Fired Up?

Rahul K. Shah, MD, MBA
AAO-HNS/F Executive Vice President and CEO“Fired Up?” This phrase was my plea during the Opening Ceremony of the AAO-HNSF 2025 Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO for all of us to come together as a specialty under one roof—the roof of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery.

The opening session was nothing short of spectacular. Our now Immediate Past President, Troy D. Woodard, MD, invited James L. Netterville, MD, to present the John Conley, MD Lecture on Medical Ethics, setting a tone of excellence and reflection that carried throughout the meeting. I then had the distinct pleasure of rallying attendees around the potential of using one voice to advance our specialty.

That theme—one voice—wasn't just rhetoric. I witnessed it firsthand as over 5,500 of you, from over 75 countries, came together in Indianapolis to network, share learning, and forge new friendships. The compact, connected, and convenient layout of Indianapolis facilitated exactly what we had hoped: spontaneous conversations, unexpected collaborations, and the kind of energy that can only come from bringing our entire specialty together in one place.

The “Day One” Mentality Beyond the Meeting

The challenge, as we all know, is what happens next. We return to our practices and re-enter the daily grind. The inspiration we felt in Indianapolis can fade quickly under the weight of packed schedules, administrative burdens, and clinical demands.

Donald Berwick, past administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, founder of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, and expert in improvement science, would often ask a simple but powerful question: "What will you do by next Tuesday?" This question ignites inspiration into action and vision into reality.

Let's not think of the Annual Meeting as a point in time—rather, it's part of a continuous journey of learning, networking, and engagement. As I've emphasized through my Day One mentality since joining the Academy, we don't rest on our achievements; we build on them daily.

Your Voice, Amplified

As you've returned to your practices and patients, I encourage you to ask yourself the same question I ask myself: What can you do by next Tuesday to amplify our collective voice?

If you're struggling with ideas, let me provide some concrete actions:

• Join ENT PAC*. AAO-HNS members who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents, your financial support enables our advocacy efforts at the federal level, ensuring otolaryngologist-head and neck surgeons have a seat at the table where policies affecting our specialty and patients are decided.
• Sign up for the State Tracker program. Legislative challenges don't only happen in Washington, DC—some of the most critical battles for our scope of practice occur in state legislatures. State Legislative Trackers take an active part in monitoring and analyzing pending state legislation that affects the otolaryngology specialty and patient care.
• Host your congressional representative through the Capitol to Clinic campaign. Invite your U.S. Representative and Senators to see firsthand the complex care we provide and share the stories of patient care that impact their constituents directly. These visits are incredibly powerful in helping legislators understand why physician-led care teams and appropriate scope of practice matter for patient safety.

These are just three examples of how you can amplify your voice and help us collectively leverage our one voice. But there are many more opportunities to engage, from participating in our upcoming advocacy days to joining Academy committees to mentoring the next generation of otolaryngologists. 

Building on Our Strategic Foundation

This call to sustained engagement directly supports our Strategic Plan goal of unifying our specialty and using our collective voices in an amplified manner. As I noted in Indianapolis, otolaryngology-head and neck surgery encompasses extraordinary breadth—from newborns to elderly patients, from office visits to ICU care, from medical management to complex surgical procedures. 

This breadth is our strength but only when we speak with one unified voice. When we fragment—when some of us engage while others remain silent, when we allow others to define our specialty's value—we weaken our collective impact.

Our recent work on industry partnerships and research infrastructure through Reg-ent^SM demonstrates what we can accomplish when we work together strategically. These initiatives exist because members engage, contribute their expertise, and commit to collective action.

You're Not Alone

The Academy is always here for you. You are not on an island. Whether you're facing scope-of-practice challenges in your community, navigating insurance denials for your patients, or simply trying to understand how to get more engaged in advocacy, we're here to help.

Feel free to reach out to me or our staff. We exist to amplify your one voice—but we can only do that if you let us know what challenges you're facing and how we can support you.

Your Academy team, led by tireless experts who work daily on your behalf, stands ready to assist.

Ready to Go!

If you were in the Opening Ceremony in Indianapolis, you know the right answer to the title of this column (hint: it is a classic story from President Obama's campaign). When I asked, "Fired up?" the room thundered back: "Ready to go!"

That wasn't just a moment—it was a commitment.

A commitment to stay engaged beyond the Annual Meeting.

A commitment to use our one voice strategically and consistently.

A commitment to ensure that our specialty continues to lead in providing exceptional patient care while navigating an increasingly complex healthcare landscape. 

We leave the Annual Meeting more confident than ever in our approach: one voice gets us fired up and ready to go. But maintaining that energy requires action—by next Tuesday, and the Tuesday after that, and every day moving forward.

The power of one voice isn't about volume—it's about unity, consistency, and strategic engagement. When 13,000+ otolaryngologist-head and neck surgeons speak with one voice, we become an unstoppable force for our patients and our profession.

So I ask you again: Fired up?

I know your answer. Now let's prove it through our actions.

Let's go!

_{*Contributions to ENT PAC are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes. Contributions are voluntary, and all members of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery have the right to refuse to contribute without reprisal. Federal law prohibits ENT PAC from accepting contributions from foreign nationals. By law, if your contributions are made using a personal check or credit card, ENT PAC may use your contribution only to support candidates in federal elections. All corporate contributions to ENT PAC will be used for educational and administrative fees of ENT PAC, and other activities permissible under federal law. Federal law requires ENT PAC to use its best efforts to collect and report the name, mailing address, occupation, and the name of the employer of individuals whose contributions exceed $200 in a calendar year.}