Diversity Endowment Travel Grant—Vancouver Experience (Candace Colby, MD) – ONLINE EXCLUSIVE
Candace Colby, MD This October, I had the tremendous opportunity to attend the AAO-HNS Annual Meeting through the Diversity Endowment Travel Grant. Participating in some of the top educational programs and learning about the latest cutting-edge research is incredibly valuable, particularly as a new neurotology fellow. Naturally, I found the otologic miniseminars and instructional courses to be of greatest interest. I learned more about objective testing for the diagnosis of Meniere’s disease, and was fascinated by the research on intratympanic and intravenous gadolinium enhanced 3-Tesla MRI done at Osaka University in Japan. I always learn a lot when listening to another otolaryngologist’s perspective and methods on clinical procedures, and in particular enjoyed the intratympanic therapy miniseminar. Comparing techniques from other countries and healthcare systems is also intriguing, particularly at this time of evolution of the American healthcare system. Migraine diagnosis and treatment is always a captivating topic, as the understanding of this disease process continues to rapidly evolve. Of course I am biased, but I believe otology has the most fascinating current and future opportunities for research advancement. I also was fortunate to meet with individuals to discuss potential job opportunities. At the start of fellowship, my mentor told me that one can never start looking for a job too early, particularly if there is a location of interest. I was fortunate to begin this search in Vancouver. The Academy meeting offers the invaluable opportunity to network with colleagues and future partners. Having the chance to talk with multiple otolaryngologists helped me to focus my career goals, and laid the foundation for future discussions. I also was able to connect with former co-residents who are now young ENT faculty, and get their advice on choosing a career path. The first annual Career Fair was well attended and allowed for access to potential employers. I also learned more on how to use the Academy’s ENT Careers website, which I hope will soon come in handy. The Diversity Committee meeting served to highlight opportunities for leadership, within our specialty and our communities. The meeting stimulated great brainstorming of ideas and discussion regarding research opportunities and ways to reach out through the ENT Bulletin articles. We discussed the development of collaborative projects to investigate patient perceptions regarding head and neck cancer topics, and how to provide better education to new mothers on the importance of breastfeeding in the prevention of otitis media. We also discussed utilization of endowments to assist medical students with travel for away rotations and other exciting ideas. The Avenues to Leadership miniseminar also encouraged thoughts of how I can continue to develop my leadership skills even while in fellowship. Lastly, I attended the Section for Residents and Fellows meeting. It’s great to know this section is well supported by the Academy, and I enjoy the camaraderie. The annual resident survey was discussed, and I found multiple responses intriguing. Overall, residents feel they lack sufficient exposure to allergy and facial plastics and reconstructive surgery in their training programs. Residents also expressed the need for more exposure to all basic practice management principles. On a scale from “strongly represents” to “does not represent,” residents felt the annual inservice exam was only “slightly representative” of what residents should know about our specialty. I imagine this sentiment has been long standing and is will not change anytime soon. I also appreciated the time to talk to former medical students who are now residents at other locations, and to share and compare their residency experiences. I also became an official member of the ENT-PAC, talked with many in leadership about the advocacy process, and got insight into the inner workings of the grassroots arm of the AAO-HNS and issues facing the specialty. I thoroughly enjoyed this learning and development experience that would not have been possible without the support of the Diversity Committee. I appreciate all the donors who have made diversity and resident education a priority, and I ask you to continue your support of these critical aspects of our field.
Candace Colby, MD
I also was fortunate to meet with individuals to discuss potential job opportunities. At the start of fellowship, my mentor told me that one can never start looking for a job too early, particularly if there is a location of interest. I was fortunate to begin this search in Vancouver. The Academy meeting offers the invaluable opportunity to network with colleagues and future partners. Having the chance to talk with multiple otolaryngologists helped me to focus my career goals, and laid the foundation for future discussions. I also was able to connect with former co-residents who are now young ENT faculty, and get their advice on choosing a career path. The first annual Career Fair was well attended and allowed for access to potential employers. I also learned more on how to use the Academy’s ENT Careers website, which I hope will soon come in handy.
The Diversity Committee meeting served to highlight opportunities for leadership, within our specialty and our communities. The meeting stimulated great brainstorming of ideas and discussion regarding research opportunities and ways to reach out through the ENT Bulletin articles. We discussed the development of collaborative projects to investigate patient perceptions regarding head and neck cancer topics, and how to provide better education to new mothers on the importance of breastfeeding in the prevention of otitis media. We also discussed utilization of endowments to assist medical students with travel for away rotations and other exciting ideas. The Avenues to Leadership miniseminar also encouraged thoughts of how I can continue to develop my leadership skills even while in fellowship.
Lastly, I attended the Section for Residents and Fellows meeting. It’s great to know this section is well supported by the Academy, and I enjoy the camaraderie. The annual resident survey was discussed, and I found multiple responses intriguing. Overall, residents feel they lack sufficient exposure to allergy and facial plastics and reconstructive surgery in their training programs. Residents also expressed the need for more exposure to all basic practice management principles. On a scale from “strongly represents” to “does not represent,” residents felt the annual inservice exam was only “slightly representative” of what residents should know about our specialty. I imagine this sentiment has been long standing and is will not change anytime soon. I also appreciated the time to talk to former medical students who are now residents at other locations, and to share and compare their residency experiences. I also became an official member of the ENT-PAC, talked with many in leadership about the advocacy process, and got insight into the inner workings of the grassroots arm of the AAO-HNS and issues facing the specialty.
I thoroughly enjoyed this learning and development experience that would not have been possible without the support of the Diversity Committee. I appreciate all the donors who have made diversity and resident education a priority, and I ask you to continue your support of these critical aspects of our field.