September 2024

It is with great sadness that I share the news of Malcolm Donaldson’s death. We will remember him as a highly professional paediatric endocrinologist and an impassioned advocate of e-learning and an unforgettable and great teacher at ESPE schools. It is not surprising that he was duly recognised by ESPE with an Outstanding Clinician Award and by the British Society for Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes with a Lifetime Achievement Award. We are sad at the loss of a man who was not only a giant in his field but was also kind and considerate, with a mischievous sense of humour. When you want to send condolences to his family or see the video recording of his funeral, you can email his son at alastair.donaldson@imperial.ac.uk. The funeral will be on 13th October at St Andrew’s Church, Steyning, at 2pm GMT. Our thoughts are with his family at this very difficult time.

I would like to remind you that registration is still open for the 62nd Annual ESPE Meeting in Liverpool. We have a cutting edge scientific programme to share with you in November. We are looking forward to welcoming you all to the cultural city of Liverpool, and hope you will join us for the ESPE evening at Liverpool Cathedral, which will provide an impressive backdrop to celebrate the launch of the Meeting.

We currently have an open vacancy for an ESPE member to join the Caucasus & Central Asia Steering Committee – applications close on 30 September so make sure to read the eligibility criteria and send your application to the ESPE Head Office.

The deadline for the Early Career Scientific Development Grant also closes on 30 September. If you are interested in receiving a grant to finance a short-term visit to an external laboratory, hospital, or institute to learn or test a new technique, or compile statistics, apply today!

After a short break over the summer months, our ESPE Connect webinars are back. Join our expert panel on 17 October as they discuss rare thyroid disorders. We will be focusing on Thyroid Hormone Resistance (A & B) and MCT8 deficiency, and will also hear a patient’s story on unmet needs in rare thyroid disorders. Register for free and join us next month.

Also remember, ESPE members can view all previous ESPE Connect webinars free-of-charge. If you’re not a member you can join here.

We are delighted to offer the ESPE Research Fellowship again this year. This grant enables talented early-career scientists, investigators, and paediatric endocrinologists to conduct research at leading institutions worldwide. The deadline for applications is 31 October, you can find full details on the website.

Our popular Winter School will take place between 22-26 February 2025 in Rzeszow, Poland and we are currently accepting applications. The course will include interactive lectures, case presentations, and an introduction into clinical research, and aims to cover all main topics in paediatric endocrinology.

Similarly, the Caucasus & Central Asia School is also accepting applications from paediatricians from Central Asia and Caucasus countries and want to continue their learning in paediatric endocrinology and diabetes. The School will take place in Tbilisi, Georgia on 9-12th April 2025, and applications will close on 30 November.

This November will see the first of our joint webinars with ESE and Endo-ERN. This ESE Talks event will focus on genetic endocrine tumours with a focus on pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours. Registration is open and you can find more details on the website.

Finally, I encourage you to register your interest for the first ever Joint Congress between the ESPE and the European Society of Endocrinology (ESE) on 10-13 May 2025 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Abstract submission will open in November and registration for the event will open on 1 December.

All the very best,

Anita Hokken-Koelega
ESPE President