Teresa Woodruff, PhD, director of the Women’s Health Research Institute and chief of fertility preservation at Northwestern University was  inaugurated as president of the Endocrine Society- the world’s oldest, largest, and most active organization devoted to research on hormones and the clinical practice of endocrinology.  She was handed the gavel at their 95th Annual Meeting at the end of June.

“Worldwide, the endocrinology community is facing a variety of challenges, including the colliding epidemics of obesity and diabetes, growing awareness of the health risks associated with endocrine-disrupting chemicals, the tension between global population expansion and personal reproductive needs, and the need to support scientific research in an environment with limited resources,” said Woodruff, also the Thomas J. Watkins Memorial Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology. “As president of the Endocrine Society, I am looking forward to working with the talented clinicians and researchers in our membership to develop tactics and offer continued scientific leadership to address these issues.”

A reproductive endocrinologist, Woodruff has dedicated much of her research career to studying female reproductive health and infertility. So-Youn Kim, a postdoctoral fellow in Woodruff’s laboratory, presented the team’s research on ways to preserve the fertility of women who are treated for cancer during the recent four day meeting in San Francisco.