May 1, 2008

The Society leadership, including President Margaret Shupnik, PhD, and Vice Presidents Henry Kronenberg, MD, and Lynette Nieman, MD, had the opportunity to discuss topics of mutual interest with National Institutes of Health (NIH) directors on April 21, 2008. The delegation, which also included Society staff members Janet Kreizman, senior director of government and public affairs, and Stephanie Kutler, associate director of government and professional affairs, met with Dr. Stephen Katz, director of National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS); and Dr. Duane Alexander, director of The Eunice Kennedy Shiver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). During the meetings, the delegation discussed a number of initiatives ongoing at the Society, including the clinical guidelines program, ENDO programming, the White Paper on Increasing Minority Participation in Clinical Research, and the Society’s advocacy priorities.

In an effort to increase awareness of specific Society initiatives among the Institute directors, the Society leadership provided information on the upcoming Clinical Research Regulatory Workshop, which will be hosted by the Society and Lawson Wilkins Pediatric Endocrine Society in November in Washington, D.C. Dr. Katz and Dr. Alexander were supportive of this initiative and shared the Society’s concerns with the increasing regulatory burdens that face clinical research. The delegation also took the opportunity to discuss the impact that NIAMS funding has on Society members, and solicited feedback from Dr. Katz about how the Society might help to support NIAMS. Although Dr. Katz is very familiar with the work of the Society, he asked that we help promote the work of NIAMS to the Society membership. Please look for information from NIAMS in upcoming issues of Endocrine Insider. Finally, the group discussed the Society’s efforts to examine and review the current state of knowledge on endocrine disruptors and to produce a report that the Society could use as the foundation for policy and position decisions. Dr. Alexander also expressed his thanks for the Society’s support for the National Children’s Study, and requested that Society members provide feedback on the study plan. Additional information on the National Children’s Study may be found at www.nationalchildrensstudy.gov

The Society leadership will be meeting in May with Dr. Griffin Rodgers, director of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.