The Society for Endocrinology is a professional membership organization representing endocrinologists in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The Society promotes research, education and clinical practice in endocrinology and metabolism, bringing together clinicians, academics and scientists with an interest in hormone action to improve patient care and public health.
The Society has over 4,000 members who work in hospitals, universities and research institutes across the UK and Ireland. Membership is open to all healthcare professionals with an interest in hormone action, including doctors, nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists, dietitians and scientist. The Society also offers associate membership for patients with disorders of hormone action or their relatives/carers.
The Society’s activities are overseen by an Executive Committee consisting of elected officers (President, Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer) and up to 12 other members. The Executive Committee is supported by a number of standing committees (Clinical Affairs; Research & Training; Education & Audit; Finance & Resources; Membership Services), as well as specialist subcommittees which consider specific topics such as guidelines development or policy on ethical issues.
The Society organises an annual scientific meeting – the BES / SfE Joint Annual Conference – which attracts around 3-4 thousand delegates from around the world. In addition to the main conference programme there are often pre-conference workshops on specific topics of interest to attendees. The venue for the conference alternates between England/Wales (odd years) and Scotland/Northern Ireland (even years). Recent conferences have been held in Birmingham (2017), Glasgow (2018) Edinburgh (2019) London (2020). Next year’s conference will be held virtually due to Covid restrictions . Alongside its educational role within endocrinology ,the society advocates on behalf of patients with disorders of hormone action at a national level , campaigning on key issues such as access to treatment ,research funding levels diabetes prevention . It also provides input into government policy making processes via submissions to parliamentary enquiries or consultation documents .