ATA VOLUME 11SignalSignal NO. 2, AUGUST 2008 THE NEWSLETTER OF THE AMERICAN THYROID ASSOCIATION Regional Thyroid Cancer Workshop Presents President’s Message Guidelines for Managing Thyroid Cancer The ATA 2008 Spring The ATA hosted the first in a series Guidelines in Clinical Practice,” took place Symposium, of regional workshops to present the on July 11-12, 2008 at the Boston Park “Cardiovas- latest recommendations Plaza Hotel in Boston. cular and in thyroid clinical care The evidence-based Metabolic through the discussion guidelines, developed by Issues in of the ATA’s guidelines an ATA task force headed Patients for patients with thyroid by David Cooper, were with Thyroid Dysfunction: nodules and differentiated published in Thyroid in Implications for Treating thyroid cancer. The two- 2006. They are actively Hypo- or Hyperthyroidism” day workshop, “Frontiers being updated and and associated Research in Thyroid Cancer: ATA continued on page 8 Summit took place in Washington, DC during the peak of the National Cherry ATA Spring Symposium Highlights Cardiovascular Blossom Festival. and Metabolic Issues in Thyroid Disease Patients The Symposium, organized by Reed Larsen Thyroid issues arising and John Baxter, was directed experts met to in patients towards endocrinologists, share the latest with mild to internists and other health information on severe thyroid care providers who treat cardiovascular dysfunction, thyroid disease. It featured and metabolic from both a presentations on the issues associated pathophysio- clinical consequences of with thyroid logical, as well continued on page 2 disease at Meeting Participants listen to a presentation at the as a therapeutic the ATA’s ATA Spring Symposium. perspective,” IN THIS ISSUE Spring Symposium, “Cardiovascular and said Reed Larsen, MD, meeting program ATA Member News Metabolic Issues in Patients with Thyroid co-chair and a Professor of Medicine at Page 2 Dysfunction: Implications for treating Harvard Medical School and Clinical Hypo- or Hyperthyroidism.” The day-long Director of the Thyroid Section at Boston’s In Memoriam scientific meeting took place on March 28 Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Pages 3–4 in Washington, DC. The speakers covered a host of significant Editor's Corner “The symposium addressed the most topics, including lipid alterations in Page 3 common metabolic and cardiovascular continued on page 4 Secretary/COO’s Report Page 5 Important ATA Member Notices Annual Fund Donors Click here to register for “Frontiers in Thyroid Cancer: ATA Guidelines in Clinical Practice” Page 6 Click here to register online for the ATA Annual Meeting — ATA New Members http://www.thyroid.org/ann_mtg/2008_79th/registration.html Page 7 ATA Member News Larsen Receives The Endocrine Society Koch Award P. Reed Larsen, professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and clinical director of the Thyroid Section at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital, received the prestigious Fred Conrad Koch Award, the highest honor bestowed by The Endocrine Society in recognition of exceptional contributions to endocrinology. ATA Signal Kloos Honored with OSU Clinical Excellence Award Richard T. Kloos, co-director, The Ohio State University Thyroid Cancer Unit, Editor and secretary/chief operating officer of the ATA, received the 2008 Clinical Excellence Matthew D. Ringel, MD Award. The award was presented in recognition of providing superior clinical care Managing Editor towards patients and families through demonstrating clinical knowledge and compassion, Barbara (Bobbi) R. Smith, CAE facilitating teamwork among multidisciplinary teams, developing innovative approaches that Contributing Editor contribute to the improvement of the quality and the cost-effectiveness of patient care, and Jennifer Reising demonstrating excellent leadership skills. Officers and Directors 2007–2008 President President’s Message, continued from front page Rebecca S. Bahn, MD (2007–2008) thyroid hormone deficiency and excess, including lipid alterations, body weight changes, Rochester, Minnesota cardiovascular disease and osteopenia, and discussed innovative uses of thyroid hormone Secretary/Chief Operating Officer and its analogues. These talks will soon be available by streaming video on the ATA website. Richard T. Kloos, MD The Research Summit, held on the preceding afternoon, was organized by Tony Bianco and (2007–2011) included state-of-the-art talks on thyroid hormone signaling, deiodination and metabolic rate Columbus, Ohio in health and disease, and thyroid hormone receptor (TR) isoforms and metabolic control. Treasurer David H. Sarne, MD The Summit was attended by interested scientists and representatives from the NIH who (2007–2011) participated in a subsequent roundtable on funding opportunities in this area. Chicago, Illinois The Spring Symposium and Research Summit were inspired by recent scientific President-Elect advances surrounding thyroid hormone as a key metabolic player that might be harnessed Kenneth D. Burman, MD for therapeutic benefit. The promise of thyroid hormone as a treatment for metabolic (2007–2008) Washington, DC disease has been, in the past, frustrated largely by its pleotropic actions in multiple tissues Directors that result in unacceptable side-effects, such as osteopenia and atrial fibrillation. Recent David S. Cooper, MD (2008) discoveries, including the manipulation of specific iodothyroidine deiodinases to alter Gilbert H. Daniels, MD (2008) thyroid hormone signaling and the designing of TRβ selective ligands, will overcome this Steven I. Sherman, MD (2008) Matthew D. Ringel, MD (2009) obstacle and lead to the development of powerful new therapeutic agents to the benefit Mary H. Samuels, MD (2009) of many patients. Indeed, emerging clinical trial data show that the positive effects of Antonio C. Bianco, MD, PhD (2010) thyroid hormone excess, without the detrimental, can be obtained using thyroid hormone Alan P. Farwell, MD (2010) Michael T. McDermott, MD (2010) analogues to treat metabolic syndrome, dyslipidemia and heart failure. Ian D. Hay, MD, PhD (2011) The emergence of these novel therapies will also carry important implications for the R. Michael Tuttle, MD (2011) ATA as our traditional field of interest and expertise broadens to include the treatment Executive Director of these common conditions. This will positively impact recruitment of new members Barbara R. Smith, CAE from clinical and scientific fields not previously considered thyroid-related. In addition, new avenues of commercial support for our meetings, research grants, fellows’ track Published by the American Thyroid Association opportunities, and other activities will be opened up. Because we are heavily dependent on 6066 Leesburg Pike, Suite 550 commercial supporters, diversification of this support is important both for balance and to Falls Church, Virginia 22041 safeguard against diminished support from our limited number of traditional supporters. Phone: 703 998-8890 Fax: 703 998-8893 We are at the threshold of an exciting new era in thyroidology that will energize our E-mail: [email protected] clinical and our scientific membership and help to assure that the ATA maintains its Web: www.thyroid.org position as a vital and relevant organization. Please notify the ATA of changes in contact information. Copyright 2008 American Thyroid Association Rebecca S. Bahn, MD ATA President 2 ATA SIGNAL • AUGUST 2008 • www.thyroid.org In Memoriam: Jacob (Jack) Robbins 1923–2008 Jack Robbins, past president of the ATA, was well-known Clinical Endocrinology Branch in 1963. He was a member for his groundbreaking work on the function of the thyroid of the Public Health Service for more than 40 years. He and the treatment of thyroid cancer—particularly cancer retired in 1995, but kept an office at NIH and continued to caused by exposure to radioactivity—died of cardiac arrest on stay busy with his research, including work on the long-term May 12, 2008. He was 85. effects of the Chernobyl disaster. “This is a sad shock and a real loss to the thyroid In 1975, Dr. Robbins was elected president of the community of a wonderful man,” said Rick Kloos. ATA, and in 1983, he received the Distinguished Jack was scientist emeritus in the Clinical Service Award for his outstanding service. In 1955, he Endocrinology Branch of the National Institute received the ATA’s Van Meter Prize, which recognizes of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases a young investigator for outstanding contributions (NIDDK) at the National Institutes of Health to research on the thyroid gland or related subjects. (NIH). He and his longtime friend and colleague, Dr. Robbins had been an ATA member since 1960. ATA Member Joseph “Ed” Rall--who died in He served as chair of many important committees, February–were the first to demonstrate the Jacob (Jack) including the Public Health Committee, and continued biologically active form of thyroid hormone. Robbins his active participation until the time of his death. They are known for their formulation of the free thyroxine In November of 2007, he joined a distinguished group of hypothesis, which proposed that the concentration of free thyroidologists who met with Dr. Marburger, the science advisor hormone in the blood is directly related to the hormone’s to the White House to present the position of the ATA on action on cells and metabolism. potassium iodide distribution around nuclear power plants. Jack was also recognized for his work on pediatric thyroid “Jack Robbins was a giant in our field. He was an cancer