About

Professor Jens Sandahl Christiansen,

Aarhus, Denmark

It has been my privilege to be closely involved with setting up the ESE and formulating its strategy. My vision for the next four years is that the ESE becomes established as an important international force in endocrinology.

I am particularly keen to see the congress become recognised as the primary annual event for endocrine clinicians and scientists in Europe, complementing the Endocrine Society. In addition, I see the ESE having a focus on supporting young endocrinologists throughout Europe in clinical education as well as in research, and particularly with regard to ensuring young endocrinologists from all the countries of Europe have equal opportunities. Lastly, I would envisage ESE as an organisation collaborating with the European Authorities in terms of attracting funding for research and improving clinical practice, so as to establish clinical endocrinology and endocrine research at the highest level throughout the various countries in Europe.

Clinical

Pituitary, Diabetes

Professor Eberhard Nieschlag,

Münster, Germany

As a clinical and basic endocrinologist I have witnessed European endocrinology grow from a loose association between the Acta countries into a formal federation of national societies which finally metamorphosed into a European society of individual members. In my view ESE has the means required to become a powerful force in European science and medicine. ESE needs to extend the geographic breadth of its membership so that the interests of endocrinologists from all Europe and neighbouring countries are adequately represented. Strong contacts with the national societies will guarantee integration of local and regional needs into the European context. ESE has to articulate all aspects of endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism, basic and clinical, to form a convincing body influencing decision makers in Europe on all levels. ESE will develop mechanisms to direct funds from the EU and the newly created European Science Council towards endocrine research. Basic research must be strengthened and clinical endocrinology has to remain a holistic discipline on its own. Educational programmes will help endocrinologists in emerging countries to compete worldwide. Finally, I envision the ESE as the intellectual home of all European endocrinologists. Having served several societies I would be happy to dedicate my experience to the case of ESE.

Basic and clinical

Reproductive endocrinology and Andrology

Professor Maria Alevizaki,

Greece

Maria Alevizaki graduated from Athens University School of Medicine. She trained in Endocrinology in Athens (Denis Ikkos). In 1984-1987 she worked in London, RPMS, with Iain MacIntyre on the Molecular Biology of the Calcitonin Genes (PhD degree, University of London). Since 1993 she has worked in the Athens University School of Medicine, and is currently Associate Professor of Endocrinology in the Department of Clinical Therapeutics, where she succeeded Dimitri Koutras. She is Head, Hormone lab, Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism Unit of the University of Athens, Evgenidion Hospital (director GP Chrousos).

Her clinical work involves looking after patients with all the spectrum of endocrine disorders, with special emphasis in thyroid disease. She has organised the molecular screening for inherited MTC.

Her recent research work involves the role of hormonal and metabolic factors in cardiovascular disease. Furthermore she is interested in the epidemiology of thyroid cancer and the metabolic complications of obesity and subclinical thyroid disease.

She has served as an officer in the Hellenic Endocrine Society and its Thyroid Section several times. She was POC member for the ECE (2005&2006). She is Chair of the Educational Board of the European Thyroid Association. She has published 70 papers in international journals. She speaks Greek, English, French and German. She is in the editorial board of 3 international journals.

Basic and clinical

Thyroid & Endocrinology and Metabolism

Professor Roger Bouillon,

Belgium

Roger Bouillon is a professor and chairman of endocrinology (internal medicine) at the University and University Hospital of the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium. He received his medical training in this University and has a Board certification in internal medicine, endocrinology and nuclear medicine (in vitro).

His PhD. thesis dealt with calcium and vitamin D metabolism. Hormonal regulation of bone metabolism and vitamin D remained the primary focus of his research although the laboratory of endocrinology (+/- 65 persons) and endocrine clinic is also involved in many other endocrine diseases (especially diabetes and androgens).

He has been Vice-President for Research of the K.U. Leuven and member of the Board of directors of his University and University Hospitals (1995-2005) and is still a member of the Science Advisory Board of the Flemish Government (president of Science policy commission). He is a member of the Royal Academy of medicine (Belgium) and a Fellow of the Royal College of Physician (London 2000 – present). He has been the secretary (founding member) and later President of the European Board of Endocrinology (UEMS 1988 - 2002).

He is a member of several European Science Foundation Committees (Board member of the European Medical Research Council) and European Space Agency Life Science working group. He is a Board member (treasurer) of the International Bone and Mineral Society (IBMS) and of the vitamin D workshop Inc.

He is a (co)author of more than 400 peer reviewed articles.

Basic and clinical

General endocrinology-endocrinology of bone metabolism

Professor Ilpo Huhtaniemi,

Finland & UK

Ilpo Huhtaniemi received his MD and PhD at University of Helsinki, Finland, did postdoctoral training in USA (UC San Francisco and NIH, Bethesda), and has been on sabbatical leave in Germany (Heidelberg), USA (Houston) and Scotland (Edinburgh). His clinical specialty is in Chemical Pathology. He held 1986-2002 the post of Professor and Chairman of Physiology at University of Turku, Finland. He recently (2002) moved to UK to a Chair in Reproductive Biology at Imperial College London. He has received several national and international honours, amongst them a fellowship of The Academy of Medical Sciences (UK) and a Doctor Honoris Causa at the Medical University Lodz, Poland. He has been the Chief Managing Editor of Molecular and Cellular Endocrinolgy since 1999. Besides his post in London he heads an Academy of Finland Centre of Excellence, “Research Programme on Male Reproductive Health”, at the University of Turku. His research interests include basic and clinical reproductive endocrinology, in particular molecular aspects of gonadotrophin function. He also has long-term interests in development of male contraception, hormone-dependent cancer, and the endocrinology of male ageing. He has authored over 500 peer-reviewed research articles.

Basic and clinical

Reproductive Endocrinology/Chemical Pathology

Professor Vera Popovic,

Serbia

Vera Popovic-Brkic, MD PhD, is professor of Medicine at Belgrade University School of Medicine and was Head of Postgraduate Studies in Endocrinology at Belgrade University for 4 years. She is also Head of the Neuroendocrine Unit at the Institute of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases in Belgrade, Serbia. Professor Dr Popovic was a member of the Standing Steering Committee on Congresses of the European Federation of Endocrine Societies (EFES) and a member of the Executive Committee of the European Neuroendocrine Association from 1990 to 1998. She was an organiser of the first Workshop on Pituitary Adenomas in Lisbon in 1993, was part of the program organising committee (POC) for the EFES congress in 2001 held in Torino and 2003 held in Lyon and is member of the POC for the coming ESE congress Berlin 2008 and was organiser of the 1st European Society of Endocrinology Postgraduate Course in Clinical Endocrinology in 2007. Since 1985 she has been Prinicipal investigator for the Research projects supported by the Ministry of Science Serbia.

Professor Dr Popovic is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physiscians and is a member of numerous other professional societies, including the European Neuroendocrine Association, the Growth Hormone Research Society and the Endocrine Section of the Serbian Medical Association. She is elected Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences within the Serbian Medical Association. She has published more than 100 papers in peer-reviewed journals. She is a reviewer for Clinical Endocrinology, Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, European Journal of Endocrinology, Hormone Metabolic Research etc. and is associate Editor for Hormones (the International Journal of the Hellenic Endocrine Society) and is memeber of the editorial board for Expert Review Endocrinology & Metabolism.

Clinical

Neuroendocrinology

Dr Peter Trainer,

UK

Peter Trainer is honorary senior lecturer and consultant endocrinologist at the Christie Hospital and the University of Manchester in Manchester, England. Previously, he was a senior lecturer in endocrinology at Saint Bartholomew’s Hospital Medical School in London. He received his undergraduate and medical degrees at Edinburgh University in Scotland.

Dr Trainer is an active leader in the medical community and a member of several organisations, including the Society for Endocrinology, The Endocrine Society, the Growth Hormone Research Society, and The Pituitary Society. He serves on the editorial boards of Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism,Clinical Endocrinology, Treatments in Endocrinology, and GH and IGF Research. He chairs the Clinical Committee of the Society for Endocrinology, the UK National acromegaly registry and KIMS UK. He is on the board and is a trustee of The Pituitary Foundation and serves on its medical advisory committee. Dr Trainer is the chair of the clinical programme of the Endocrine Society annual meeting (ENDO2007, Toronto, June 2007).

Dr Trainer’s areas of research include pituitary and adrenal disease, particularly Cushing’s syndrome, and acromegaly. His work has been published in leading scientific journals, among them The Lancet, and New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of Clinical of Metabolism, Clinical Endocrinology, European Journal of Medicine and Journal of Endocrinology. He has also written numerous book chapters and abstracts.

Clinical

Pituitary/Adrenal Disease

Professor Ewa Malecka-Tendera

Poland

Professor Malecka-Tendera has been involved in the field of paediatric endocrinology since 1976. In 1983 she completed a six-month endocrinology training at the Vanderbilt University in Nashville (USA). She received Board certification in Endocrinology in 1996. Between 1997 and 2002 was employed as associate professor at the Department of Pathophysiology, Silesian University School of Medicine in Katowice, Poland. In 2001 received the scientific title and a position of full professor. Currently working as Head of the Department of Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes at the Silesian University School of Medicine.

She has been a member of the Polish Society of Paediatric Endocrinology since 1993. Since 2005 she has been serving in the capacity of President of this Society.

She is also active in the field of childhood obesity and has been a member of the European Childhood Obesity Group (ECOG) since 1992. Between 1997 and 2003 she was a member of the board of ECOG. Within this society Professor Malecka-Tendera was a principal investigator in the international study on obesity prevalence among prepubertal children in Poland, France and Portugal. The results were published in Obesity Research and Acta Paediatrica. She was also a principal investigator in the ECOG study on prevalence of type 2 diabetes in obese European children, again published in Acta Paediatrica.

Other major fields of scientific interest include Turner syndrome and pubertal disorders. Professor Malecka-Tendera has published more than 120 papers in international and Polish peer-reviewed journals.

In 2005 she was elected Rector of the Silesian University School of Medicine, one of the largest Polish institution in the field of medical sciences.

Clinical

Paediatric Endocrinology