The Best Practices in Endocrine Surgery Summit will boast a full day of programming and sessions, culminating in a best practices-centered journal publication in the American Journal of Surgery.
Learn more about the day's proceedings here:
| Time | Session |
|---|---|
| 7-7:50 a.m. | Check-In |
| 7:50-8 a.m. | Introductions by Summit Co-Leaders Drs. Herbert Chen and Tracy Wang |
| 8-9:45 a.m. | Session 1: Preventing and Treating Hypoparathyroidism After Surgery Co-Leaders: Kepal Patel and Dave Schneider Faculty: Paul Gauger, Sarah Oltmann, Elizabeth Cottrill, Carmen Solorzano, Peter Abraham, Basma S. Abdulhadi, Susie Pitt, Adwoa S. Opoku-Boateng, Alex Papachristos |
| Session 1a: Definition, Preoperative Preparation, Intraoperative Adjuncts Preoperative Preparation (10 min) - Sarah Oltmann Autotransplantation (10 min) - Alex Papachristos Intraoperative Adjuncts (10 min) - Elizabeth Cottrill Panel Discussion (20 min) - Paul Gauger AJS Manuscript: Peter Abraham |
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| Session 1b: Diagnosis, Immediate and Long-Term Management Definition & Diagnosis (10 min) - Susan Pitt Immediate Treatment (10 min) - Adwoa Opoku-Boateng Long Term Management (10 min) - Basma Abdulhadi Panel Discussion (25 min) - Carmen Solorzano AJS Manuscript: Peter Abraham |
|
| 9:45-10:15 a.m. | Break |
| 10:15 a.m.-12 p.m. | Session 2: Ablative Techniques for the Thyroid Co-Leaders: Sophie Dream and Jennifer Kuo Faculty: Ralph Tufano, Claire Graves, Jesse Pasternak, Erivelto Volpi, Anne Weaver, Alexander S. Chiu, Jessica Fazendin, Salem Noureldine |
| Session 2a: Ablative Techniques for Thyroid Cancer
Thermal Ablation of Papillary Thyroid Microcancers (8 min.) - Erivelto Volpi Thermal Ablation of Lymph Node Metastases (8 min.) - Claire Graves Panel Discussion (14 min.) - Anne Weaver, Senior Author: Erivelto Volpi AJS Manuscript First Authors: Claire Graves, Anne Weaver |
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| Session 2b: Ablative Techniques for Indeterminate Nodules Updates in Molecular Testing (8 min) - Jesse Pasternak Thermal Ablation of Indeterminate Nodules (8 min) - Alexander S. Chiu Panel Discussion (14 min) - Jennifer Kuo, Senior Author: Jennifer Kuo AJS Manuscript First Authors: Jesse Pasternak, Alexander Chiu |
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| Session 2c: Best Practice Recommendations Peri-procedural Considerations (8 min) - Ralph Tufano Data Collection and Follow-up (8 min) Panel Discussion (25 min) - Jessica Fazendin, Salem Noureldine, Senior Author: Ralph Tufano AJS Manuscript First Authors: Jessica Fazendin, Salem Noureldine |
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| 12-1 p.m. | Conversations with Sponsors |
| 1-2:45 p.m. | Session 3: Surgery for Mild Autonomous Cortisol Secretion Co-Leaders: Brenessa Lindeman and Catherine McManus Faculty: Heather Wachtel, James Lee, Corbin Frye, Jessica McMullin, Wen T. Shen, Danica M. Vodopivec, Lindsay Kuo, Kimberly M. Ramonell |
| Session 3a: Diagnosis & Surgical Indications Definition & Diagnosis (10 min) - Jessica McMullin Surgical Indications (10 min) - Lindsay Kuo Preoperative Considerations (medical alternatives, vein sampling) (10 min) - Corbin Frye Panel Discussion (20 min) - James Lee AJS Manuscript: Jessica McMullin, Senior Author: Catherine McManus |
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| Session 3b: Surgical Approach, Perioperative Steroids,
Long Term Outcomes Surgical approach to the adrenal (10 min) - Heather Wachtel Management of perioperative steroids (10 min) - Kimberly Ramonell Long Term Outcomes (10 min) - Danica M Vodopivec Panel Discussion (25 min) - Wen T Shen AJS Manuscript: Kimberly Ramonell, Senior Author: Brenessa Lindeman |
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| 2:45-3:15 p.m. | Break |
| 3:15-4:30 p.m. | Session 4: Interesting Cases Highlighting Innovation Co-Leaders: Insoo Suh and Andrea Gillis Faculty Judges: Kristin Long, Sareh Parangi, Jacob Moalem, Daniel Rocke |
Download the full program
View all session details via the downloadable Summit program.
Call for Interesting Case Submissions: 2026 UAB/AJS Best Practices in Endocrine Surgery
If you’ve managed a case that made you pause, rethink, or teach, we’d love to see it submitted.
What Makes a Great Submission?
We encourage cases that offer, for example
- Diagnostic dilemmas that challenged your typical algorithm
- Operative decision points with competing, nuanced options
- Unanticipated findings that altered management
- Any scenario that made the team say, “We need to talk about this.”
If your case sharpened your practice, or could sharpen someone else’s, this is the session for it.
Please submit your abstract (up to 250 words) to UAB Division of Breast & Endocrine Surgery Assistant Professor Dr. Andrea Gillis.