Published: March 30, 2017

Honoring the 2017 International Guests of Honor: Korean American Satellite Symposium

The first Korean American Satellite Symposium (KASS) started in San Diego, CA, on October 3, 2009. The idea to start KASS was initiated in 2008 by Chul Hee-Lee, MD, who was chairman of the Board of Directors for the Korean Society of Otorhinolaryngology (KSORL), and Timothy TK Jung, MD, PhD, who was the president of the Korean American Otolaryngology Society (KAOS).


Joseph K. Han, MD; Timothy TK Jung, MD, PhD; Albert H Park, MD


Kass Dinner 1The first Korean American Satellite Symposium (KASS) started in San Diego, CA, on October 3, 2009. The idea to start KASS was initiated in 2008 by Chul Hee-Lee, MD, who was chairman of the Board of Directors for the Korean Society of Otorhinolaryngology (KSORL), and Timothy TK Jung, MD, PhD, who was the president of the Korean American Otolaryngology Society (KAOS). With the support of Gregory W. Randolph, MD, who was the coordinator for International Affairs, and Catherine Lincoln, AAO-HNS staff, KASS became an official satellite meeting of the AAO-HNSF 2009 Annual Meeting.

The first KASS scientific program in San Diego was composed of seven prominent speakers (Richard A. Chole, MD, PhD; Jonas T. Johnson, MD; Alan Simmental, MD; James A. Stankiewicz, MD; Samuel Merchant, MD; Tom Wang, MD; and B. Tucker Woodson, MD) followed by a lively dinner. The lectures by the speakers were amazing, and the meeting was a resounding success.

Kass ScheduleThe second annual KASS was held at Anthony’s Pier 4 Restaurant overlooking  the Boston Harbor on September 26, 2010. After the welcome address by the KSORL President, the KAOS President, and the AAO-HNSF Coordinator of International Affairs, the scientific lectures were delivered during dinner. The speakers from both the United States and Korea were Se-Heon Kim, MD; John Rhee, MD, MPH; Robert Ossoff, DMD, MD; and Michael McKenna, MD. KASS also provided six travel grants to residents or fellows presenting at the AAO-HNSF Annual Meeting. KASS has been awarding travel grants to students, residents, and fellows since 2004. To date, 67 travel grants have been awarded.

KASS could only have been achieved through the collaboration of the three societies, KSORL, AAO-HNS, and KAOS. The KASS meeting has been a beneficiary of support from the KSORL, AAO-HNS,  and KAOS.

Last year, the eighth annual KASS meeting was held again in San Diego where it all began. But this time in 2016, the KASS Annual Meeting design was different. The scientific session was divided into two sections. The first half of the scientific lecture was incorporated in the inaugural International Symposium during the AAO-HNS Annual Meeting, and the second lecture that was part of the KASS dinner event.

This year, the format of KASS will be similar to the 2016 format. Part of the KASS scientific content will be incorporated into the International Symposium. Then a dinner program will be held and opened to any individuals interested in fostering collaboration between the American and Korean otolaryngologists. Mark K. Wax, MD, and Blake Papsin, MD, will give presentations immediately before the dinner. Due to the success of KASS in years past, the AAO-HNSF has recognized KAOS as a model society and has encouraged other international countries to emulate the KASS meeting.

Korea will also be honored as one of the international guests of honor at the AAO-HNSF 2017 Annual Meeting & OTO Experience. Indirectly, the success of KASS has led to the establishment of the International Symposium, creating an avenue for additional and stronger international relations with the AAO-HNS/F and other international societies.

With the growth of international collaboration and educational meetings, the world will continue to get smaller.

Check the AAO-HNS website for upcoming KSORL and other international meetings, http://www.entnet.org/content/calendar.

 

 


More from April 2017 - Vol. 36, No. 3