On October 7-8, 2025, the Sheraton Grand Metechi Palace Hotel hosted the “International Forum of Clinical Endocrinology.” This large-scale scientific event brought together nearly 400 Georgian and international delegates in one space.
The forum featured invited experts from the Mayo Clinic—the N1 ranked hospital in the world—as well as leading specialists from the Tbilisi Medical Institute. International conferences of this type are crucial for the development of the field in Georgia and the strengthening of international cooperation.
Nino Zavrashvili, Head of the Endocrinology Department at the Tbilisi Medical Institute and one of the event’s organizers, speaks to us about the success of the forum and the path that led to inviting the team of doctors from the Mayo Clinic to Tbilisi.
How did the idea and need for such a conference in Georgia come about?
The idea of inviting the Mayo Clinic’s endocrinology team to Georgia first came about in 2016 when I had the pleasure of meeting and working in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, Metabolism, and Nutrition at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, USA. My mentor during this period was Dr. Nina Natt, currently the Clinical Head of the Endocrinology Department at the Mayo Clinic. We talked a lot about Georgia, and the first idea was born soon after. Dr. Nina Natt deserves great credit for the first visit of Mayo endocrinologists to Georgia in 2018. It was in that year, for the first time in Georgia, that we conducted a 2-day clinical course and hosted about 200 practicing doctors. A strong desire for further cooperation emerged immediately. Fortunately, we were able to hold a new, second event on a much larger scale, which hosted 400 local and international delegates, organized by EndoHub.
The Mayo endocrinologist team was represented by leading doctors in the field: William Young, Nina Natt, Irina Bancos, Curt Kenel, and Ife Egan.
What were the main topics and innovations presented by the invited speakers?
During the 2-day forum, key issues in endocrinology were covered. We had a special focus on endocrine hypertension, diseases of the pituitary and adrenal glands, osteoporosis, and modern aspects of diabetes management.
Do you check the feedback from the attending doctors after the conference? How do you think the innovations heard here will change their daily clinical practice?
Yes, of course. We are especially pleased with the positive feedback from the attending doctors. I think that the format that the Mayo Clinic generally offers us—lectures and discussions based on clinical cases—becomes a direct guide for practicing doctors and facilitates decision-making in daily practice.
How easy was it to persuade the prominent endocrinologists from the Mayo Clinic to visit Georgia?
There is already a long-standing friendship between the Mayo Clinic and Georgia. Several teams have visited Georgia over the last 10-12 years. One of the first visits of Mayo doctors in the pediatric direction took place thanks to the great merit of the Georgian doctor working in America, Ana Mrelashvili. Ana and I first found ourselves together at Mayo in 2009 as part of a student clerkship program. At that time, I probably couldn’t even have imagined in my boldest dreams that I would be able to host doctors from the world-leading clinic in our country, and not just once.
The discovery of the Mayo Clinic is precisely teamwork, where teams of doctors unite for one patient. Through such teamwork, we were first able to found the association, EndoHub—the Clinical Endocrinology Association. EndoHub was supported by many organizations, residents, and students. With this joint effort, we were able to organize a 2-day international forum in Tbilisi.
During the conference, the invited speakers presented several outstanding clinical cases. What are the main innovations that are changing the process of diagnosing and managing endocrinological diseases?
Endocrinology is a broad field. Fortunately, there is great progress, and approaches are changing every year, which gives us the means to better manage our patients. During these two days, we covered practically the most current issues in endocrinology, but I would especially highlight the discussion of modern management aspects of endocrine hypertension and the implementation of adrenal vein catheterization in Georgia. The Mayo Clinic and Dr. William Young have made a great contribution to this issue.
We expect that our cooperation with the Mayo Clinic and other leading international medical organizations will successfully continue, which will open up new opportunities for Georgia in the medical and scientific fields.
