The Thyroid Federation International first convened in Toronto, Ontario, Canada at the 11th International Thyroid Congress in September 1995. The vision of a thyroid organization to deal with the problems of thyroid disease in a global perspective was first advocated by Diana Meltzer Abramsky, C.M., B.A. who in 1980 founded the Thyroid Foundation of Canada in Kingston, Ontario Canada – the first patient-oriented thyroid organization in the world. Since then, the idea has received enthusiastic support and leadership from Dr. Lawrence C. Wood of the Thyroid Foundation of America, the Federation’s first president. Starting from a base of six member organizations, the Federation has grown to include thyroid organizations in many parts of the world, including Europe, North and South America, Asia, Australia and Africa.