Society for Endocrinology

Vacancies on the SfE Public Engagement Committee

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 12:00:00 GMT

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

Update on libel reform - First reform of the new Parliament? Libel Reform Campaign respond to Lord Lester's Libel Reform Bill

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 12:00:00 GMT

The Society for Endocrinology is pleased to inform you that reforms to the UK's defamation laws are currently in progress.

On 9 July 2010 Lord Lester of Herne Hill's Defamation Bill received a second reading in the House of Lords. The Bill's intentions are to bring UK defamation law - which is being widely criticised for its chilling effect on academic debate - into line with modern means of communication.

This represents a serious commitment by the UK Government to amend what is a drastically outdated set of laws, and is welcomed by all those who signed the petition at the Libel Reform Campaign. You can read more about the Bill, and sign the Libel Reform Campaign petition, at the link below.

Libel Reform Campaign

Society of Biology education strategy

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 12:00:00 GMT

Dr Mark Downs, Chief Executive of the Society of Biology, has written to all Member Organisations to highlight the Society's commitment to education. Please find his letter below:

"Everybody is an education expert – at least that’s what many people think: after all we are all 'customers' of education systems and processes at some point in our lives. The reality, however, is that education policy and practice is enormously diverse and equally complex, ranging from engaging young primary school children through to vocational and academic qualifications. There are a multitude of acronyms and a confusing array of institutions involved.

"The Society of Biology is an active participant in education issues. As well as influencing policy, we also have a key role in helping with interpretation of the jargon that so often surrounds education debates. With that in mind, the Society will be holding a seminar this autumn to help any of our members who are not experts, get under the skin of education policy and how exams are set and assessed, perhaps helping to answer the hotly debated issue as to whether exams really are getting easier.

"It is a good time to create momentum around education. Michael Gove, our Minister for Education has already indicated a likely shift to more 'traditional' A Levels, with the abolition of AS exams along the way. The exam regulator OFQUAL has rejected the examining boards’ proposals for new specifications for the GCSE examinations and the Qualifications & Curriculum Development Authority (QCDA) is to be abolished. These are significant changes that need to be monitored and influenced.

"During the course of this year, the Society has been working with our Member Organisations to create a strong voice for biology, working both independently and with the other sciences, especially through SCORE (Science Community Representing Education). There has been real progress with the proposed new specifications for biology progressing much further than some of the other disciplines. In the past, some have positioned biology as the easy option, especially amongst the sciences. But the evidence shows exactly the opposite. According to a range of independent measures, biology scores as one of the hardest A levels. In terms of relative grading, it is two grades 'harder' than some other disciplines. But we need to be careful to ensure biology stays relevant and focused on skills, not just knowledge. Practical training has always been under threat. It is more complicated in biology than many of the other sciences and certainly at university level, becomes extremely expensive. As the new coalition Government starts to review spending cuts across the public sector, the Society will be campaigning hard to ensure biology doesn’t lose out. It would be all too easy for Government and the university sector to move away from hands on practical skills in the laboratory and in the field in favour of the cheaper option of demonstrations or videos. For that reason, practical skills will continue to be a focus of our work at all levels. The Practical Biology website has proved increasingly valuable to biology teachers and we now need to ensure it grows and becomes sustainable.

"As well as influencing formal education policy all learned societies must help show that the sciences are exciting as well as contributing significantly to our society and the economy. How often have we heard that it was an inspirational teacher that attracted someone into the study of biology? In a world of limited resources, we must make sure that teachers continue to be strongly supported with continual professional development available and resources easily accessible to help them make the current curriculum as engaging as possible, providing opportunities for study outside of core material to enrich learning. The Society of Biology will be pushing this independently, and through SCORE, and working closely with other institutions such as the National Science Learning Centre to ensure material is as widely available as possible.

"Having succeeded in engaging students in studying biology, there is a further challenge of ensuring they maintain their association with the subject. To do that we need interesting and relevant careers material to help make choices. With this in mind, the Society is pulling together new resources for careers but will aim not to reinvent the wheel. Our Member Organisations have a wealth of material which needs to be drawn together and made available to all biologists, not just those in particular disciplines."

Dr Mark Downs, FSB, Chief Executive, Society of Biology. July 2010

Society of Biology website

The SfE public website - writers and reviewers wanted!

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 12:00:00 GMT

You and Your Hormones - the Society's new public website project - is taking shape.

A large number of articles have been written and returned to us and a massive thanks goes out to those of you who were involved in this. There are still many more topics to be covered, and anyone who is thinking of working with the media, the public, a journal, or just wants something a little unique for their CV should certainly get involved: email public@endocrinology.org.

Not too keen on writing but still want to help? Get in touch with us at the address above and you can take part in the review stage of the project, gaining valuable experience in the peer review process at the same time.

You and Your Hormones

Conference grant deadline 15 August 2010

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 12:00:00 GMT

The Society for Endocrinology is pleased to offer grants of up to £500 for attendance at overseas conferences, thanks to support by the Clinical Endocrinology Trust. The second round of applications for 2010 support travel to conferences that end before 15 December 2010.

The deadline for this round of applications is 15 August 2010. Please follow the link below for information on the grant and how to apply.

SfE Conference Grants

Specialty Certificate Examination in Endocrinology and Diabetes: 2010 Update

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 12:00:00 GMT

A total of 174 candidates sat the second diet of the examination held on 30 June 2010; 97 (56%) were in a UK training programme and 19 candidates had taken advantage of the free re-sit scheme. These numbers are a marked increase on last year when only 39 candidates in total sat the examination. Results are expected to be available on the MRCP website in the week ending 30 July 2010.

Peer Review in Endocrinology

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 12:00:00 GMT

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 2011

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 12:00:00 GMT

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: www.wales.nhs.uk/page.cfm?pid=3928.

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

Call for Young Endocrinologists' Prize Lectures

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 12:00:00 GMT

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

E3 Senior Leaders

Tue, 06 Jul 2010 12:00:00 GMT

14–15 October at the University of Warwick Conference Centre.

Places are still available for Senior Leaders, an advanced communications and management skills training course for consultants who have been in their consultant post for at least 5 years. This 2-day bespoke high level training experience will explore organisational excellence, the power of the team and focus on developing the skills of the individual to become an agile and effective leader - to register for the E3 initiative and the Senior Leaders course, visit the E3 website: www.e3endocrinology.org.

E3 has been initiated and funded by Pfizer Ltd working with a range of healthcare professionals specialising in endocrine care, and is being delivered in association with the Society for Endocrinology and the British Society for Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes.

SfE BES 2010 prize lectures on the web

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 12:00:00 GMT

Those of you that did the unthinkable and missed out on the prize lectures at this year's SfE BES conference, never fear! You can now listen to each lecture online with the accompanying slide show. The lectures are:

Society for Endocrinology Dale Medal Lecture, Professor Stephen O'Rahilly (Cambridge) - Common metabolic disease: lessons from the extremes.

Society for Endocrinology Transatlantic Medal Lecture, Professor Shlomo Melmed (Los Angeles, US) - Pathogenesis of pituitary adenomas.

Society for Endocrinology Medal Lecture, Professor Wiebke Arlt (Birmingham) - The hitchhiker's guide to the steroid galaxy.

Society for Endocrinology Hoffenberg International Medal Lecture, Professor Takashi Yoshimura (Nagoya, Japan) - Molecular and endocrine mechanism of seasonal reproduction in birds and mammals.

British Thyroid Association Pitt-Rivers Lecture, Professor Anthony Weetman (Sheffield) - Thyroid associations.

Clinical Endocrinology Trust Lecture, Professor Peter Clayton (Manchester) - Ubiquitination - the 'kiss of death' for human growth.

The lectures can be accessed from the SfE members' section.

SfE Endocrine Nurse Update - website now live!

Tue, 08 Jun 2010 12:00:00 GMT

The website for the SfE Endocrine Nurse Update is now live. 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

SfE BES 2010 conference award winners

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 12:00:00 GMT

SfE would like to offer a huge congratulations to all those that presented their work at the SfE BES conference in March. During the conference the following prizes were awarded: Young Endocrinologist (YE) prize lecture (basic) - Dr Vicki Smith, YEP1; YE prize lecture (clinical) - Dr Alia Munir, YEP2; YE best oral communication (basic) - Mahsa Javid et al., OC3.6; YE best oral communication (clinical) - Alexander Lawson et al., OC3.8.

Annette Louise Seal Award, Addisons Self Help Group (winner) - Susan Stewart et al., P340; Annette Louise Seal Award (runner-up) - Jean Munday et al., P331; Association for Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Disorders (AMEND) Young Investigator award - Angela Taylor et al., OC3.3; AMEND Young Investigator award (joint winner) - Zehra Ozfirat et al., OC2.4; British Thyroid Association award - Nadia Schoenmakers et al., OC3.5; Clinical Endocrinology Trust (CET) best nurse abstract - Violet Fazal-Sanderson et al., P406; CET best basic abstract - Nicholas Buss et al., OC1.5; CET best case presentation - Mars Skae et al., OC2.7; CET best clinical practice/governance and case report abstract - Elizabeth Walker et al., OC3.8.

Best overall basic poster - Irina Grigorieva et al., P16; Best basic poster 1 - Sian Piret et al., P177; Best basic poster 2 - Charlotte Boughton et al., P239; Best basic poster 3 - Greg Lewy et al., P124; Best basic poster 4 - Isabel Huang-Doran et al., P169; Best overall clinical poster - Roland Stimson et al., P358; Best clinical poster 1 - Rochan Agha-Jaffar et al., P101; Best clinical poster 2 - Jan Idkowiak et al., P231; Best clinical poster 3 - Barbara Alberts et al., P116; Best clinical poster 4 - Tom Hopkins et al., P120.

Well done all!

3rd SfE Regional Clinical Cases Meeting - Website now live!

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 12:00:00 GMT

The third SfE Regional Clinical Cases meeting, held in association with the South East Region Endocrine Club, will take place at the Park Inn Hotel, Lansdowne Place, Brighton on 10 December and will consist of ten oral communications and a number of poster presentations made up from high scoring submitted abstracts. Accepted abstracts will be featured on the Society’s website and appear in the delegates’ programme book. The evening will be brought to a close with a prize giving ceremony and reception.

All information will be available at the website below. Please note, the deadline for submission of cases will be Monday 4 October 2010. For more information about the Society’s Regional Clinical Cases meetings, or to make a proposal to host your own, please download an application form.

SfE Regional Clinical Cases website

SfE Obesity Management Symposium - for the endocrinologist, 9-10 September 2010

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 12:00:00 GMT

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 second symposium will be held at the Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge.

The programme for the two days is now available on the website along with more information and details on how to register.

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, so we recommend you register as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

SfE Obesity Management Symposium

SfE Clinical Update 2010 - registration now open!

Wed, 28 Apr 2010 12:00:00 GMT

Registration for the upcoming SfE Clinical Update is now available on the SfE website. The Clinical Update programme provides essential training for all trainees and new consultants in endocrinology and diabetes, covering the JRCPTB national curriculum over a three year period. 2010 sees the start of a new cycle.

This year the SfE Clinical Update will take place on 8-10 November at the Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel, Bristol. The three day programme comprises lectures and workshops based around the presentation of routine cases by delegates. This mixed format ensures the generation of an excellent collegiate atmosphere that promotes an effective forum for networking with peers and more established endocrinologists.

The early bird deadline for registration is 4 October 2010. However, this highly successful, premier clinical training course has been over subscribed in the past, and registration will be on a first come, first serve basis, so book now to avoid disappointment! For further information, contact conferences@endocrinology.org.

SfE Clinical Update 2010

Postgraduate Essay Prize - deadline 13 September 2010

Mon, 26 Apr 2010 12:00:00 GMT

This competition is open to all students registered for a higher degree in the UK or Ireland at the time of essay submission (eg a Masters course or research degree such as MPhil/PhD/MDRes or equivalent).

The essay should be on an endocrine subject, and must be topical and assessable so that it can be readily understood by an educated lay person. The essay must also enhance the public understanding of the subject.

A £1000 prize is available to the winning entrant, and a number of runner-up prizes and highly commended certificates will also be issued.

The deadline for applications is 13 September 2010. For full eligibility criteria and further information please follow the link below:

SfE Postgraduate Essay Prize

Follow Society for Endocrinology on Twitter!

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:00:00 GMT

You can now follow SfE news and announcements on Twitter, the free social networking and micro-blogging service.

Twitter allows to you keep up-to-date with the latest news from SfE including upcoming events, grant deadlines and important announcements.

News and announcements from SfE: http://twitter.com/Soc_Endo.

Society Grants

Mon, 11 May 2009 12:00:00 GMT

The Society for Endocrinology offers a number of grants which members can apply for throughout the year. These include: clinical department visit grants, sponsored seminars and poster session grants, and conference travel grants. For details on how to apply for Society grants, please visit the website below. If you have any questions about Society grants, please email: grants@endocrinology.org.

SfE Grants website

Society Prizes and Awards

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 12:00:00 GMT

The Society offers a number of awards and prizes throughout the year. Prizes are offered at the SfE BES meeting and Clinical Cases meetings for oral and poster presentations, and undergraduates can apply for the Undergraduate Achievement Award and Undergraduate Essay Prize. A Postgraduate Essay Prize is also available on an annual basis. For further details of all these awards and prizes and information on how to apply, please visit the website below.

Prizes and awards website