The Rising Star Power Talks at ENDO 2026 is a fast-paced competition where early-career and in-training members present research in three minutes with a single evolving slide, followed by two minutes of questions. Judges and the audience determine winners across categories. Brittany Weisbrot, an internal medicine resident at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Ill., won the Clinical Science category. Other winners that year included a Basic Science winner, a Translational Science winner, and an Audience’s Choice selection.
Weisbrot’s presentation described a patient who developed new-onset and recurrent hypoglycemia 15 years after bariatric surgery. Initial consideration included post-bariatric hypoglycemia, an increasingly recognized clinical entity, but further workup led to a diagnosis of insulin autoimmune syndrome (IAS), a rare cause of hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia.
A notable feature of the case was a cyclical pattern of symptoms that appeared to parallel changes in estrogen levels. Evaluation revealed a markedly elevated estradiol concentration and bilateral ovarian fibroma/cystadenomas. Following bilateral oophorectomy, the patient’s insulin autoantibodies, episodes of hypoglycemia, and elevated estradiol levels resolved. These temporally associated changes raise the possibility of an interaction among estrogen exposure, autoimmunity, and insulin sensitivity in this patient.
Weisbrot emphasized that although post-bariatric hypoglycemia is commonly considered in patients with hypoglycemia after bariatric surgery, clinicians should remain alert to less common etiologies such as insulin autoimmune syndrome when the clinical course does not fully align with the presumed diagnosis. The case illustrates the importance of comprehensive evaluation and of considering autoimmune causes of hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia when insulin autoantibodies are present or when symptoms follow an atypical pattern.
The resolution of autoantibodies and hypoglycemia after removal of estrogen-producing ovarian lesions in this case suggests a potential modulatory role for sex hormones on autoantibody production or insulin action, though causality cannot be established from a single case. The finding prompts consideration of hormone–autoimmunity interactions in selected patients and supports further study.
Weisbrot described being drawn to the case by how the clinical story unfolded as successive pieces of information were revealed. What initially resembled post-bariatric hypoglycemia evolved into a diagnosis of IAS, with the cyclical symptom pattern prompting questions about estrogen’s role in autoimmunity. As someone interested in women’s health, Weisbrot found the case particularly compelling.
She credited mentorship for guiding the investigative process and noted that asking focused questions like “What are we missing?” can lead to meaningful research. She framed endocrinology as a specialty that rewards curiosity and highlighted the satisfaction of translating an individual patient’s presentation into insights that might improve care for others.
Presenting at ENDO in a session with peers, mentors, and leaders in the field was described as both humbling and rewarding. Weisbrot noted the added significance of presenting in Chicago, where she completed residency training. Interactions after the session with physicians and scientists from diverse settings reinforced the collegial and collaborative nature of the endocrinology community and heightened her enthusiasm for contributing to the field.
Weisbrot attributed an important role to the Endocrine Society in her development as a clinician and early-career researcher. Participation in ENDO provided opportunities to present work, receive feedback, and learn from established investigators. She emphasized the Society’s facilitation of mentorship and collaborative relationships, which she found motivating at the start of her career.
At the time of the interview, Weisbrot was applying for endocrinology fellowship and continuing to build her research experience. She plans to pursue clinical and investigative work focused on hypoglycemia, obesity medicine, diabetes, and metabolic health. Her long-term goal is to create a career that blends patient care, clinical research, and medical education, translating questions that arise in clinical practice into research aimed at improving diagnosis and treatment for future patients.