The Media Resource Room: Fact Sheet

AACE Mission

The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) is a professional medical organization devoted to the enhancement of the practice of clinical endocrinology.

Organizational Overview

Members of AACE are physicians with special education, training and interest in the practice of clinical endocrinology. These physicians devote a significant part of their career to the evaluation and management of patients with endocrine diseases. All members of AACE are physicians (MD or DO) and the majority are certified by the American Board of Medical Specialties. Members of AACE are recognized clinicians, educators and scientists, many of whom are affiliated with medical schools and universities. Members of AACE contribute on a regular basis to the scientific literature on endocrine diseases and conduct medical education programs on this subject.

The Voice of Clinical Endocrinology®

AACE was formed to fulfill the needs of clinical endocrinologists who are unique and not represented by any other organization.

AACE Public Awareness Initiatives & Consensus Conferences

In order to keep the public informed on endocrine disorders and the role endocrinologists play in treating these disorders, AACE has conducted several public awareness initiatives:

Diabetes Mellitus Consensus Conference

The American College of Endocrinology (ACE), the educational arm of AACE, brought the leading experts in diabetes care together to set standards for the best practices. The conference produced the following recommendations:

• Age of diabetes screening for those in high-risk groups was lowered to age 30
• A1C blood sugar levels lowered to 6.5%
• Blood sugar lowered to 110 before eating (pre-prandial) and 140 after eating (two hour post-prandial).

Diabetes Consensus Conference Outcome Initiative

In an effort to get the messages from the diabetes consensus conference to the public, AACE developed several vehicles for this task.

• Toll-free phone number - A toll-free phone number with an easy to remember acronym was developed, 1-866-ENDO-HELP. Callers have several options, which include locating an endocrinologist in their area requesting brochures.
• Diabetes brochure - A general diabetes brochure was developed to provide comprehensive information for both the patient at-risk for developing diabetes and those already with diabetes.
• National celebrity spokespersons - Delta Burke from the television show, Designing Women, recorded several effective radio Public Service Announcements (PSAs) highlighting the new targets for control of diabetes and the endocrinologist as an effective vehicle to reach these targets. As a person with Type 2 diabetes, Ms. Burke was an excellent spokesperson for this campaign. Also PSAs were recorded by Jerry Stackhouse of the Detroit Pistons, as well as Divorce Court's Judge Mablean Ephriam.
• PSA Distribution - AACE distributed public service announcements to address the African American and Hispanic populations in cities possessing higher concentrations of these two groups.
• Subway PSAs - Ads featuring Chicago Cub's baseball legend Ron Santo were placed in Chicago's mass transit system. Mr. Santo, a diabetic who had his leg amputated because of diabetic complications, serves as an excellent spokesperson for this campaign.

Thyroid Awareness Month

Since January 1995, AACE has conducted Thyroid Awareness Month to highlight an aspect of thyroid disease. The theme for each year has provided the public with different information about the thyroid and its function. Past themes include:

• 1995 - Unmasking Thyroid Disease: A Thyroid Health Initiative
• 1996 - Unmasking the "Hidden" Hormone: A Thyroid Health Initiative
• 1997 - Stick your Neck Out, America
• 1998 - Thyroid Blues
• 1999 - Thyroid: The Missing T in HRT
• 2000 - Take Cholesterol by the Neck
• 2001 - The Neck's Time is Now
• 2002 - The Neck's Generation: Thyroid Genealogy
• 2003 - Thyroid Undercover: Hiding in Plain Sight

Osteoporosis Awareness Campaign

"Stand Strong against Osteoporosis" is the AACE battle cry for its osteoporosis campaign. Osteoporosis affects 8 million women, yet knowledge about the disease's most visible symptom is lacking among both patients and physicians. This campaign, connecting fractures with osteoporosis, is important because many women will go untreated and risk subsequent fractures, which often happen within a year after the first fracture.

Growth Hormone Initiative

The AACE Growth Hormone Initiative calls for "responsible use" of human growth hormone sparked by news reports that some people take the hormone for anti-aging or athletic fitness purposes. The campaign promotes growth hormone replacement therapy for children and adults with scientifically proven growth hormone deficiency and whose bodies produce insufficient or ineffective levels of the hormone.

African American Diabetes Video and Guidebook

AACE partnered with Conrad Productions, The Congress of National Black Churches, Inc. and Aventis Pharmaceuticals to develop a diabetes video and guidebook for African Americans. The video features celebrities Paul Winfield and Fred Hammond, who have personal experience with diabetes, as well as The Clark Sisters, who lost a family member to diabetes. It is filled with helpful information from AACE diabetes experts Dr. James R. Gavin and Dr. Tony Walden.

Hispanic Video and Guidebook

AACE partnered with Conrad Productions and Novo Nordisk to develop a Hispanic public educational program consisting of a diabetes video and guidebook in both Spanish and English. This program helps patients to clarify misconceptions about diabetes, understand who gets diabetes, whether they need to be tested, and prevent diabetes onset by exercise and weight loss. This program also helps diagnosed patients to control diabetes and prevent serious complications. The video features celebrities Gloria Araya-Quinlan, Jose Alberto, and Congressman Silvestre Reyes, who have personal experience with diabetes. It is filled with helpful information from AACE members Dr. Jaime Davidson and Dr. Pablo Mora.

Member Services

• Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) accredits AACE so that it may sponsor continuing medical education (CME) programs for physicians.
• The AACE bi-monthly scientific journal, Endocrine Practice, provides state-of-the-art clinical material, reviews, and useful information, which can be used in members' practices daily.
• Clinical Practice Guidelines about diabetes, thyroid disease, osteoporosis, hypogonadism, growth hormone, male sexual dysfunction, menopause, lipids, obesity and others have been published to serve as guidelines for the care of patients, and also to increase awareness of and demand for endocrinology services. Practice guidelines for other endocrine disorders are under development.
• The AACE Online Website (www.aace.com) provides members information on the Internet 24 hours a day. Features include: education, publications, clinical information, AACE services, member-only area, AACE calendar, meeting and ASAP registration, bulletin boards and e-mail Listservs for online discussions. The AACE web site provides the general public with access to the AACE guidelines, Thyroid Awareness Month with "Neck Check" information, Human Growth Hormone Initiative, "Patients First" Campaign for Diabetes Self Management with Patient-Physician Contract, and ability to locate an endocrinologist in their area.
• AACE provides members with opportunities to continue their medical education through the AACE Self-Assessment Profile in Endocrinology & Metabolism (ASAP), Nuclear Medicine, Thyroid Ultrasound, and Bone Densitometry courses. These courses and others currently under development make it possible for AACE members to be recognized for demonstrating the highest levels of clinical competency.

Corporate AACE Partnership (CAP)

The CAP is currently comprised of members representing the pharmaceutical industry, durable medical equipment companies, and others whose products and services relate to the practice of clinical endocrinology. The CAP serves as an excellent forum for AACE and its corporate partners to explore ways of working together that will be mutually beneficial, and which will serve to enhance the quality of care and life of patients with endocrine disease.

American College of Endocrinology (ACE)

The American College of Endocrinology provides and promotes education, research, communication in the art and science of clinical endocrinology and provides appropriate recognition of advances and achievements relating to clinical endocrinology. Benefits of membership include: recognition by peers and other professional groups; formal and informal education opportunities; continuing medical education credit; access to current research; involvement in development and reality testing of practice guidelines on endocrine diseases; networking and collegiality with colleagues; involvement in endocrine technology and clinical research, and subscription to Endocrine Practice.

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