Nostalgic reflections and hopeful predictions

This presidential year has been remarkable for me on many levels, and I am enormously grateful to have had this unique opportunity. I have worked with so many creative individuals, passionate about medicine and the field of otolaryngology, all demonstrating commitment and a deeply seated work ethic.

What we are doing for you

This year our Annual Meeting & OTO Experience occurs later than usual. This timing has allowed us to incorporate several “breaking news” panel presentations that we feel will be of significant interest to our attendees.

Board of Governors: Perseverance, dedication, and stamina: The magic ingredients

As I marvel at my fifth child, Kevin, completing yet another 1,650-yard (aka “the mile”) competitive swim on his way to collegiate competition, the keys to success in this grueling 66-lap event are perseverance, dedication, and stamina. Our professional careers as physicians, and our duties to fulfill the multitude of current climate expectations, demand these exact same traits.

Pearls From Peers: What do you incorporate into your schedule to achieve work-life balance?

I have a life-long passion for soccer and have been lucky to continually play the sport throughout my medical training and beyond. In 2017 and 2018, I was honored to represent our country by playing for Team USA in the physicians World Cup.

New guideline for creating unbiased educational content

We recently needed to take down a Patient Management Perspectives (Pmp) course, as it had culturally insensitive and biased language. Although this course was created nearly a decade ago, it quickly brought to light an opportunity to improve the way we approach education in our specialty and to develop a guideline to ensure we are creating unbiased education content.

Head and Neck Outreach in Uganda

The Head and Neck Outreach (HNO) team was established in 2014 through a partnership between Case Western Reserve University, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, the Uganda Cancer Institute (UCI), and Makerere University School of Medicine. Since HNO was established, medical outreach trips to Uganda have been conducted on a semiannual basis under the leadership of Chad A. Zender, MD.

Donor Spotlight: From resident to Millennium Society Lifetime donor in five years

The AAO-HNS foundation is honored to spotlight Betty S. Tsai, MD, who became a Millennium Society Lifetime donor through her generous pledge of $50,000 in 2013 to the foundation’s Annual Fund. Dr. Tsai’s philanthropic support of the foundation as a resident and fellow-in-training and her dedication and commitment to the Academy through her volunteerism and leadership is awe-inspiring.

Commentary: Consider osteopathic medical students

I have been paying attention to the growing concerns regarding declining application numbers for otolaryngology-head and neck surgery (OHNS) residency and unfilled positions with interest. Undoubtedly, a more rigorous application process1 and the high level of academic achievement expected of applicants are hurdles among medical students.

A Reg-ent^SM practice perspective: Wyoming Otolaryngology with Cope Norcross, MD

Data is a critical component in today’s ever-changing healthcare environment. Participants using the Reg-ent registry are harnessing the power of data to guide the best ENT care for their patients.

Neurotology quality measures coming to Reg-ent^SM in 2019

The AAO-HNSF and the American Association of Neurology (AAN) partnered to develop quality measures from the updated AAO-HNSF Clinical Practice Guideline: “Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV).” Five new measures have been created for patients experiencing neurotology conditions that cause dizziness and balance problems.

Alphabet soup: Acronyms you need to know

Ever read an article, had a conversation, or watched a news program that included myriad acronyms that cause a “what does that mean” moment? Cross a couple of those questions off your list by reviewing this compilation of acronyms you need to know to be an effective advocate for the specialty!

AMA House of Delegates report: Issues impacting otolaryngology

The American Medical Association (AMA) held its 2018 Annual House of Delegates (HOD) Meeting in Chicago, IL, June 9-13. Your Academy was represented by Robert Puchalski, MD, Delegation Chair; Douglas Myers, MD, Delegate and Otolaryngology Section Council Chair; Craig S. Derkay, MD, Delegate; and James C. Denneny III, MD, AAO-HNS EVP/CEO, as Alternate Delegate.

Opinion – Otolaryngologists: Masters of hearing health

In June 2018, Beck et al. published an article proposing that audiologists perform dementia screening.1 They highlighted their view of “hearing care professionals as gatekeepers,” and stressed that audiologists should be knowledgeable about dementia screening and prepared to be active in the conversation regarding memory issues.

AcademyU^®: Increasing mobile-friendly courses

AcademyU now provides learning “on the go” for all CME activities. Case-based courses, webcasts, eCourses, and the AcademyQ Knowledge Assessment can all be conveniently accessed on any mobile device. Get started and download the OTO Central App today, www.entnet.org/content/oto-central-app.

ENThealth.org: Primed for preview: The new patient health website

ENThealth.org, debuting at the 2018 Annual Meeting & OTO Experience in Atlanta, Georgia, this month, is the Foundation’s new dynamic patient health website—a consumer-facing online resource that will position the AAO-HNS/F as THE trusted source for patient-centered otolaryngology-head and neck surgery information.

What are we doing for you?

The direct relationship between policies and rules that are perceived as burdensome, inappropriate, and unnecessary and the overall wellness of the physician community has been established multiple times over the last five to 10 years.

Competency: It is everyone’s responsibility

Surgical competency is characterized by three S’s: solid knowledge base, sound judgement, and surgical skills. While medical knowledge may be assessed with examinations and recertification, surgical abilities and judgment are more challenging to determine and characterize. With further emphasis on quality and safety, surgical competency has become an important aspect of residency training.