Successful Twins - Separated and Reunited: German Societies for Endocrinology and Diabetology Join

Long ago, endocrinology was the mother of all sciences and clinical areas dealing with hormones, including the area of insulin and its action on metabolism, now called diabetology. Due to the tremendous clinical importance, the success of therapies, the latter subject became a prominent section of endocrinology and - not uncommon to such developments - formed itself into an independent society in almost all western countries. Diabetes then became a clinical subspecialty certified by e.g. the German Diabetes Association or other official institutions in Germany and in other countries.

Over the past decade, not only due to economical restrictions, endocrinology as a subject has been loosing grounds at an increasing pace: full professorships have not been reissued but rather converted into dependent associate professorships in many instances or even completely abolished. In future, the introduction of the DRG - diagnosis-related group - system into German medical practice will further reduce the standing of endocrinology at least in the clinical setting as endocrinology is an ambulatory clinical speciality in most instances. Similar problems - though not to the same extent - are faced by diabetology especially on the background of not yet having established a public recognition as an independent subspeciality of internal medicine in that there is no official board examimation based on German federal law.

Not only in reflection of these dramatic changes in clinical reality, a remarkable, unique decision has been taken in Germany mainly by the German Society of Endocrinology and the German Association of Diabetology: To ensure and promote the position of endocrinology and diabetology and to underline their common roots a holding organization was founded last year. The term “Dachverband Endokrinologie/Diabetologie - DVED” (German holding organization endocrinology/diabetology) reflects the changing restrictions and requirements in both areas and leads to common policies and strategies to save existing structures in both subjects or re-establish lost professorships or institutional realms. In detail the following associations and societies have already joined into the common project and organization:

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Endokrinologie (DGE) Deutsche Diabetes-Gesellschaft (DDG) Berufsverband Deutscher Internisten (BDI) Berufsverband Deutscher Diabetologen (BDD) Berufsverband Deutscher Endokrinologen (BDE)

To our knowledge this appears to be the first manifestation of re-integration in this clinical area worldwide. It will be a challenge to other countries where similar problems certainly exist. The initial strategies of the holding organization in Germany will aim at the official medical association in order to restructure and renovate the curricula of subspecialization in endocrinology/diabetology and the related board exams.

Another important visible move which underlines the seriousness of the underlying idea, the headquarters of the German Society for Endocrinology and the German Diabetes Association are being joined at the same location in Bochum. This means that the managing offices of both societies will work under the same roof in a very close connection.

Finally, the official scientific organ of both societies since 1995, Experimental and Clinical Endocrinology & Diabetes is a unique journal in the sense that it anticipated the need of collaboration and even re-unification of the two subjects already many years ago. The journal will be glad to fully support and reflect the novel activities of the newly founded head organization Endocrinology/Diabetology in Germany.