BSPED Special Interest Groups (SIGs) bring together professionals involved in a particular area of paediatric endocrinology or diabetes to collaboratively achieve at least one of the following:

• maintain and advance clinical standards of care in the specific field (through guidelines, standards of care, audit, service evaluation etc)
• advance research in the specific field
• improve the quality of training and knowledge sharing for professionals in the specific field

BSPED SIGs are managed according to these Terms of Reference, detailing how they are created, governed and managed and what both the BSPED and the SIG can expect. If you have a proposal for a new BSPED SIG, please contact the BSPED Office, outlining in writing the need (and lack of existing body to meet this need), mission of the group, expected output of the group and expected longevity of the group. The proposal must be accompanied by at least one expression of interest for a potential coordinator of the group. The BSPED have expressed interest in operating an 'Endocrine and Diabetes Transition' SIG and would especially welcome applications in this area.

The following are currently supported as official BSPED Special Interest Groups:

Adrenal and Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH) Special Interest Group

The Adrenal and Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia Special Interest Group brings together healthcare professionals to develop an adrenal consortium that will facilitate and coordinate adrenal and CAH research and innovation in care provision. Our vision is that different colleagues/ centres will have lead roles on projects addressing different questions and supporting other projects. The overarching aim is the improvement of management and care provision for patients with adrenal conditions and CAH.

The Adrenal/ CAH SIG meets twice yearly for a full day working meeting and at the BSPED annual meeting. 

Please contact Nils Krone ([email protected]) if you are interested in participating in these meetings and be part of the mailing for this group. The agenda is under development and we are keen to receive items such as ongoing or planned clinical and research projects, clinical cases and updates on recent developments.

The Disorders of Sex Development (DSD) Special Interest Group

The DSD SIG aims to improve management and care provision for patients with DSD across the UK. Since the pandemic, agreement via a membership survey identified that the DSD SIG should meet twice a year as a virtual half day session to replace a full day working meeting to discuss complex DSD cases, provide updates on national and international developments, patient initiatives, develop audit and clinical projects, update on research projects and plan and develop joint research projects. A further sole business meeting should also be held at the annual BSPED conference.

Based on feedback from the 2020 survey and discussions, the role of the DSD SIG moving forward are to:

1. Provide a platform for discussion of difficult and complex DSD cases – these would be for cases where these are complex even for established regional networks
2. Provide a platform for education especially as there may not be equity in exposure to DSD cases across centres – therefore meetings are a forum where trainees can get exposure to learning around significantly complex DSD cases and case presentation of such cases.
3. Network for research and share research ideas and updates
4. Feed into the peer review audit to ensure BSPED standards for DSD are maintained.
5. Provide a link for charitable organisations and recognised support groups to link into.
6. Respond on behalf of the BSPED to government organisations regarding matters pertaining to the clinical care of DSD patients.

Please contact Zainaba Mohammed if you are interested and in being included on the mailing list for this group.

CYP Type 2 Diabetes Special Interest Group
The Children and Young People Type 2 Diabetes Special Interest Group aims to improve the care of children and adolescents with type 2 diabetes. The group is composed of multi-disciplinary professionals across all Paediatric Diabetes Networks in the U.K. Meetings are held regularly to share experiences in the management, research and training in CYP with type 2 diabetes. Please contact Dr Pooja Sachdev and Dr Evelien Gevers (SIG Coordinator and Deputy Coordinator) or Heather Clark (Children and Young People’s East and West Midlands CYP Diabetes Network Manager) and refer to the CYP diabetes Network website for further information if you are interested.

Growth Disorders Special Interest Group

The Growth Disorders Special Interest Group (SIG) aims to improve the recognition, diagnosis and management of growth disorders in the UK and to coordinate research efforts in the field.
The aims of the group are to:

· Work closely with patient groups
· Develop collaborative research projects and audit
· Develop evidence-based guidelines
· Gather experts in the field to facilitate consensus statements
· Create a 'go to' group for external pharmaceutical clinical trials
· Liaise and collaborate with international working groups e.g. ERN, ESPE and 100k Genomes project
Please contact Helen Storr and Justin Davies to join the group or for more information

Hypothalamic & Pituitary Axis Tumour (HPAT) Special Interest Group

The Hypothalamic and Pituitary Axis Tumour (HPAT) Special Interest Group brings together paediatric neuroendocrine and pituitary professionals from across the UK to better understand, and raise awareness of, the life limiting neuroendocrine morbidity of hypothalamic injury, and improve functional outcomes of children and young people under 19 years of age (CYP) with diverse suprasellar hypothalamo-pituitary axis tumours. The group aims to train, establish and support tertiary paediatric neuroendocrine experts in all national paediatric CCLG-affiliated neuroncology centres, to lead alongside age-appropriate neurosurgical, neuro-oncology, neuropathology and neuroradiology experts in decision making MDTs, peri-operative care and long term health provision across age transitions, according to 2019 forthcoming collaborative CCLG and BSPED guidelines endorsed by RCPCH. Importantly, the HPAT SIG aims:

• to build on existing collaborative interdisciplinary guidance initiatives and the national virtual HPAT discussion forum by establishing collaborative intersociety national outcome registries for continuous audit, guideline update and research, and
• to establish formal relationships with national and international multidisciplinary working groups and representative bodies to ensure streamlined safe, and equitable neuroendocrine care.
• to identify areas of need and to support research to advance the neuroendocrine care of children and young people with HPATs

Please contact Paul Dimitri and Hoong-Wei Gan if you would like further information about this group.

Pre-Type 1 diabetes Special Interest Group (SIG)

The BSPED Pre-T1D group has officially been approved as a SIG. The group is led by Dr Rachel Besser (BSPED Diabetes Officer and Endocrinologist in Oxford) and Dr Tabitha Randell (past BSPED Chair and Endocrinologist in Nottingham), and is made up of representatives from the Scottish Study Group, Northern Ireland, English and Welsh Networks, primary care, NHS England, and ACDC, with representation from medical, nursing and psychology.

Aims, to:

1. Establish a pre-clinical Type 1 diabetes pathway for children and young people < 18 years in the UK.
2. Build expertise in the field of pre-clinical Type 1 diabetes across the four nations.
3. Participate in relevant research related to pre-clinical Type 1 diabetes.

Objectives, to:

1. Establish a steering group of relevant stakeholders across the four nations to provide oversight and leadership to the delivery of the working group aims.
2. Establish a task and finish working group on a pre-clinical Type 1 diabetes management pathway.
3. Expand on an earlier survey to determine the current number of CYP in the UK with one or more islet autoantibodies to understand the impact on service provision.
4. Establish pre-Type 1 diabetes champions across the four nations to build expertise within clinical teams.
5. Participate (through guidance or as collaborators/applicants) on relevant research proposals.
6. Create support materials for healthcare professions/parents relevant to pre-clinical Type 1 diabetes.

For further expressions of interest or enquiries please contact: [email protected] or [email protected].

Thyroid Special Interest Group (Thyroid SIG)

Thyroid disorders are relatively common in paediatric endocrine practice but there are uncertainties regarding how best to investigate and manage a number of these conditions.
The mission of the Thyroid SIG is to provide a forum for improving the knowledge of, management and outcomes of children with disorders of thyroid function in the UK and elsewhere.

The group hopes to focus on various groups of children including babies with congenital hypothyroidism, children with compensated hypothyroidism, Graves’ disease as well as patients with rare disorders such as those affecting thyroid hormone transport. The SIG is open to anyone with an interest in this area including paediatric endocrinologists, endocrinologists, paediatricians ‘with an interest’, specialist nurses and laboratory scientists. The SIG will work closely with families and family support organisations.

Please contact Catherine Peters or Tim Cheetham if you are interested in being part of this group.