Medicare physician payment system,” he said.
Push for reforms: The society has shared its our core principles for health reform with the Trump administration and with the U.S. Congress with respect to the Affordable Care Act, Kronenberg said. The society has also launched an online advocacy campaign and visited congressional offices to discuss concerns. The society has also voiced its concern regarding a U.S. executive order that bans travel and immigration to the United States from certain countries, Kronenberg said. “These potential orders have wide and negative repercussions for the staffing of American hospitals, for the free exchange of ideas, for progress in medical research and for the care of our patients from all over the world,” Kronenberg said. “While we must be careful not to take partisan positions, we do have expertise in endocrine care and research, and we have an obligation to speak out to the government when these activities are threatened. We’ll continue to make our views clear in various settings … and we’ve worked to accommodate the needs of Endocrine Society members from the countries potentially affected by the government policy to be sure they can come to ENDO in Orlando.”
Fight for funding: Increased funding from the NIH continues to be a top policy priority, particularly considering proposed budget cuts by the Trump administration, Kronenberg said. “The advocacy of our membership has been critically important in dealing with this problem,” he said. “The Endocrine Society has members in every congressional district, so we need help from all of our members to maximize our impact.”
Journal news: This year, the society has partnered with Oxford University Press to expand journal access in more institutions around the world; this year also marks the centennial anniversary of the journal Endocrinology. In January, the society also launched Journal of the Endocrine Society, an open access journal led by former Endocrine Society president Larry Jameson, MD. “Starting a new journal is a daring enterprise … but early signs indicate that this editorial team is succeeding in an impressive way,” Kronenberg said.
March for Science: The society will join other organizations in the upcoming March for Science in April, a global grass roots effort to support science and science funding. Visit the society’s site at www.endocrine.org/marchforscience to learn more about this effort, or visit the ENDO booth for more information. – by Regina Schaffer

Disclosures: Kronenberg is president of the Endocrine Society.