For the public
If you have arrived on this website as a member of the public we regret to advise that we are unable to respond to any individual medical questions. If you have any specific questions we suggest contacting your doctor or visiting the British Thyroid Foundation website.
Please be careful when searching the internet for information about thyroid disease as there are unfortunately many innaccurate and unhelpful sources. For this reason we have created a page of links for you to browse and you can also visit our blog or click on the Association logos below.
Don't miss!
BTA Annual Meeting and Training Day
The 67th Annual Meeting of the British Thyroid Association will take place on Friday 10th May 2019 in St Thomas'Hospital, London..
Registration and payment can now be completed via this link
Please insert "British Thyroid Association Conference" in the search box marked "search for a course by title" and then choose from the following 3 options:
- Members of the BTA - £120
- Non-Members of the BTA - £170
- Students or retired members of the BTA £50
Meeting information including abstract submission details and the latest programme can be found here
We now have a list of confirmed speakers for what promises to be an exciting meeting:
George Murray Lecture
- Professor George Kahaly (Mainz, Germany)
Key Speakers
- Dr Joanne Jones (Cambridge): Pathogenesis of alemtuzumab induced thyroid autoimmunity
- Dr Onyebuchi Okosieme (Cardiff): Factors influencing survival in Graves’ Disease
- Dr Nadia Schoenmakers (Cambridge): Year in Basic Thyroidology
- Dr Kristien Boelaert (Birmingham): Update on NICE Guidelines on Thyroid Disease
The trainee component of the meeting will run as a parallel break out session on the same day. The session titled "When and how to apply guidelines to clinical cases" will be delivered by Dr Carla Moran. For details regarding the submission of abstracts please click here
RET Research Collaborative Network Inaugural Meeting
The inaugural [email protected] meeting will take place on Monday 10th June 2019 at the Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT
Germline and somatic RET gene mutations are responsible for a range of rare diseases, including Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia type 2, sporadic medullary thyroid cancer and phaeochromocytomas, Hirschsprung’s disease, intellectual disabilities, congenital kidney and urinary tract abnormalities.
Although individually rare, collectively they carry a significant burden to the patients and health care systems because of their complexity and multiple co-morbidities. Their rarity also affects our ability to conduct research into the mechanism of RET associated diseases and recruitment into clinical trials. Optimal care is difficult to deliver because patients with these conditions are looked after by a wide variety of centres across the UK. Awareness and understanding of RET associated diseases can be poor and the majority of patients affected are children.
We propose to establish a RET Research Collaborative Network with the aim of facilitating the exchange of ideas and collaborative initiatives leading to innovative projects and grant applications, and to coordinate research with ongoing clinical care to encourage recruitment into laboratory based projects and clinical trials.
The aim of [email protected] is to facilitate and encourage interdisciplinary dialogue between scientists and clinicians interested in multifaceted aspects of RET and its mutations, which cause a variety of seemingly unrelated pathologies. The whole day will be dedicated to learning and discussing structural and functional aspects of RET and its physiological role in normal development as well as endocrine, gastrointestinal, urinary and oncological diseases.
For details about the day and information about the convenors please click here
For details about the programme please click here
To book your free ticket please click here
Evidence Based Use of T3 + T4 Combinations
Endocrinologists are frequently asked to consult on patients taking L-thyroxine (T4) but appear dissatisfied with their therapy. However, the use of combination therapy with liothyronine (T3) remains highly controversial with conflicting results from clinical trials. Recent scientific studies have provided new insight into the complex relationship between serum and tissue thyroid hormone levels justifying a review of the evidence base for the use of T4+T3 combinations and the design of future clinical trials in this area.
This innovative symposium will occur simultaneously in Chicago, US and London, UK, representing a collaborative effort between the ATA, BTA and ETA, to bring together leading experts in this area from North America and Europe. It will be a live meeting in both locations, with the UK audience accessing a webcast to view the US presentations and the US audience accessing a webcast to view the UK presentations with the opportunity for both audiences to ask questions to all speakers.
The symposium will conclude with fully interactive workshops on the use of combination therapy in the UK, and a patient discussion forum in the US. Co-chaired by U.S. based Jaqueline Jonklaas, MD and U.K. based Colin M. Dayan, MA, FRCP, PhD, the anticipated goal is to use the symposium content and discussion as material to produce a consensus statement about the design of future combination therapy trials and to assist endocrinologists in advising their patients on the current evidence base behind combination therapy.
This symposium will take part in London and Chicago on Sunday 3rd November 2019. For details of subjects and speakers please click here
Other events
Please read more to see a number of events which are scheduled throughout the year
The 89th Annual Meeting of the American Thyroid Association is being held on October 30th to November 3rd 2019 at the Sheraton Grand Chicago Find out more here
The next Society for Endocrinology Meeting will be on November 11th to 13th 2019. This will take place at the at the Brighton Centre in Brighton for further details please click here
The 13th International Workshop on Resistance to Thyroid Hormone and Thyroid Hormone Action was held on September 11th to 14th 2018 in Doom, The Netherlands. Details of the next meeting are not yet available
The 2019 Meeting of the European Thyroid Association will be from September 7th to 10th in Budapest. Details are not yet available but will appear here
The BTF Research Award
Since 1997 the British Thyroid Foundation (BTF) has offered an annual award to support a one-year research project into thyroid function or thyroid disorders. Known as the BTF Doris Godfrey Research Award, this year’s award is up to £20,000 and has been funded by a legacy.
Applicants uncertain of the suitability of their proposal may submit a 150-word overview of their proposal for informal feedback from the BTF prior to submission of a full application, by contacting the BTF at
Who can apply?
Researchers working on projects in the UK. The project must be based in the UK (i.e. the majority of the work must be carried out in the UK), supervised in the UK and publications arising from the research must be in an English language journal from a UK centre. The BTF must be acknowledged in any publication. The applicant must ensure that appropriate ethical approval is in place wherever research is carried out.
How can the award be used?
The award can be used to supplement existing projects or to help get research ideas started. The funds are available for consumables, running costs and equipment but not personal computers. Any equipment purchased will belong to your institution after the project is completed. Support for staff costs/salaries will only be considered if they can be justified.
The application form, a short CV and a high resolution passport-sized photo should be submitted by midnight on 31 January 2019. For full details click here
