Mirjam Christ-Crain

Mirjam Christ-Crain is full Professor of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at the University and University hospital of Basel, Switzerland. She studied medicine in Basel and Vienna and did her MD and her habilitation at the University of Basel and her PhD 2008 at the University of London. Since 2013 she is Deputy Chief at the Clinic for Endocrinology, University Hospital Basel. She is chair of the education committee of the European Society of Endocrinology.

Her main research interest is on vasopressin-dependent disorders of fluid homeostasis, i.e. Vasopressin deficiency on one side and hyponatremia on the other side. In this Congress, she will give a talk on each of these topics. 

Kristina Isand

Kristina Isand is remarkable young consultant endocrinologist from Estonia, where her activities resulted to be elected to the board of the Endocrine Society of Estonia where she is now President of this Society. She gained international experience during a visiting fellowship to the University of Oxford, under the mentorship of Professor Wass. 

Her clinical research, under the mentorship of John Wass, concentrates the thromboprophylaxis of Cushing’s syndrome. She is now leading a large consortium involving the endocrine Society, ESE, Endo-ERN and the Pituitary Society preparing a statement on this topic.

Her scholarly activities include the introduction of the steroid-emergency card in her country 2022, as part of the joint project with ESE. She is now developing the first Pituitary Centre in Estonia and has started to build endocrine nursing system in Estonia . She single-handedly organised the highly successful international „Pituitary Update Course“ in Tallinn in 2022 and now responsible for next ESE Postgraduate Course being held in Tallinn April 2024. She is one of the content editors for SfE You and Your Hormones website and a small-group moderator for the Pituitary Society Fellows’ Course.

Márta Korbonits

Márta Korbonits, MD, PhD, DSc, FRCP is Professor of Endocrinology and Metabolism at Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, is a graduate from the Semmelweis Medical School, Budapest. She was a Medical Research Council Clinician Scientist Fellow working on ghrelin and the hormonal regulation of the metabolic enzyme AMP-activated protein kinase and her latest study in the field showed the beneficial effects of AMPK stimulator metformin on glucocorticoid treated patients. She also works on endocrine tumorigenesis, especially the genetic origin of pituitary adenomas and other endocrine tumour syndromes. She studies both the clinical characterisation as well as molecular aspects of pituitary diseases and leads a large international consortium to study the genetic background of endocrine tumours. She led the development of the first guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of paediatric pituitary adenomas. She published over 230 original papers (H-index 89 at Google Scholar). She shares her time between clinical patient care, clinical research and laboratory-based research as well as teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate level and is Deputy Editor of Endocrine-Related Cancer. She is the Director of the HARP Clinical Doctoral Training Programme. She is an elected Member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. She is recipient of several national and international awards, including the 2022 Rolf Gaillard prize of the European Society for Neuroendocrinology and the 2023 Gerald D. Aurbach Award for Outstanding Translational Research of the Endocrine Society. She is President of the Society for Endocrinology (2022-2026).

Eve Kelk

Dr. Eve Kelk, Senior Consultant in Radionuclide Terapy, Nuclear Medicine Centre, East Tallinn Central Hospital.

Field of expertise: Theranostics, with special emphasis on endocrinological and oncological disease.

Dr. Kelk has led introduction of radioiodine therapy of thyroid cancers (1995), MIBG therapy  and PRRT of neuroendocrine tumors (2006 and 2011, respectively), and RLT of prostate cancer (2018) into clinical practice in Estonia.

She is actively participating in several national and international endocrine and nuclear medicine societies, she is Estonian delegate in World Federation of Nuclear Medicine and Biology (WFNMB) and in the Section of Nuclear Medicine of UEMS.

Her talk about postoperative therapy and follow-up of differentiated thyroid cancer will review the latest understanding and recommendations about DTC after recent paradigm shift in management of this most frequent endocrine malignancy – the use of radioactive iodine as adjuvant therapy and for treatment of known disease, and the treatment options in case of iodine-refractory disease.

Zenons Narbuts

Dr. Zenons Narbuts, an experienced endocrine surgeon, shares his insights at the Congress. With roles as Associate Professor at Riga Stradiņš University and Chief Doctor in Endocrine Surgery at Pauls Stradins Clinical University Hospital, his practical and academic expertise is extensive. Over his two-decade career, Dr. Narbuts has contributed to advancements in endocrine surgery in Latvia, including the introduction of intraoperative neuromonitoring and minimally invasive parathyroid operations. His involvement in initiatives like Eurocrine registry and his representation as a member and national delegate in the European Society of Endocrine Surgeons (ESES) underscore his commitment to the field. In his presentation on the criteria for surgical intervention in thyroid nodules, Dr. Narbuts offers a grounded perspective shaped by clinical experience.

Riccardo Pofi

Riccardo Pofi, MD, PhD, a distinguished Clinical Research Fellow at the Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolism, has an impressive background in medical research. With a medical degree from Sapienza University of Rome, where he delved into diabetic complications, Dr. Pofi later advanced his focus to metabolism and steroid hormone biology under Professor Jeremy Tomlinson at Oxford University. His pioneering work in the field, particularly on the adverse effects of prescribed steroids and glucocorticoid metabolism, has earned him significant recognition. Currently, he serves on the committee of the Italian Group of Young Endocrinologists (EnGioI). His primary research interest lies in the metabolic side effects and HPA axis implications of prescribed glucocorticoids. Dr. Pofi is set to deliver a pivotal talk on targeting glucocorticoid metabolism to mitigate these effects.

Džilda Veličkiene

Prof. Džilda Veličkiene is Vice – president of Lithuanian Society of Endocrinologists, Head of Outpatient department of Endocrinology Clinics and Consultant endocrinologist at Lithuanian University Health Sciences Hospital, the consultant of Ministry of Health of Lithuania for Diabetes topic, the member of Regional Lithuanian Bioethics committee, ESE, EASD, ISE.

Her topics of interest: prevention and treatment of obesity, type 2 diabetes (T2D), severe insulin resistance, gestational diabetes, Grave’s disease, endocrine ophthalmopathy. D. Velickiene led several international scientific projects as local Principal Investigator, she is the author or co-author of more than 30 scientific publications and 5 books or textbooks.

​She is going to give a speech at the ESE conference in Tallin on topic “Switching from insulin therapy to GLP1 RA in type T2D patients”.

The topic is relevant as until recently, before GLP-1RA were introduced into practice many T2D patients who didn’t reach a glycaemic target with oral antidiabetic drugs (OAD) eventually were switched to insulin therapy as this had been a conventional strategy for the initiation of injectable therapy. Even after the evidence that GLP-1 RA change cardiovascular risk that has dramatically changed T2D management approach, there are lot of patients who stay on insulin therapy (IT) without GLP1-RA as not everywhere adding GLP-1RA as the 2-line injectable therapy to basal insulin is reimbursed and the combination of basal bolus therapy plus GLP1-RA is not approved. Despite the initiation or intensification of IT, however, many T2DM patients don’t achieve the glycaemic goals, are at higher risks of hypoglycaemia, weight gain and miss the opportunities that can receive from GLP1-RAs.  No doubt that some patients are insulin-penic and switching back to OAD and GLP1-RA will not work for them, but some of them – might benefit, but how to recognize those two groups? Professor is going to reveal whether it is possible to identify those for whom switching from IT back to treatment with OADs and GLP-1RA will be effective.

Žydrūnė Visockienė

Doctor Endocrinologist, Head of Center of Endocrinology at Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos, Associate Professor at Vilnius University, Head of Vilnius Endocrinology Society.

Main clinical interest covers adrenal, pituitary, diabetes, metabolic disorders and obesity, while research includes projects on gestational diabetes and genetics of diabetes complications.

My topic “Technologies in type 1 diabetes treatment” will review the availability and use of continuous glucose monitoring systems and insulin pumps in Lithuanian adult type 1 diabetes patients and the effect on diabetes control.

John Wass

Professor of Endocrinology, Oxford University
Head of the Department of Endocrinology at the Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Churchill Hospital Oxford, until 2012.     
Research interests: pituitary tumors, acromegaly, adrenal disease, angiogenesis in endocrinology, genetics of osteoporosis, thyroid disease.
Published over 430 articles, edited different textbooks; Oxford Textbook of Endocrinology (3 editions), Clinical Endocrine Oncology (2 editions), Oxford Handbook of Endocrinology (4 editions)
Current Getting It Right First Time Endocrine Lead, NHS England, visiting and inspecting all endocrine departments in the UK (127) and doing a national report.   
Presented acclaimed documentary ‘The Fantastical World of Hormones’ on BBC4, 2016
Past Chair RCP Group on Weight and Health . Spokesperson on Obesity Royal College of Physicians
President European Federation of Endocrine Societies from 2001-2003
Chairman Society for Endocrinology 2006-2009
President American Pituitary Society. 

Awards

Outstanding Leadership Award, American Endocrine Society 2022
Outstanding Scholarly Physician Award, American Endocrine Society 2016 (first non-American)
Lifetime Achievement Award, Pituitary Society (America) 2017
Geoffrey Harris Prize European Society of Endocrinology 2021
Academic Vice President Royal College of Physicians 2012-2015. 

Lina Zabuliene

Lina Zabuliene, MD PhD, is a graduate of Vilnius University and a consultant endocrinologist. She cherishes her postgraduate training at the Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism under the mentorship of Professor John Wass very much.  She currently is an associate professor at Vilnius University, Lithuania.

Dr Zabuliene’s clinical practice, research and education roles focus on the endocrinology of reproduction, particularly polycystic ovary syndrome for which she received her PhD, in addition to thyroid and iodine homeostasis, diabetes, transitional care, and preventive medicine. She is actively involved in patient education and leads the project “Patient Educational Platform “Understand. Engage. Ask: Gestational Diabetes”.

Dr. Zabuliene contributes to national and international Endocrine societies, including the Vilnius Medical Society, the Lithuanian Society of Endocrinologists, and the Educational Committee of the European Society of Endocrinology (ESE). She currently holds the position of President of the UEMS Adolescent Medicine and Health MJC.

Her upcoming talk entitled “Polycystic ovary syndrome: unraveling complexity through a holistic lens” will focus on personalised and tailored care approaches for women with PCOS, addressing their specific needs and expectations.