Dear Friends and colleagues,
This is my 6th President’s letter and I hardly feel that half of my term as president is over. So much more to do- and actually, so little time! I thought I would take this opportunity to advise you of some of the activities that go on behind the scenes to help organize all of our programs.
Management (Maureen and Jessica Widing) and I, as well as the President elect-Craig Alter, meet for an hour every week to discuss upcoming events, challenges, and new projects. Let me again welcome Jessica Widing who has joined the Degnon team this month! Further, all members of the BOD attend selected monthly committee meetings and report back to the board. We all vote by email on new directives, statements from committees and special interest groups that require timely board approval. For example, if a new drug advisory occurs we aim to get this message out to all of you promptly.
Most importantly at this time, as the 2022 meeting approaches we also work closely with the Annual Meeting Planning and Education committees to ensure our upcoming 2022- 50th anniversary meeting will be incredible.
In the spirit of sharing about the inner workings of our society I want to personally invite you to join us at the first seminar from our newly formed PES/NIH Liaison committee. This committee was formed to demystify research activities for our members and to advise PES of opportunities offered by the NIH for ongoing research. This continues to be my “pet project,” as many of you know. Please join us on October 26th at 6PM to hear Dr. Michael Lauer discuss NIH Perspectives on Extramural Research. Sign up and tell your fellows to attend! We are planning 3 more seminars for this year and are excited that we will soon be learning from both junior and senior physician scientists in an open panel on how they decided to play in the research sand-box. More to come.
Our EDI committee has been very active. We have continued our efforts to bring more opportunities to engage in diversity and inclusion related topics. They have launched a book club and over the past 6 months have read “Just Mercy”, by Bryan Stevenson, “The Vanishing Half” by Brit Bennett, “Hola Pappi” by John Paul Brammer and the next book club book is “Interior Chinatown” by Charles Yu. Additionally, the EDI committee has selected Nancy Spector MD, Vice Dean for Faculty, Professor of Pediatrics and Executive Director of the Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) Program at Drexel University College of Medicine, to speak at the 2022 meeting on gender equity in academic medicine. Finally, Dr. Ileana Vargas Rodriguez, who has a Master’s of Science from the Institute of Human Nutrition at Columbia and is a certified Culinary Medicine Specialist, has agreed to lead an on-line ethnic specific cooking club class. As a diabetologist she has championed this sort of education for her patients for years and will share her expertise with PES shortly—stay tuned for the date, link and recipes.
I also recently joined an international call with the International Consortium of Pediatric Endocrinology (ICPE). I was struck by the similarity of our concerns regarding the effect Covid 19 has on the medical care of those with Diabetes and Obesity. We want to expand our involvement with MAP members, sister societies and national groups, particularly for endocrine care and drug delivery for this population.
Finally let me share that our oral history team—which includes lead Erinn Rhodes and Courtney Finlayson, Christine Trapp, Christine Cherella, David Breault, Catherine Constantacos, Manmohn Kamboj, Melissa Crocker, Minu George, Natalie Nokoff, Priyanka Bakhtiani and Meilan Rutter—has finalized close to 45 oral histories and we are in the process of synthesizing the videos with professional videographers for the 2022 meeting and beyond.
Next letter I will share some of the exciting speakers we have begun to line up for our historic 50-year meeting. Also please see our abstract announcements for presentations at our 2022 meeting below.
In closing. I promised to discuss the Great Pumpkin.
As Charlie Brown said, and I quoted in the September letter in general, you should not discuss religion, politics, and the Great Pumpkin…
However, there is no proscription on discussing pumpkins, in a generic way. I credit that my knowledge on pumpkins comes from various sources including Google, the Farmer’s Almanac and the fairy tale, Cinderella.
The name pumpkin originated from the Greek word for “large melon” which is “pepon.” “Pepon” was pronounced by the French as “pompon.” The English changed “pompon” to “Pumpion.” Shakespeare referred to the “pumpion” in the Merry Wives of Windsor
Pumpkins are actually a fruit- as they contain seeds. They are replete with the antioxidant beta-carotene.
The ‘Pumpkin Capital of the World’ is Morton, Illinois, home of Libby’s pumpkin industry.
The state of Illinois grows the most pumpkins. It harvests about 12,300 acres of pumpkins annually. Our 2022 meeting will be held in Chicago! So I ask, will pumpkins become a new mascot for PES?
And to end on a medical note-pumpkins were once considered a remedy for freckles and snakebites.
With kindest regards to all. Enjoy Halloween with care and social distancing.
Be well.
Sharon
Not too late to join us! NIH sponsored webinar: NIH Perspectives on Extramural Research
October 26th at 6:00 PM eastern
Dr. Lauer will address several topics of interest to the extramural research community. These include efforts to nurture and counsel the next generation of researchers; short-, intermediate-, and long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic; evolving trends in extramural NIH-funded science; and the critical importance of integrity and trust as bedrock principles underlying the research enterprise.
Speaker: Michael S Lauer, MD, NIH Deputy Director for Extramural Research
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJErc–upzMqGNNsilvGyXfFtoVPeL0Oq2qm
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
PES Equity Diversity and Inclusion: Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Observed on the second Monday of October, Indigenous Peoples’ Day celebrates and honors Native American peoples and commemorates their histories and cultures. Visit the webpage for more information: https://pedsendo.org/education-events/equity-diversity-and-inclusion-initiative/
2022 PES Annual meeting Call for abstracts! Abstracts are now being accepted for the 2022 Annual Meeting.
Help us shape the program content and elevate the scientific rigor! We invite each of you to submit your work for inclusion via our online portal and to join us in networking with your peers and experts. SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Monday, December 13, 2021 @ 11:59 PM ET click here to submit an abstract: PES 2022 Abstract Submission (pedsendo.org)
November online education:
Calling all medical students with an interest in Pediatric Endocrinology! Plan to attend our November SEED Session: Why Does My 4-Year-Old Have Pubic Hair
SEED is a novel interactive session series that aims to enhance clinical learning for medical students and increase their exposure to pediatric endocrinology. For more information on this initiative, please visit our SEED page on our website
Speakers will present a case of central precocious puberty and how it led to the diagnosis of underlining pathology. They will discuss the HPG axis and how we turn puberty off.
presented by Kathleen Bethin, MD, PhD and Alexander Karmazin, MD, FAAP, FACE
REGISTER https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMvc-6rrzorEtY0gJ9zRjmTRBB0RC1hdeht
Calling all Fellows! Register now for the next PedsENDO365, 2-part series.
PedsENDO365 provides pediatric endocrine fellows an opportunity to enhance clinical concepts, skills in clinical decision making, career development, quality improvement, and leadership. Join us for our upcoming two-part series on career development!
- PART 1: SMART Learning Goals for a Happy Professional Journey
November 12, 2022, from 3:30-5:00 PM ET
- PART 2: Career Pathways for Pediatric Endocrine Fellows
January 14, 2022, from 3:00-5:00 PM ET
These sessions will foster building of a learning community for fellows in an environment of innovation, collaboration, and discovery with guidance from expert faculty facilitators.
Visit PedsENDO365 – Pediatric Endocrine Society for more information on this and other PedsENDO365 sessions.
Is it time to renew your dues? PES membership is on a calendar year. Please make sure if you are due to expire, you login and renew your dues!
Accessing your membership record and checking your membership status is easy! Simply visit the website and check your membership status by using your PES membership credentials and logging into this link https://pedsendo.app.neoncrm.com/login.jsp.
From here, use the menu bar on the right-hand side to select “My Membership.” This will give you access to your membership record and give you the option to renew. Please also review your complete record and make sure the demographical information is filled out and current.
Renew TODAY! You will want to be current continue to enjoy PES membership benefits, like registering for the annual meeting at the member rate, being eligible to apply for various grants and awards, and participation in committees and Special interest groups.
REMINDER! 2022 Call for Awards and Lectures: Deadline: November 15, 2021
The Board of Directors and the Awards and Honors committee are pleased to announce the 2022 call for nominations for the following PES awards and lectures:
Judson J. Van Wyk Prize
The Del and Beverly Fisher Pediatric Endocrinology History Lectureship
Young Investigator Award
Clinician Award
Educator Award
Senior Researcher Award
Click here for nomination requirements and instructions for each award and lecture- http://apps.pedsendo.org/member-awards/
CSA and RFA Grant Applications Now Open! Deadline is December 15, 2021
Get your applications in NOW for the 2022 Research Fellowship Awards and Clinical Scholar Awards! Please click on the links below to access the detailed instructions, requirements, and the applications.
2022 Research Fellowship Awards https://pedsendo.org/award/research-fellowship-awards/
2022 Clinical Scholar Awards https://pedsendo.org/award/clinical-scholar-awards/
Fellow Spotlight: Meghan Craven, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Meet Meghan: https://pedsendo.org/member-spotlight/fellow-spotlight/meghan-craven-md-october-fellow-spotlight/
APP Spotlight: Megan Pruett, MSN, CPNP, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
Meet Megan: https://pedsendo.org/member-spotlight/app-spotlight/megan-pruett-msn-cpnp-october-app-spotlight/
NIDDK has just issued a new RFA which is relevant for the NORC research community: RFA-DK-21-025, Pediatric Obesity Discovery Science Research to Improve Understanding of Risk and Causal Mechanisms for Obesity in Early Life (R01 Clinical Trial Optional): https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-DK-21-025.html
The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to support innovative, discovery research studies to better characterize early-life risk factors and elucidate underlying causal mechanisms through which these risk factors contribute to the development of obesity during infancy and early childhood. Studies should aim to understand biological mechanisms that mediate behavioral and/or metabolic risk for obesity development in young children and how risk may be modified by other contributors such as psychosocial, contextual, and/or environmental factors. This FOA encourages multidisciplinary teams of scientists including, but not limited to those with expertise in basic, translational, clinical, and behavioral research.
Receipt date: March 8, 2022
Questions can be directed to Voula Osganian, M.D.: voula.osganian@nih.gov.
History Tidbit: Eugene L. Opie (July 5, 1873-March 12, 1971)
Submitted by Alan D. Rogol, MD, PH.D
PES 50th Anniversary Timeline project – Historical Fact Sneak Peek:
https://pedsendo.org/education-events/pes-50th-anniversary/
News regarding Drug Shortages, Recalls and Alerts from the D&T committee:
Please note: This is a service to the membership, with periodic updates. Due to regional differences in supply chains, local availability may vary during periods of shortages. As always, it remains the responsibility of the practitioner to stay updated with respect to the drugs they prescribe, as the table may be comprehensive, but not necessarily always complete.
https://pedsendo.org/category/drug-alerts/
The latest news on grants policies and activities at the NIH, as well as resources for applicants and awardees!
We encourage you to join the conversation by commenting on our posts. If you have a suggestion for topics you’d like to see us cover, send us an email.
Let’s stay connected – check out our social media channels for more updates affecting the extramural community:
Grants News & Resources
- @NIHgrants: Grants and funding news, and application advice from the Office of Extramural Research
- @NIHFunding: Feed of funding opportunities from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts
- Podcast: All About Grants, insights on grant topics from those who live and breathe the information
- YouTube: Tutorials, webinars, and more
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- @NIH_OLAW (NIH Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare)