New ESPE Secretary General Elected

At ESPE’s Annual Business Meeting on 28 September, Anita Hokken-Koelega was formally elected as the new Secretary General of ESPE, following an e-vote amongst Society members. Professor Hokken-Koelega will take office in September 2019, when current Secretary General Peter Clayton will step down after an extended term of 4 years.

Anita is Professor of Paediatric Endocrinology at Erasmus University Medical Center/Sophia Children’s Hospital in Rotterdam, Netherlands. She was previously ESPE’s Treasurer and Chair of the Strategic & Finance Committee.

In talking about her vision for ESPE’s role in the coming years, Anita said: “ESPE has a great responsibility and an important role in improving health care for children and adolescents with endocrine disorders, training paediatric endocrine fellows, developing quality indicators and standards of care, as well as prioritising research activities, in Europe and worldwide. It is important that ESPE remains a leading paediatric society, but collaboration with other paediatric and adult societies is important, like ESPE’s participation in the International Consortium of Pediatric Endocrinology (ICPE).”

365 members voted in the election, with Anita receiving 53.2% of the votes and candidate Gary Butler receiving 46.3%. Anita was welcomed into her new role by Peter Clayton.