Going Farther Together: Reimagining Industry Partnerships
Collaboration and innovation drive meaningful advancement for our specialty and the patients we serve.
Rahul K. Shah, MD, MBA
AAO-HNS/F Executive Vice President and CEO
One thing I've learned throughout my life, as an innovator and entrepreneur, is that breakthroughs rarely happen in isolation. During the interview process with the EVP/CEO Search Committee, in subsequent Board discussions, and throughout my first six months at the Academy, this collaborative philosophy has guided my thinking about industry partnerships.
The question we must continually ask ourselves is: How do we ultimately benefit our patients? The answer lies in fostering relationships that bring cutting-edge technology and meaningful advancement to our specialty through and for our members.
Through insightful conversations with Past President Ron Kuppersmith, MD, MBA, we have explored how industry partnerships drive our Academy's success. His elegant reminder says it all: “Help them help us help our patients."
Building the Framework for Innovation
Three days into my role, I convened what we now call the Corporate Development Task Force—a group of esteemed Academy leaders dedicated to reimagining our approach toward industry collaboration. This wasn't just about improving existing relationships; it was about fundamentally rethinking how we can create mutual value that directly benefits patient care.
Following this internal alignment, I reached out to CEOs and executive directors of numerous medical societies to understand best practices and identify opportunities for collaborative innovation. I am forever grateful for their continued guidance and mentorship as we charter this new territory. This research phase was followed by approximately two dozen meetings with industry leaders across our space.
As we anticipated and hoped, several overlapping initiatives emerged where we could work together for greater impact. This framework and approach align perfectly with the two strategic goals of our Strategic Plan:
- Otolaryngology-head and neck surgery is a unified specialty dedicated to high quality, equitable care.
- The AAO-HNS fosters a global and inclusive otolaryngology-head and neck surgery community.
The Strategic Plan explicitly includes diversifying our relationships and future-focused positioning for the Academy. Industry partnerships are integral to both goals.
From Vision to Reality
I was thrilled to host our inaugural industry reception and dinner April 26 at the OTO Forum. This event provided an invaluable venue for our Board of Directors to interact directly with industry partners, sharing knowledge, exchanging ideas, and discussing common challenges. The two-hour dinner allowed us to showcase the Academy's myriad offerings while exploring how we can partner to drive impactful and productive interactions forward. The excitement was unexpected and palpable. We knew we were on to something exciting—something that could truly benefit patients.
The Board's support has been remarkable. We've welcomed our inaugural industry consultant, R. Pete Manes, MD, who brings a wealth of resources and expertise to guide both the Academy and me as we navigate this evolving landscape.
Innovation in Action
At our upcoming AAO-HNSF 2025 Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO, we're launching two groundbreaking initiatives that exemplify this collaborative spirit. The ENT Innovation Connection will be a half-day session aimed at creating structured opportunities for substantive dialogue between and among clinicians and industry leaders. Additionally, our newly conceived Innovation Park—right on the OTO EXPO floor—will provide a dedicated space for startup companies (seed and pre-seed stages), to learn from established companies, engage with our members and key opinion leaders, and ultimately innovate better solutions for our patients.
These aren't just networking events; they're strategic investments in our specialty's future. Just as I discussed in my previous column on modernization, we're creating a mosaic of solutions that leverages people, processes, and technology to provide outsized advantages for our members.
The Path Forward
The most exciting aspect of this initiative has been witnessing the power of authentic collaboration. Our industry partners don't just represent commercial opportunities—they're essential allies in advancing patient care. When we align our expertise with their innovation capabilities, we create solutions that neither could achieve independently.
This approach reflects the same principle I emphasized during our strategic planning process—we're not just projecting today's realities into the future; we're envisioning where otolaryngology-head and neck surgery needs to be in the next decade and creating pathways to get there.
The corporate development initiatives we're launching today will mature over the coming years, but their foundation rests on a simple truth: Meaningful innovation requires meaningful partnerships. Whether we're addressing workforce challenges, advancing surgical techniques, or improving patient outcomes, we're stronger when we work together.
Drawing from Dr. Kuppersmith’s advice, our ultimate measure of success isn't the sophistication of our partnerships—it's how effectively we help our industry colleagues help us help our patients. And the quote I shared at the open of this column wasn't just about distance traveled; it was about the collective impact we can achieve when we choose collaboration and partnerships.
Together, we're not just going farther—we're ensuring that our specialty and the patients we serve benefit from the best innovations our collective efforts can produce.
