Abstract
We are delighted that the 91st Annual Meeting of the American Thyroid Association (ATA) is almost here! On behalf of the annual meeting program committee, we are excited to welcome you and your guests to the first in-person ATA annual meeting since 2019, following a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The meeting will be held at the Palais des Congrès de Montréal in beautiful Montreal, Canada, during October 19–23, 2022.
The program committee, comprising experts across all thyroid disciplines from around the globe, has worked diligently throughout the past year to develop an engaging program highlighting the most recent advances in basic, translational, and clinical thyroidology. We have planned an exciting spectrum of topics and speakers, while centering on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and amplifying participation from early career faculty.
This year's scientific program will feature several scintillating sessions reflecting the depth and breadth of thyroidology, including plenary lectures, symposia, meet-the-professor discussions, and debates. In addition, we are delighted to debut the inaugural women in thyroidology (WIT) plenary featuring Jennifer Sipos, MD, who will discuss her research, as well as her role in leadership, DEI vision, and experiences. The WIT plenary will be followed by a panel discussion with women from diverse backgrounds and career trajectories. We welcome you to join in these exciting sessions, as WIT celebrates its 20-year anniversary this year.
The premeeting activities will start on Wednesday morning with the ATA advanced endocrine neck ultrasound course cochaired by Kevin Brumund, MD, and Susan Mandel, MD, running parallel to the E. Chester Ridgway trainee conference for clinical, surgical, pediatric endocrine, and basic science trainees. On Thursday morning, the opening session will highlight the most significant recent developments and advances in basic, clinical, and surgical thyroidology during the past year featuring three leading experts in the field: Alexandra Dumitrescu, MD, PhD; Angela Leung, MD, MSc; and Kepal Patel, MD.
This year's keynote plenary lecture will be delivered on Thursday morning by Stephen J. Chanock, MD, director of the division of cancer epidemiology and genetics at the National Cancer Institute, a leading expert in the discovery and characterization of cancer susceptibility regions in the human genome. His highly anticipated lecture is entitled: “Radiation-Related Genomic Profile of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma After the Chernobyl Accident.” Friday morning's distinguished plenary lecture will feature Dr. Michael Tuttle who will discuss “Precision Thyroid Care: Avoiding Over- and Under-Treatment of Thyroid Cancer.”
In anticipation of the upcoming revised ATA guidelines on thyroid nodules, cochaired by Susan Mandel, MD, and Lisa Orloff, MD, and on differentiated thyroid cancer, cochaired by Julie Ann Sosa, MD, and Matthew Ringel, MD, the Arthur Bauman Clinical Symposium will offer a sneak peek into changes on the horizon and highlight the main forthcoming recommendations on these topics.
Also, of particular interest is the symposium highlighting disparities in access to care for patients with thyroid disease and cancer; this symposium will address barriers to optimal thyroid disease management in pregnancy by Elizabeth Pearce, MD, disparities in access to high-volume surgeons and specialized care by Michael Yeh, MD, and strategies for overcoming barriers to specialty care for thyroid disease and cancer by Megan Haymart, MD. Additional cutting-edge symposia will be offered throughout the program focusing on exciting topics such as novel animal models of thyroid disease, tumor/immune environment in thyroid cancer, understanding sex-based differences in thyroid disease, the impact of endocrine disruptors on thyroid disease, and thyroid cancer survivorship.
As is tradition, the ATA will announce the recipient of the 2022 Van Meter Award at the meeting to recognize an investigator who is not older than the age of 45 years for their outstanding contributions to research on the thyroid gland or related subjects, and who will also deliver the Van Meter Award Lecture. In addition, our named lecture series this year will feature outstanding leaders in thyroidology, including this year's recipient of the Valerie Anne Galton Distinguished Lectureship Award, Nancy Carrasco, MD, the recipient of the Lewis E. Braverman Lectureship Award, David S. Cooper, MD, and the recipient of the Sidney H. Ingbar Distinguished Lectureship Award, Yun-Bo Shi, PhD.
The ATA will also present the 2022 John B. Stanbury Thyroid Pathophysiology Medal to Gregory A. Brent, MD, the distinguished service award to Julie Ann Sosa, MD, MA, FACS, and the woman of the year award to Regina Castro, MD. The annual Clark T. Sawin Historical Vignette Lecture this year will be on neonatal screening for congenital hypothyroidism.
In addition to the thought-provoking plenaries and symposia, this year's program will showcase a wide variety of interactive meet-the-professor discussions and debates that will explore numerous exciting topics. Some highlighted topics include iodide prophylaxis and nuclear exposure, screening for thyroid dysfunction in pregnancy, management of thyroid cancer after lobectomy, minimally invasive procedures for thyroid nodules and cancer, and a debate on thyroxine/triiodothyronine combination therapy in the management of hypothyroidism. New to this year's program, and aiming to provoke lively discussion, will be an interactive session focusing on interesting benign thyroid clinical cases.
Every year at the annual meeting, the oral abstracts and poster presentations provide an excellent opportunity to enhance exposure for early career faculty and trainees, share the latest research developments and updates in clinical care, and promote dialogue between colleagues across career trajectories. The program will also highlight presentations by five recent ATA research grant recipients showcasing work in basic, translational, and clinical thyroidology.
We encourage your active participation and engagement in these sessions as the work presented ultimately moves the needle forward in thyroid science and patient care. Also, do not miss the Thyroid Cancer Tumor Board on the final day of the meeting, which will be moderated by Laura Boucai, MD, and where challenging and interesting cases will be discussed by a distinguished multidisciplinary slate of panelists.
Back by popular demand, this year will feature both surgical and pediatric symposia, showcasing leading advances in their respective fields aimed at facilitating multidisciplinary discussion through lectures, case presentations, and abstract highlights. The surgical symposium on Saturday morning will comprise sessions focusing on difficult benign thyroid cases and on cases requiring reoperation for thyroid cancer, as well as a discussion on the impact of the revised nomenclature known as “noninvasive follicular thyroid neoplasm with papillary-like nuclear features” on patient management.
The pediatric symposium will take place on Sunday morning and feature sessions on the management of pediatric Graves' disease and thyroid dysfunction in genetic syndromes, as well as the Pediatric Tumor Board led by eminent pediatric endocrinologists.
In addition to excellent scientific and patient care-oriented content, this year's program will also offer ample opportunities for attendees to network and unwind, including the opening welcome reception on Wednesday evening, the DEI networking session on Thursday afternoon, and the ATA attendee meeting party on Friday night.
Finally, known as the cultural capital of Canada, cosmopolitan Montreal offers a magnificent environment to get together for the 91st ATA annual meeting. We look forward to seeing you in Montreal for a few days of cutting-edge science and updates in clinical care, exchange of ideas, networking, collaboration, and fun!