First In-Person Meeting in More Than Two Years
By Neal Learner, Associate Director of Digital Communications
Outside was deep-south steamy. Inside was conference-center chilly. Days were long, and program offerings plentiful. But best of all, the hallways bustled, and rooms were full of people. After a two-year hiatus from in-person gatherings, the Society’s latest annual conference took a major step toward getting back to normal.
ENDO 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia, is one for the history books.
From June 11-14, nearly 7,500 attendees took in 170 educational sessions, reviewed roughly 1,000 research posters and another 700 on-demand posters, perused more than 170 exhibitor booths from 96 companies, attended 24 Product Theater Discovery Forums, participated in 15 Society committee meetings, and enjoyed a slew of official and unofficial networking activities to connect with old friends and new.
Many of these events were held in person, a point universally praised by every member I encountered!
To be sure, this year’s meeting also included a virtual component, which allowed a good number of attendees to participate from the safety of their homes and offices. The hybrid model featured more than 100 in-person and virtual sessions, with another 70-plus in-person-only sessions.
With luck and care, however, all ENDOs from here on out will take place in person, as COVID-19 and its variants recede into the past.
I’m a veteran of the health care association world and have attended dozens of conferences from many different organizations over the years. This was my first ENDO. By all important measures, our gathering in Atlanta accomplished its goals to provide the best cutting-edge education, arrange for invaluable networking opportunities, and foster the field of endocrine science and practice.
I could see this in full sessions on every conceivable endocrine topic, from scientific discussions on the effects of growth hormones on longevity, to links between endocrine disrupting chemicals and breast cancer cell growth. I could see this in sessions on how concepts of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) can be incorporated into caregiving, as well as a discussion on identifying symptoms of thyroid eye disease and Graves’ disease early to achieve best treatment outcomes.
I could see this in the early-career poster presentations and mentoring sessions, where up-and-coming scientists presented their research projects and seasoned professionals offered advice on how best to explain findings in 30-second elevator pitches.
I could see this in the plenary sessions where esteemed members of the Society received recognition for lifetimes of scientific, clinical, and educational contributions to the field.
I could see this in a lively reception of Special Interest Group (SIG) members at the College Football Hall of Fame, where Society members young and old shared stories and laughter as they ate plates of fried-green tomatoes and tried to kick a football through a set of goalposts.
I could see it in the Expo Hall, where the biggest names in the biopharmaceutical industry set up elaborate booths to showcase their latest innovations, and clinicians, researchers and industry reps gathered to discuss new methods for tackling rare and common diseases alike.
I could see this in the hallway conversations, where colleagues from across the laboratory and across the world stopped to reconnect and bask in their ability to meet once again face-to-face.
For many years, ENDO has been a lodestar fixture on the endocrinology conference calendar. After a two year in-person pause, ENDO 2022 returns us to a world that is starting to feel normal again.
I can’t wait for ENDO 2023 in Chicago next year!