What a year 2017 has been! Although the bar was set high in 2016, this year was just as prosperous and filled with accomplishments, thanks to the work of all those who are part of the Society.

Here are some of the things your Society achieved in 2017…

1. Doubled the number of users of You and Your Hormones, our public facing website

The Society’s commitment to disseminating accurate information and expertise to non-specialists has been fruitful this year. In July, a more engaging, easier to navigate, and optimised for mobile viewing version of the You and Your Hormones website was launched. Since then, the number of visitors has more than doubled!

2. Made it easier for members to publish Open Access

At the start of the year, Society members were gifted with free Open Access publishing in Endocrine Connections, leading to savings of up to £950 per publication, and encouraging members to support this high quality, peer-reviewed journal in its aim to be the leading Open Access title in the field. In June, the journal received its first impact factor of 2.541. Over the course of 2017, journal submissions have doubled, and published articles have increased almost four-fold!

Find out all about this and other member benefits on our website!

3. Launched the new Endocrine Nurse Grant

In order to support our nurse community, the Society’s Nurse Committee developed the Endocrine Nurse Grant, a new grant aimed at furthering nurses’ careers and improving nursing and clinical practice.

4. Identified our first endocrinology champions!

Aimed at advancing the discipline and increasing the profile of endocrinology, the Endocrine Ambassador scheme was launched this year. By organising small research seminars in their home institutions, and representing and promoting the Society for Endocrinology, our Endocrine Ambassadors champion endocrinology and help to increase interdisciplinary collaborations.

5. Received outstanding impact factors for Society journals

2017 has been an excellent year for Society journals – all of them receiving strong impact factors that contributed to keep making these journals a reliable, high-impact home to publish the best science.

Endocrine Connections received its very first impact factor – an impressive 2.541.  Journal of Endocrinology’s impact factor was its highest to date at 4.706, positioning the journal as the highest ranked basic science endocrinology journal for two years in a row. The Journal of Molecular Endocrinology’s impact factor increased an impressive 21% to 3.577, making this journal the leader in its field. Endocrine-Related Cancer received 5.267, its highest impact factor since 2003. The journal remains in the top quartile of both the oncology and the endocrinology and metabolism categories. And last but not least, Clinical Endocrinology received a strong impact factor of 3.327.

6. Helped improve media reporting of over 120 endocrinology-related stories

This year, the work of our Media Ambassadors, members who provide comments or advice to help journalists cover endocrinology-related topics, have helped improve science and health media reporting for over 120 stories, a 50% increase on last year!

Check out some examples of how our Media Ambassadors have helped journalists this year.

7. Empowered our members to meaningfully engage with non-specialists

Engaging with wider, non-specialist audiences is increasingly more important amongst the scientific and clinical community. It can deepen the impact of your work in the community, and it is also expected of higher education institutions. To help equip members with the skills needed to approach public engagement successfully, we offered two free-for-members, full-day workshops: an Introduction to Public Engagement session run by the National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE), and a Media Interview Training session run by Boffin Media. Both workshops were highly rated by participants, and were described as comprehensive and highly professional.

Outreach training opportunities are advertised on the Society website – be sure to check it out for updates!

8. Facilitated information sharing amongst the Endocrine Networks

We love to encourage community-building, and understand that our membership has diverse interests with different needs. To facilitate the work of the Endocrine Networks, in 2017 we established the Endocrine Network webpages – dedicated hubs for knowledge exchange amongst basic and clinical researchers, clinical endocrinologists and endocrine nurses that work in particular specialist fields.

To further promote interdisciplinary collaboration, SfE BES 2017 also introduced the Endocrine Networks Research Incubator Meetings, where a selection of research ideas were presented to a panel of experts and the audience, in order to get constructive advice, identify collaboration opportunities and get new research ideas off the ground.

Wondering how to get involved? Joining an Endocrine Network is easy – just log into the Members’ Area and select ‘Endocrine Networks’.

9. Kept you updated on the latest in the endocrine world

This spring, we offered our membership exclusive access to Society event abstracts in the new volume of Endocrine Abstracts: Society for Endocrinology Endocrine Update, which included abstracts from National Clinical Cases, Obesity Update and Clinical Update.

10. Promoted the success of your endocrine units, and worked together to overcome challenges

The Society Interdepartmental Peer Review scheme is an opportunity to improve the work of endocrine units, and achieve better clinical practice for clinicians, nurses and patients. Relaunched this year, the scheme allows centres to identify their strengths and weaknesses, and work collaboratively to support the changes needed to facilitate the delivery of best care, backed by sustainable services.

Read more about how the scheme can help strengthen endocrinology.

 

We can’t wait to see what 2018 holds in store for us all…

Happy holidays and happy New Year!