Endocrine Society cancels ENDO 2020 amid COVID-19 concerns

Newswise — WASHINGTON—Today, following the latest reports from the World Health Organization (WHO), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and local health authorities in San Francisco, the Endocrine Society announced the necessary cancellation of ENDO 2020.

“We have been clear all along that the health and safety of ENDO attendees, staff, exhibitors and the San Francisco community are our highest priority,” said Endocrine Society President E. Dale Abel, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Iowa, Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa. “By holding the meeting at this time, we might not only put attendees at risk, but could displace healthcare workers during a public health crisis, by forcing them into self-quarantine upon their return or potentially contributing to further spreading the virus to our attendees' hometowns.”

Recently, the city of San Francisco recommended cancelling or postponing large gatherings, such as conventions or large community events. Furthermore, institutions across the world are restricting travel, making it impossible for many who have registered for ENDO 2020 to participate in this major medical and scientific meeting. Together, these considerations made it clear that it was impossible for the Endocrine Society to proceed with our annual meeting.

“We are very disappointed to share this news with the 9,500 attendees who were expecting to come to San Francisco and enjoy the meeting,” said Abel. “Moreover, I am incredibly grateful for our Annual Meeting Steering Committee and Endocrine Society staff who poured so much work into developing this impressive program. The science must go on and we will actively collaborate with our planning committees to take the great ideas for ENDO 2020 and incorporate them into ENDO 2021. We are also exploring options to disseminate ENDO 2020 content in various ways over the coming year to our conference registrants.”

The cancellation marks only the third time in the Society’s 104-year history, that ENDO was not held. The other two cancellations occurred during World War II.

ENDO 2020 attendees and exhibitors will be contacted with further information regarding registration refunds and booth contracts.

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Endocrinologists are at the core of solving the most pressing health problems of our time, from diabetes and obesity to infertility, bone health, and hormone-related cancers. The Endocrine Society is the world’s oldest and largest organization of scientists devoted to hormone research and physicians who care for people with hormone-related conditions. 

The Society has more than 18,000 members, including scientists, physicians, educators, nurses and students in 122 countries. To learn more about the Society and the field of endocrinology, visit our site at www.endocrine.org. Follow us on Twitter at @TheEndoSociety and @EndoMedia.