2013 Annual Meeting of the American Thyroid Association Will Feature the Latest Research Discoveries, Clinical Applications, and Therapeutic Innovations

A diverse community of physicians, researchers, and health care professionals that shares a common interest in expanding their knowledge of the thyroid gland and its disorders will gather October 16-20, 2013, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, to participate in the 83rd Annual Meeting of the American Thyroid Association. They will benefit from a wealth of high-level presentations on the latest research discoveries, clinical applications, and therapeutic innovations, and the opportunity to network with colleagues in a range of disciplines all working to improve the care of individuals with thyroid disease.

The event-filled program spans five days and will feature a lively exchange of ideas and discussions on topics related to thyroidology and the management of benign and malignant thyroid disease. The agenda includes two plenary lectures, symposia, Meet the Professor workshops, lectures by the recipients of the Van Meter, Ingbar, Starr, and Braverman awards, the annual Clark Sawin Historical Vignette, and a Multidisciplinary Tumor Board session. Throughout the conference, attendees will learn of the most up-to-date research and clinical advances through more than 300 abstracts delivered in the form of oral or poster presentations.

The two plenary lectures will be presented by Dr. Arul Chinnaiyan, Hicks Endowed Professor of Pathology at the University of Michigan Medical School, and entitled, “The Application of Integrative Sequencing for Precision Oncology,” and Dr. Sabine Costagliola, Principal Investigator at the Institute of Interdisciplinary Research in Molecular Human Biology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, entitled “Embryonic Stem Cell Differentiation into a Functioning Thyroid Gland.”

Dr. Ronald Koenig, will deliver the Sidney H. Ingbar Award Lecture, “PAX8-PPARgamma Fusion Protein. The Lewis E. Braverman Award Lecture, entitled “Enhancing Iodide Transport in Thyroid & Breast Cancer,” will be presented by Dr. Gregory A. Brent, and Dr. Anthony Weetman, will speak on “Thyroid Autoimmunity at 60: Where Next?” when he delivers the Paul Starr Award Lecture.

Symposia and Clinical Lecture topics will include Management of Pediatric Thyroid Nodules and Cancer, Weird TFT’s, Their Interpretation and Management, Molecular Underpinnings of Thyroid Cancer Development and Growth, and Early Stages of Thyroid Autoimmunity.

“We have a very exciting line-up of outstanding plenary talks, symposia, grand rounds-style discussions, and meet-the-professor practical sessions at this year’s meeting,” says Bryan R. Haugen, M.D., President of the ATA and Professor of Medicine and Pathology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora. “We also have more than 250 abstracts of original research that will be presented in oral and poster sessions. These include cutting-edge studies on whole genome sequencing applied to thyroid nodules and cancer, how key thyroid enzymes in fat affect diet-induced obesity, the association between two commonly used anti-thyroid drugs and birth defects, advances in turning stem cells into functioning thyroids, novel genes that are associated with common autoimmune thyroid disorders, how maternal hypothyroidism affects structural development of the baby’s brain, promises and challenges of new targeted therapies in advanced thyroid cancer, and urine iodine levels in bottle-fed babies, just to name a few.”

Source: The American Thyroid Association