Published: November 4, 2019

Q&A with the ASPO leadership

What are the most pressing issues facing pediatric otolaryngology, both domestically and globally?

Access to quality pediatric otolaryngology care for all children
Standardization of training for otolaryngologists in the field of pediatric otolaryngology

ASPO: What you should know about our society

Our mission is to foster excellence in the care of children with otolaryngologic disorders by promoting education and collaborative research and to share and disseminate advances and innovations in patient care through the Annual Meeting and other venues.

Membership:

Total membership: 641 with steady growth and increasing diversity

Endowment:

Sound financial structure due to close monitoring of operating cost and endowment
Active Development Committee with close interaction with our members to determine what initiatives can most benefit from ongoing support

Research and education:

Funded 41 new projects (since 2005) with total financial support of close to $700,000 to push our specialty into new frontiers and to provide useful information for our pediatric and general ORL colleagues

Meeting and conferences:

Annual Spring Meeting held in conjunction with Combined Otolaryngology Spring Meetings (COSM) with one of the highest number of attendees at the COSM for the past decade. (Once every four years, ASPO rotates out of COSM and holds a breakout meeting, happening next in Montreal in 2021.)
ASPO Summer Meeting (Frontiers in Pediatric Otolaryngology), which is in its fourth year and takes place in Vail, CO
Free annual Resident/Fellow Seminar in conjunction with AAO-HNS, most recently in New Orleans

For more information about ASPO, becoming a member, research and education initiatives, and future meetings, please visit http://aspo.us/.

What are some of the barriers to optimal care for infants and children, and how can we eliminate them?

The number one barrier is lack of access to care. Nationally, the access issue can be due to a lack of locally available practitioners or pediatric-appropriate surgical facilities (including pediatric anesthesia), and, in the immigrant population, parental fear of visiting healthcare facilities. ASPO is partnering with national societies such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Surgeons to promote programs providing otolaryngologic care to children. Internationally, ASPO works with other pediatric otolaryngology organizations, like the European Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology and the Interamerican Association of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology, to promote pediatric otolaryngology education.

What are some key advancements in research and treatment in pediatric otolaryngology, and how has that impacted the specialty and the
patients?

In recent years, newborn screening tests for congenital cytomegalovirus and cystic fibrosis have become routine in many areas. Early identification of these disorders leads to better care and improved long-term outcomes.

The AAO-HNSF promotes a Kids Safe Holiday this time of year. Does ASPO have any similar recommendations or resources to educate the public?

This a website in both English and Spanish aimed toward families regarding the risks of button batteries: https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/at-home/Pages/Button-Battery-Injuries-in-Children-A-Growing-Risk.aspx.

Of all the priorities of ASPO right now, which one or two would you want to impress upon your colleagues practicing in all subspecialty areas as essential to the work, mission, and vision of ASPO?

Providing the highest level of care and providing access to all.

More from November 2019 – Vol. 38, No. 10

Richard M. Rosenfeld, MD, MPH, MBA: 5-time AAO-HNS Distinguished Service Award Recipient

A special congratulations goes to Richard M. Rosenfeld, MD, MPH, MBA, for being the only five-time recipient of the AAO-HNS Distinguished Service Award (DSA) in Academy history.

Building a world of expert peer reviewers: Resident Reviewer Development Program

Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery invites residents to apply to enroll in the Resident Reviewer Development Program. The Resident Reviewer Development Program pairs qualified residents with seasoned peer reviewers to foster the growth and development of the next generation of otolaryngology peer reviewers.

Humanitarian Grant: From simulations to real patients: Humanitarian work in Vietnam

Sarah E. Hodge, MD, traveled to Hanoi, Vietnam, to work and learn at the National ENT Hospital, which is the largest referral center in the northern half of Vietnam. Hodge worked alongside other otolaryngologists from the United States and Vietnam as well as the Resource Exchange International – Vietnam, an international not-for-profit organization that has been working in Vietnam since 1992.

AAO-HNSF Future of Education

Richard V. Smith, MD, outgoing Coordinator for Education, and Jeffrey P. Simons, MD, incoming Coordinator for Education, share their vision for the future of the AAO-HNSF offerings in this interview captured at the AAO-HNSF 2019 Annual Meeting & OTO Experience in New Orleans, LA.

International visiting scholarship report: Meet Professor Titus Sunday Ibekwe, MBBS, FWACS

I am Titus Sunday Ibekwe, MBBS, FWACS, Professor and Head of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology (ORL) at the University of Abuja and University of Abuja Teaching Hospital in Nigeria. I most recently served as Vice Chair to the International Advisory Board of the AAO-HNSF. My interest in otorhinolaryngology was partly circumstantial and also out of admiration for ORL.

OTOSource Comprehensive Otolaryngology Curriculum

With OTOSource.org now completed, residents, program directors, faculty members, and practicing otolaryngologists can use this free, comprehensive online study guide while seamlessly accessing topical education activities in AcademyU or the Otolaryngology Specialty Society.

The trainee’s quick guide to AAO-HNS/F funding

The freshly minted ENT intern with the unharmed pager, mired in the concerns of how to replete potassium, spray a nose, or even look at a temporal bone, may be joyfully aloof to Academy funding opportunities. And as the responsibilities accumulate with increasing PGY years, Academy awards can turn out to be an enormous missed opportunity.

Senator talks surprise billing

The AAO-HNS was pleased to host U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, MD (R-LA) as the guest speaker at an Advocacy Breakfast during the AAO-HNSF 2019 Annual Meeting & OTO Experience on September 16 in New Orleans. Dr. Cassidy, the state’s senior senator, has been a strong ally for the physician community and a bold leader on healthcare issues impacting the house of medicine.

FDA grants first-ever modified risk orders to eight smokeless tobacco products

Even as citizens of the United States deal with previously unrecognized significant dangers related to vaping of many substances and aggressive marketing of Juul-type products, the FDA, on October 22, 2019, for the first time authorized the marketing of products through the modified risk of tobacco product (MRTP) pathway outlined in the 2009 Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act.

The Annual Meeting and beyond

I recently attended my 38th Annual Meeting of the AAO-HNSF. There was a great deal of energy and excitement at our meeting in New Orleans as well as the specialty society meetings taking place in conjunction with the Annual Meeting. It was encouraging to see the collaboration and camaraderie displayed across the breadth of attendees as they interacted in the hallways, throughout the lectures, and at the recreational activities.

A unified approach to patient care

I am still riding the wave of excitement and energy that accompanied our recent Annual Meeting in New Orleans, starting with an unforgettable Welcome Ceremony and President’s Reception, led by Albert L. Merati, MD, Immediate Past President.