A Remarkable Year in Foundation Education

Meredith Merz Lind, MD, AAO-HNSF Coordinator for Education

---

My journey as your AAO-HNSF Coordinator for Education began right after the conclusion of our 2024 Annual Meeting in Nashville, Tennessee, when Jeffrey P. Simons, MD, MMM, turned over the reins. It has been an extraordinary year, marked by the successful launch of the new Otolaryngology Core Curriculum and the continued dedication to our long-standing education initiatives.

Meredith Merz Lind, MD
AAO-HNSF Coordinator for EducationAs I reflect on this year, I must acknowledge the profound contributions of James C. Denneny III, MD, to the advancement of our specialty. Building on his thoughts shared in the August Bulletin, it’s clear that his visionary leadership has been instrumental in advancing our mission in Foundation education. His unwavering commitment to otolaryngology-head and neck surgery and the success of our education endeavors will be deeply missed as he steps into retirement later this year.

My involvement with the AAO-HNS/F began in 2015 when I joined the Pediatric Otolaryngology Education Committee (POEC), later serving as Chair in 2019. Additionally, from 2017 – 2019, I contributed to the Simulation Education Committee before fully dedicating my efforts to the POEC. Throughout this time, I have had the privilege of witnessing Dr. Denneny’s genuine passion for our mission and his tireless support for our specialty’s growth.

Over the past decade, we have significantly modernized our education offerings. A pivotal moment was the sunsetting of the Home Study Course in 2020 after three decades, paving the way for the launch of FLEX—Focused Lifelong Education Xperience. This flagship program offers a diverse range of learning modalities, enhancing the education experience for all career stages. Additionally, our digital learning portfolio has expanded, catering to the evolving needs of modern learners through OTO Logic, the Foundation’s comprehensive learning management platform. Simulation Education offered at the AAO-HNSF 2024 Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO offers a breadth of hands-on experiences, with some of the most cutting-edge and sophisticated simulation training tools available in our field. "Take in the Sun and Simulation in Miami Beach" authored by Elliot Regenbogen, MD, is a must-read on this topic and will get you excited if you are attending the 2024 Annual Meeting.

As we look ahead, I remain committed to building on these achievements and continuing to elevate the standard of education within our specialty. None of this would be possible without the hard work and dedication of the members of our Education Steering Committee, Education Committee volunteer members, and Foundation Professional Education & Digital Learning team.

Building Education for the Specialty

Here are some highlights of our accomplishments this year:

Launched the new Otolaryngology Core Curriculum education platform to support the 2024 – 2025 academic year with the first 25 module topics out of 100; with 25 more to be added by January 1, 2025.

The AAO-HNSF’s flagship education product, FLEX—Focused Lifelong Education Xperience produced eight new sections with nearly 100 learning modalities to support and enhance learning.

The following FLEX-pert sessions will be held at the Annual Meeting:

• Best of FLEX: Pearls and Pitfalls in Evaluation/Management of Ear Canal Masses
• FLEXing Up: Pursuing Advanced Degrees to Enhance Your Career

More than 30 Simulation Education sessions will be presented at the Annual Meeting in collaboration of the Simulation Education Committee and the Annual Meeting Program Committee.

Nearly 50 education sessions that are sponsored by the Foundation’s Education Committees will be presented at the Annual Meeting.

More than 250 new case-based questions with rationales were added in OTO Quest – Knowledge Assessment Tool.

Collaborative initiatives with the American Board of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery (ABOHNS) continued to support CERTLink^TM diplomates who successfully complete the program each year. 

Clinical and practice management articles have been contributed to the Bulletin throughout the year (“From the Education Committees” and “Pearls from Your Peers”). 

As Chair, I would like to especially acknowledge and extend my gratitude to the following Education Steering Committee leaders for their dedication and service this past year as chairs of their respective committees.

Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Education Committee
P. Daniel Knott, MD, Chair

General Otolaryngology and Sleep Medicine Education Committee
Jeffrey J. Stanley, MD, Chair

Head and Neck Surgery Education Committee
Vikas Mehta, MD, MPH, Chair

Laryngology and Bronchoesophagology Education Committee
Paul C. Bryson, MD, MBA, Chair 

Otology and Neurotology Education Committee
Maura Cosetti, MD, Chair

Pediatric Otolaryngology Education Committee
Kara D. Meister, MD, Chair 

Practice Management Education Committee
Betty S. Tsai Do, MD, Chair

Rhinology and Allergy Education Committee
Zara M. Patel, MD, Chair

Simulation Education Committee
Katherine Kavanagh, MD, Chair

FLEX Curriculum Chair
Stacey T. Gray, MD

Content Curation Workgroup
Cristina Baldassari, MD

Item Writing: OTO Quest Knowledge Assessment
Christopher Le, MD

Faculty Development
David M. Cognetti, MD

American Board of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery
Brian D. Nussenbaum, MD, MHCM (ex-officio)

Immediate Past Coordinator for Education
Jeffrey P. Simons, MD, MMM (ex-officio)

Coordinator, Annual Meeting Program Committee
Daniel C. Chelius, Jr., MD (ex-officio)
Cecelia Damask, DO (ex-officio)