Yorkshire Diabetes and Endocrinology Training Days

The annual Society for Endocrinology BES meeting is the biggest conference on endocrinology in the UK, and for 2011 will take place in Birmingham on 11-14 April 2011.

The meeting will feature both oral communications and poster presentations with many prizes available for high scoring presentations by Young and not so young Endocrinologists. The ever-popular plenary lectures and symposia will continue, and in response to your suggestions the programme of 'Meet the Expert' sessions has been updated.

Abstract submission is now open, which must be done online by 15 November 2010.

Registration to attend the conference is also open, and the early bird deadline for reduced registration fees is 14 February 2010.

You can register, submit an abstract and find out more about the conference all at the website below.

SfE BES 2011 meeting

The Society of Biology has announced dates for its Life Sciences Careers Conferences, which give undergraduates a fantastic introduction to the careers available in the life sciences.

The conferences will feature expert speakers on all aspects of scientific careers including industry, research, academia and science communication, as well as a CV workshop and an exhibition hall where students can find out more about scientific careers from experts with a range of experience. As a member organisation of the Society of Biology and a sponsor of the event, the Society for Endocrinology will be there to discuss the virtues of a career in endocrinology.

The conferences will take place on 24 November 2010 in London and 2 March 2011 in Birmingham. For more information and to register for a place please follow the link below.

Life Sciences Careers Conference

Congratulations are due to Professor Peter Trainer, who was this year awarded a Silver Clinical Excellence Award. The Society was delighted to support his and others' nominations to the awards.

Clinical Excellence Awards are given to recognise and reward the exceptional contribution of NHS consultants, over and above contractual requirements, to the values and goals of the NHS and to patient care.

SfE is pleased to continue offer support to members of the Society for the 2011 round of awards. For information on support from the Society please follow the link below. Applications for Society support must be submitted by 10 September 2010.

Clinical Excellence Awards 2011

The Society for Endocrinology is delighted to announce the third of its Regional Clinical Cases meetings, this year in association with the South East Regional Endocrine Club (SEREC) taking place in the seaside town of Brighton. The meeting will include ten oral communications and delegates will also be invited to display posters. The meeting will be brought to a close with an awards ceremony at which prizes will be presented to the highest scoring oral and poster presentations.

All information is available at the website below. Please note, the deadline for submission of cases is Monday 4 October 2010.

SfE/SEREC Regional Clinical Cases meeting

The Society welcomes scientific suggestions for the 2012 Society for Endocrinology BES meeting, for consideration by the Programme Committee. If there are any sessions you would like to see included, please submit them by 31 January 2011 via www.endocrinology.org/meetings/ScientificSessions/index.

In light of Sue Thorn’s resignation as Chief Executive of the Society, it is with great pleasure that the Society has bestowed on her Honorary Membership of the Society. Honorary Membership is bestowed by Council on those of special distinction; in Ms Thorn’s case, this is in recognition of her unprecedented contribution to the Society and BioScientifica as organisations and to endocrinology as a specialty.

In June, we held a prize draw of members who had completed a direct debit mandate for payment of membership subscriptions. The prize was a £50 Amazon voucher, which was won by Professor Tony Weetman from the University of Sheffield.

The Society is introducing the facility for members to pay a Lifetime Membership and a Three Year Membership subscription. Full details will be announced shortly.

SfE membership

How do I join the Society?

The Society welcomes anyone working in an endocrine-related field anywhere in the world and at any stage in their career.

If you would like to take advantage of the many benefits of membership, for example access to a comprehensive list of grants; free online access to the Society’s journals; reduced registration fees at Society organised conferences; clinical days and training courses; just complete the application form at www.endocrinology.org/membership or contact the Society by emailing members@endocrinology.org.

The Society welcomes anyone working in an endocrine-related field anywhere in the world and at any stage in their career.

If you would like to take advantage of the many benefits of membership, for example access to a comprehensive list of grants; free online access to the Society’s journals; reduced registration fees at Society organised conferences; clinical days and training courses; just complete the application form at www.endocrinology.org/membership or contact the Society by emailing members@endocrinology.org.

Are due to:

Professor Julia Buckingham, on receiving the Athena Award. Winners are exceptional female scientists and it recognises academic excellence.

Professor Wiebke Arlt, who has been elected to The Academy of Medical Sciences.

Professor Andrew Hattersley FRS, who has been made a Fellow of the Royal Society.

Obesity in the UK is now at epidemic proportions, but whose fault is this? To what extent are genetics and lifestyle responsible for our expanding waistlines? Is there something we can do about it, or are medical developments the only way out?

Come along to the Birmingham Science Festival to find answers to these questions and more from our panel of expert speakers. The event will take place from 10.00 to 12.00, Wednesday 15 September 2010 at Aston University, Birmingham.

The event is free to attend but booking is required. More information is available at the link below.

More information

This innovate new course, taking place on 27-28 September 2010 in Stratford-upon-Avon, will deliver a programme of lectures by nurses from across the spectrum of endocrinology and is suitable for trainee and senior endocrine nurses alike. The Update will address current practice and new developments in endocrine nursing through lectures, posters and case presentations. Places on this course are limited to 40, so book now to avoid disappointment!

Further information is available at the website below or contact the SfE conference team on +44(0)1454 642 240 or email conferences@endocrinology.org.

Endocrine Nurse Update 2010

Attendees also have the option of applying for one of three travel grants for the Endocrine Nurse Update. For further information see the link below:

Travel grants

One of the major aims of the Society for Endocrinology is to develop the role of endocrinologists in the delivery of services for severely obese patients. The key to this is the training of future endocrinologists in the area of obesity and metabolism. To this end, the Society’s Obesity Special Interest Group (convened by Dr Sadaf Farooqi (Cambridge) and Professor John Wilding (Liverpool)) has developed a national symposium that will focus on practical aspects of obesity management and service delivery. The symposium will be held at the Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge.

The total number of delegates has been limited to 40 to ensure that a collegiate atmosphere is generated that will provide an effective forum for networking with peers and faculty. Last year’s delegates described the meeting as "inspiring", "excellent", "well-organised", "superb format", "stimulating", so we recommend that you register as soon as possible in order to avoid disappointment.

You can register for the Symposium via the website (below) where you will also find details on the programme, accommodation and the social dinner.

SfE Obesity Management Symposium website

Do you work on the clinical side of endocrinology?

Do you want to improve the public understanding of your specialty?

If so we have a number of opportunities for you to contribute to the SfE public website, and do something unique to put in your CV. We are looking for clinicians, scientists and nurses to help write articles for the website, one for each gland, hormone and condition. If you're interested in becoming a contributor to this online, evidence-based resource on all things endocrine, please contact public@endocrinology.org.

We look forward to hearing from you.

You and Your Hormones - the SfE public website.

The SfE National Clinical Cases meeting - in association with the Royal Society of Medicine Section of Endocrinology & Diabetes - will take place on Tuesday 1 March 2011 at the Royal Society of Medicine, London.

SfE is delighted to invite the submission of cases for the meeting. Of those accepted, the 10 highest scoring will be invited for oral presentation, whilst the others will be displayed as posters. A number of prizes are also on offer.

The deadline for submissions is 25 October 2010. For more information, and to submit a case, please follow the link below.

SfE National Clinical Cases meeting

Now in its fourth year, the Naturejobs Career Expo (formerly The Source Event) is the UK's largest career fair and conference for the scientific world. This year the event will take place on 23 September at the Business Design Centre, London, UK.

Entrance to the exhibition is free. In addition the Society for Endocrinology has been made an ambassador of the event, which entitles its members to a £5 discount on the registration fee for the conference plenary and workshop sessions, which provide a unique opportunity to meet high profile scientists and gain careers information and advice. To claim your discount please follow the link below to the members' section of the SfE website where you will find instructions.

How to claim your discount (you will need your SfE Member logon details in order to view the page).

Naturejobs Career EXPO

Are you passionate about communicating science to the general public? Would you like to work with the Society to highlight the fascinating world of endocrinology to a whole new audience? If so, we need your help! We are looking for four SfE members to sit on our Public Engagement Committee to provide input on our science communication strategy and activities. The term of office will start on 1 January 2011 and will last for four years. We currently have vacancies for the following positions: 2 x Public Events Representatives, 1 x Media Advisory Representative, 1 x Careers and Education Representative. The deadline for nominations is Friday 17 September 2010. Full details and nomination forms are available at the link below. If you would like any further information, please contact jennie.evans@endocrinology.org

Public Engagement Committee webpage

The Society runs an interdepartmental peer review scheme for clinical endocrinology departments. A recent evaluation of those centres already peer reviewed revealed 58% of recommendations had been achieved, including 17 new staff appointments (see Prof John Bevan’s article in The Endocrinologist).

To request a visit or for further information please contact Debbie Willis (debbie.willis@endocrinology.org), Dr Petros Perros (petros.perros@nuth.nhs.uk) or visit the interdepartmental peer review webpage.

Clinical Excellence Awards are given to recognise and reward the exceptional contribution of NHS consultants, over and above that normally expected in a job, to the values and goals of the NHS and to patient care. The Society has successfully supported members' nominations in previous years, and we are pleased to offer this service again for the 2011 round. Please contact debbie.willis@endocrinology.org if you wish the Society to support your nomination.

All applications for Society support must be submitted by Friday 10 September 2010.

Further information is available for members in England at: www.dh.gov.uk/ab/ACCEA/index.htm.

In Scotland: www.shsc.scot.nhs.uk/shsc/default.asp?p=71.

In Wales: contact Ian Owen at the Welsh ACCEA secretariat: ian.owen@wales.gsi.gov.uk.

In Northern Ireland: www.dhsspsni.gov.uk/clinical_excellence_awards_scheme.

The Society awards two prize lectures to young endocrinologists. There is one basic science and one clinical prize lecture – each attracting an honorarium of £2500.

To be eligible for the basic science lecture, members need to be less than 6 years post-PhD or have yet to complete a PhD. To be eligible for the clinical lecture, members need to have not yet completed their clinical training.

Winners will be asked to present their lectures - which can be on any subject under the general heading of Endocrinology - during the Society’s BES meeting. The lecture is likely to relate to an area of personal endocrine research, either in progress or recently completed. Next year’s meeting takes place on 11-14 April in Birmingham.

To enter for a Prize Lecture, abstracts should be sent via email to members@endocrinology.org marked for the attention of Mrs Chris Davis no later than Friday 1 October 2010. Please follow the link below for more information.

Young Endocrinologists' Prize Lectures 2011

(MedPage Today) -- A second look at British registry data indicates that esophageal cancer may be more common after all in patients taking oral bisphosphonate drugs for long periods.

(MedPage Today) -- While a physician's decision to start a child on growth hormone is usually consistent with evidence-based guidelines, continuation or intensification of therapy is strongly influenced by factors other than treatment response, according to a new survey.

(MedPage Today) -- Overweight patients with cardiovascular risks who took the weight-loss drug sibutramine had an increased likelihood of experiencing a cardiac event, a large randomized trial found.

STOCKHOLM (MedPage Today) -- In this MedPage Today exclusive InFocus video report, the president of the American Heart Association takes the temperature of the first group of Hot Line trials reported here at the European Society of Cardiology congress.

STOCKHOLM (MedPage Today) -- Adding margarine enriched with omega-3 fatty acids as a dietary intervention did not prevent second heart attacks in older men and women at risk for worsening heart disease, researchers said here.

(MedPage Today) -- Insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes may contribute to the development of one type of brain plaque linked to Alzheimer's disease, according to an autopsy study.

(MedPage Today) -- The diabetes drug pioglitazone (Actos) carries cardiac risk similar to that found for embattled sister compound rosiglitazone (Avandia), according to an analysis of an administrative claims database.

(MedPage Today) -- Increasing the daily intake of green leafy vegetables could significantly reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, a British meta-analysis found.

(MedPage Today) -- Engineered skin significantly improved healing of diabetic foot ulcers compared with other advanced biologic therapies, according to an analysis of a larger wound care database.

(MedPage Today) -- Three-fourths of patients with type 2 diabetes were able to stop taking medication six months after undergoing bariatric surgery -- and almost 85% no longer needed diabetes drugs at two years -- reducing healthcare costs, according to a review of health insurance records.