Change the World
Together, we are one.
As I return to my normal routine after an incredible experience at the AAO-HNSF 2023 Annual Meeting & OTO Experience in Nashville, Tennessee, I am struck by the power of our specialty to create positive change in the world around us. The American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery and its Foundation (AAO-HNS/F) harness amazing power to bring us together to change lives and communities both at home and abroad.
I attended the Women in Otolaryngology (WIO) Section General Assembly in Nashville. More than 650 members gathered over lunch to witness a full program dedicated to advancing women in our specialty. Amy Y. Chen, MD, MPH, MBA, received the Helen F. Krause, MD Trailblazer Award, Shannon D. Fayson, MD, the Exemplary Senior Trainee Award, and Daniel C. Chelius, Jr., MD, was chosen for the He for She Award. Congratulations to each of the award winners for making a difference in our Academy.
Douglas D. Backous, MD
AAO-HNS/F President
Mark E. Zafereo, Jr., MD, the AAO-HNSF International Coordinator, works tirelessly on behalf of international colleagues to provide access to AAO-HNSF education resources and speakers for International Corresponding Society meetings all over the world, as well as to encourage international presentations at our Annual Meeting. He continues to build on the traditions set by Eugene N. Myers, MD, FRCS Edin (Hon), to honor our international friends in otolaryngology.
Albert L. Merati, MD, hosted the inaugural Crucial Conversation session, “Examining the Relationship between Otolaryngology Training and Our Field as a Whole: How Are We Doing.” Dr. Merati, Eugene G. Brown, MD, RPh, Andrew J. Tompkins, MD, MBA, Mark E. Whipple, MD, MS, Ronda E. Alexander, MD, Sarah N. Bowe, MD, EdM, and Dr. Gray, discussed the challenges in the residency selection process, the decline in exposure to private practice rotations for trainees, workforce issues, and opportunities to come together to optimize residency training in our field. Alan G. Micco, MD, chair of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Review Committee shared perspectives on potential roles for private practice in residency training in the future. By coming together as a specialty, we can clearly outline the challenges facing academic programs and enrich the training of our future colleagues. This very important discussion will continue next year in Miami.
Our Academy is not a building or a meeting, it is a group of people, gifted and trained in what I believe is the finest specialty in medicine. We come together to take care of patients with the best possible outcomes and with respect and dignity. Together, we are one. Together, we can change the world.