Surgery of the Thyroid and Parathyroid Glands
- Continuing Education
Elevate your expertise in thyroid and parathyroid care through a comprehensive, expert-led masterclass that distills three decades of cutting-edge advances into two focused days. Strengthen your skills with the latest updates in cancer management, targeted therapies, thermal ablation, pediatric care, and multidisciplinary decision-making.
- In Person
This course is taught in person.
Boston Marriott Long Wharf | 296 State St, Boston, MA 02109
$900
For a full list of profession pricing see below.
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Continuing Education
Earn up to:
13.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s) ™
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Two Days
Please view the Schedule for a full description of the program.
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Overview
This two-day course addresses the full spectrum of multidisciplinary thyroid and parathyroid surgical care. First launched in 1996, the program now marks its 30th anniversary as a premier educational offering. The faculty are the most renowned experts globally. As a Harvard continuing medical education course, the course ranks amongst the highest courses that Harvard gives each time it is offered, with a global reputation. Topics will include management and surveillance of low-risk thyroid cancer, with updates on active surveillance and thermal ablation. The course will also review contemporary approaches to advanced thyroid cancer, covering areas from neoadjuvant targeted therapies to surgical management of recurrent laryngeal nerve invasion. Updates in pediatric thyroid cancer management will be discussed. A broad range of parathyroid topics will be addressed, from preoperative localization strategies to intraoperative applications of autofluorescence and vascular assessment. Panel discussions and a multidisciplinary tumor board will further highlight management options and challenges in thyroid and parathyroid disease.
The field of thyroid and parathyroid surgery is evolving rapidly. Advances in understanding the molecular mechanisms of thyroid carcinogenesis have led to improvements in diagnosis, risk stratification, and targeted therapies. Thermal ablation has emerged as a treatment option for benign thyroid nodules and select malignancies. In addition, the American Thyroid Association has released new thyroid cancer guidelines, with updated thyroid nodule guidelines forthcoming. These developments make it essential for thyroid and parathyroid surgeons, endocrinologists, medical oncologists, and other specialists to stay current with the latest recommendations and practices in patient care.
Learning Objectives
- Describe current management of low-risk thyroid cancer, from diagnosis through surgery and postoperative surveillance.
- Gain familiarity with new ATA guidelines on thyroid cancer and thyroid nodules.
- Explore recent advances in the treatment of advanced thyroid cancer, including molecular analysis, neoadjuvant therapy and surgical management.
- Identify recent updates in pathologic classification.
- Discuss the role of thermal ablation and active surveillance in thyroid cancer management.
- Review contemporary approaches to pediatric thyroid cancer management.
- Discuss preoperative evaluation of hyperparathyroidism, including localization studies and indications for surgery based on current guidelines.
- Evaluate the use of intraoperative parathyroid autofluorescence and vascular assessment as adjunctive surgical tools.
Developed and Offered By:
Continuing Education courses are developed by faculty from Harvard Medical School's teaching hospitals and accredited by Harvard Medical School. This course is offered by Mass Eye and Ear.
Schedule
All agenda sessions are in Eastern Time.
Friday, November 20, 2026
Welcome from MGB Leadership and Course Directors and Pre-Test Administration
7:00-7:15 am
The Thyroid Nodule in 2026
7:15-7:50 am
Updates in mPTC
7:50-8:10 am
PTC: how large can you go with active surveillance?
8:10-8:30 am
Kocher Lecture: Thyroid cancer surgery: 40 years of lessons learned and the people along the way
8:30-9:00 am
Break
9:00-9:20 am
ATC tumor microenvironment and response to therapy
9:20-9:40 am
ATA nodules guidelines tour: what the clinician needs to know
9:40-10:00 am
RLN management in 2026
10:00-10:20 am
Standardizing the reporting of postoperative hypoparathyroidism following thyroidectomy: an EU consensus statement
10:20-10:40 am
Applying molecular profiling of thyroid neoplasia in clinical practice: from prediction to treatment
10:40-11:00 am
FT-UMP, WDT-UMP, NIFTP: what the clinician needs to know
11:00-11:20 am
Thyroseq for diagnosis and prognosis
11:20-11:40 am
Panel #1 Thyroid Nodules – treatment decisions and Q&A
Moderators: Marika Russell; Sara Ahmadi
Speakers: Runhua Hou; Rajshri Gartland; Mary Beth Cunnane; Natalia Kyriazidis; Michael Otremba; Nancy Cho; Theodora Pappa; William Faquin
11:40 am-12:20 pm
Lunch Break
12:20-1:25 pm
RFA and the RLN: lessons learned from surgical experience
1:25-1:45 pm
De-escalation of thyroid cancer surgery: hemithyroidectomy and lateral neck dissection
1:45-2:05 pm
Risk adaptation and de-escalation in thyroid cancer surveillance
2:05-2:25 pm
Oncytic Cell Carcinoma – Genetics and Management
2:25-2:45 pm
Break
2:45-3:05 pm
Revision surgery for DTC
3:05-3:25 pm
RET-altered thyroid cancer treatment
3:25-3:45 pm
Advanced thyroid cancer: managing treatment toxicity
3:45-4:05 pm
Advanced thyroid cancer surgery
4:05-4:25 pm
Neoadjuvant therapy for advanced disease in 2026
4:25-4:45 pm
Management of BRAF-wild-type ATC: what the clinician needs to know
4:45-5:05 pm
Panel #2: Thyroid Cancer Tumor Board and Q&A
Moderators: Gregory Randolph; Eleni Rettig
Speakers: Lori Wirth; Sareh Parangi; Theodora Pappa; Richard Wong; Megan Haymart; Ashok Shaha; Derrick Lin; Ian Witterick; Giuseppe Mercante
5:05-5:45 pm
Saturday, November 21, 2026
Preop evaluation for thyroid cancer surgery
7:00-7:20 am
Radiofrequency ablation of thyroid cancer
7:20-7:40 am
Update in pediatric thyroid cancer genetics
7:40-8:00 am
Management of airway invasion by thyroid cancer -a 50 year perspective
8:00-8:20 am
Graves Ophthalmopathy in 2026
8:20-8:40 am
Changing Paradigms in Hyperparathyroidism
8:40-9:20 am
Break
9:20-9:40 am
Practical office-based US 2026: pearls from a busy practice
9:40-10:00 am
Indeterminant nodule management: Observation, RFA or Surgery?
10:00-10:20 am
Medicolegal issues and burnout
10:20-10:40 am
Management of the neck in thyroid cancer
10:40-11:00 am
Leveraging Neuromonitoring in Thyroid Cancer surgery
11:00-11:20 am
Building an endocrine practice and the new Focused Practice Designation
11:20-11:40 am
Surgery for Graves
11:40 am-12:00 pm
Pediatric thyroid cancer management in 2026
12:00-12:20 pm
Lunch Break
12:20-1:30 pm
Autofluorescence and Parathyroid Vascular Assessment
1:30-1:50 pm
HPT Imaging: 4D CT
1:50-2:10 pm
Essentials of preop HPT evaluation: a surgeon’s perspective
2:10-2:30 pm
Break
2:30-2:50 pm
Normohormonal and normocalcemic HPT
2:50-3:10 pm
Secondary HPT Surgery: When and How Much?
3:10-3:30 pm
Panel #3: Parathyroid Panel
Moderators: Peter Angelos; Gerard Doherty; Antonia Stephen
Speakers: Leslie Eldeiry; Michael Singer; David Shonka; Richard Hodin; Carrie Cunningham; Ben James
3:30-4:10 pm
Closing Remarks
4:10-4:15 pm
Faculty
Harvard Medical School Continuing Education attracts the best and brightest faculty from all around the world. As a student in this course, you’ll have access to outstanding course directors and faculty.
Course Directors
Gregory Randolph
MD, FACS, FACE, FEBS (Endocrine), MAMSE, FRCEd (ad hominem) | Course Director
- Professor of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Claire and John Bertucci Endowed Chair in Thyroid Surgical Oncology, Harvard Medical School
- Chief, Thyroid & Parathyroid Endocrine Surgical Division, Dept Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Massachusetts Eye and Ear
- President, International Thyroid Oncology Group (ITOG)
- President, World Congress on Thyroid Cancer (WCTC)
- Governor, American College of Surgeons Otolaryngology
Marika Russell
MD, FACS | Course Director
- Assistant Professor, Otolaryngology Head Neck Surgery, Harvard Medical School
- Director, Education Thyroid & Parathyroid Endocrine Surgical Division, Dept Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Massachusetts Eye and Ear
- Vice Chair, American Head and Neck Society Endocrine Surgical Section
- Associate Professor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School
- Member, Massachusetts General Hospital Endocrine Surgery Unit
- Director, Mass General Endocrine Surgery Fellowship
- Program Lead, Mass General Brigham Endocrine Surgery
Sara Ahmadi, MD
Trevor Angell, MD
Peter Angelos, MD, PhD
Giuseppe Barbesino, MD
Marcin Barczynski, MD, PhD
Fares Benmiloud, MD
Lindsay Bischoff, MD
Nancy Cho, MD
Elizabeth Cottrill, MD
Marybeth Cunnane, MD
Gilbert Daniels, MD
Gerard Doherty, MD
Leslie Eldeiry, MD
James Fagin, MD
William Faquin, MD, PhD
Jeremy Freeman, MD
Suzanne Freitag, MD
Rajshri Gartland, MD, MPH
Megan Haymart, MD
Richard Hodin, MD
Runhua Hou, MD
Benjamin James, MD, MSc
Hillary Kelly, MD
Peter Kopp, MD
Natalia Kyriazidis, MD
Derrick Lin, MD, FACS
Guiseppe Mercante, MD
Caitlin McMullen, MD
Yuri Nikiforov, MD, PhD
Julia Noel, MD
Michael Otremba, MD
Nitin Pagedar, MD, MPH
Theodora Pappa, MD, PhD
Sareh Parangi, MD
Eleni Rettig, MD, FACS
Thomas Roberts, MD, MBA
Douglas Ross, MD
Peter Sadow, MD, PhD
Jatin Shah, MD, FACS
Ashok Shaha, MD, FACS
David Shonka, MD
Michael Singer, MD
David Terris, MD
Geoff Thompson, MD
Neil Tolley, MD, FRCS, DLO
R Michael Tuttle, MD
Mark Urken, MD
Steven Waguespack, MD
Lori Wirth, MD
Ian Witterick, MD, MSc, FRCSC
Richard Wong, MD, FACS
Mark Zafereo, MD, FACS
Hotel Information
Please use link to book a hotel reservation: https://book.passkey.com/go/harvardcmecourse
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Course Fees
Registration Details
You may register through our secure online environment and will receive an email confirmation upon receipt of your payment. Prices include CME credit, electronic syllabus. At the end of the registration process, a $10 non-refundable processing fee will be added to your registration.
| Role | Course Fee |
|---|---|
| Physician (MD/DO) | $900 |
| Nurse (RN/APRN) | $400 |
| PA | $400 |
| Psychologist | $900 |
| Resident/Fellow | $400 |
| Social Worker | $400 |
| Allied Health Professional / Other | $900 |
Accreditation
The Harvard Medical School designates this live activity for a maximum of 13.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Harvard Medical School has been authorized by the American Academy of PAs (AAPA) to award AAPA Category 1 CME credit for activities planned in accordance with AAPA CME Criteria. This activity is designated for 7.50 AAPA Category 1 CME credits. PAs should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation.
The American Medical Association (AMA) has an agreement of mutual recognition of continuing medical education (CME) credit with the European Union of Medical Specialties (UEMS). Additional information regarding this agreement may be found on the European Union of Medical Specialties website.
The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada recognizes conferences and workshops held outside of Canada that are developed by a university, academy, hospital, specialty society or college as accredited group learning activities.