2005 PCOS Public Awareness Campaign
About The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists
The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) is a professional medical organization consisting of 5200 practicing clinical endocrinologists devoted to furthering patient care in the field of endocrinology. The mission of AACE is to heighten awareness of underlying endocrine diseases and to improve the public's understanding of the function of clinical endocrinologists and the value they add during treatment of these endocrine diseases. The goal of AACE is to improve the quality of care available to patients with endocrine disease.
All members of AACE are fully licensed physicians and fully trained in endocrinology. The majority are board certified in internal medicine and subspecialty certified in adult or pediatric endocrinology. AACE members are recognized clinicians and educators, and many are affiliated with medical schools and universities. Members contribute on a regular and continuing basis to the scientific literature on endocrine diseases and conduct medical education programs on this subject.
For more information on AACE, please visit our website at: www.aace.com or www.powerofprevention.com.
Editorial Background
The endocrine system is made up of glands throughout the body which regulate the function, growth and development of tissues and organs by secreting chemicals called hormones directly into the bloodstream. Endocrine disorders develop when a malfunctioning gland secretes either too much or too little of a hormone, due to illness, surgical removal or natural causes.
Clinical endocrinologists are physicians with special education, training and expertise in the complex disorders of the endocrine system. These physicians devote their clinical practices to providing the highest standard of diagnosis and care to patients with endocrine disease, including PCOS and other reproductive disorders, obesity, diabetes, thyroid disease, osteoporosis, hypertension, cholesterol and lipid abnormalities as well as pituitary, parathyroid and adrenal conditions.
Because of the complex nature and variability of many endocrine disorders, comprehensive evaluations and extended follow-up care are often necessary. This comprehensiveness, plus the long-term nature of many endocrine illnesses, makes the patient-physician partnership essential to quality endocrine care.
In addition to providing patient care, endocrinologists are also at the forefront of medical research, playing an important role in many major health issues, including infertility, Insulin Resistance Syndrome (IRS), diabetes, hypertension, cholesterol disorders, osteoporosis, growth and geriatric disorders. They play an integral part in maintaining the total health of the patient, due to the critical role of the endocrine system throughout the body.