The UAB Department of Surgery’s Section of Endocrine Surgery was honored to host the 2023 annual meeting of the American Association of Endocrine Surgeons (AAES).
Conference Programming
Spanning from April 27 – May 1, pre-conference and annual meeting agendas boasted a variety of courses and programming – including an ultrasound course for fellows, a panel discussion on health equity, and poster presentations. UAB Fay Fletcher Kerner Endowed Chair of Surgery Dr. Herb Chen moderated and hosted the two-day course, Competitive Strategies and Leadership Tactics for Endocrine Surgeons.
After sessions concluded for the day, attendees had the opportunity to attend a host of exciting outings across Birmingham, including a young surgeon’s social at Monday Night Brewing Co. and the AAES president’s reception at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.
To wrap up an eventful week of continuing education and camaraderie, Senator Doug Jones, who was the Presidential Invited Speaker of the conference, delivered the address "Justice Delayed Not Justice Denied: The Prosecution of the 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing Cases." Jones currently serves as a fellow at the Institute of Politics and Public Service at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy.
Conference Awards
Several members of the UAB Department of Surgery’s Division of Surgical Oncology were recognized for their research efforts during the conference.
UAB Division of Surgical Oncology Clinical Instructor Dr. Rachael Guenter was awarded the Geoffrey Thompson Best Poster Award. Guenter investigates the molecular mechanisms of neuroendocrine cancer and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma to develop novel therapeutic strategies. Currently, her areas of focus include the development of novel theranostic agents for pancreatic cancers and understanding the role of Notch signaling in gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.
Heersink School of Medicine student Grayson Gimblet, along with his faculty advisor Associate Professor Dr. Renata Jaskula-Sztul, won the Best Paper Award for their presentation on “Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone Receptor (TSHR) as a Target for Imaging Differentiated Thyroid Cancer.”
“Grayson did a fantastic job with presenting the paper and answering questions,” says Jaskula-Sztul. “I am proud of him and honored that we were chosen to receive this outstanding award.”
Conference Planning
Division of Breast and Endocrine Surgery Associate Professor Dr. Brenessa Lindeman and Assistant Professor Dr. Jessica Fazendin served as the local arrangement co-chairs of the conference.
“Serving as a liaison between UAB and the AAES was such a rewarding experience,” says Lindeman, who also serves as vice chair of education for the Department of Surgery. “It was such a delight to show our friends and colleagues our favorite things about Birmingham during their visit.”
From coordinating programming and digital updates to orchestrating all venue details, Lindeman and Fazendin took on the task of ensuring all AAES annual meeting details were in order and ran smoothly, while serving as ambassadors of UAB Surgery for guests.
“Serving as a local arrangement chair for the AAES Annual Conference was the opportunity of a lifetime,” says Fazendin. “I hope all attendees enjoyed this year’s proceedings as much as we enjoyed curating the Birmingham conference experience.”