Board of Governors: Spirited New Year’s resolutions

Ken Yanagisawa, MD, BOG Secretary

As we in the Northeast brace ourselves for yet another winter, replete with frigid temperatures and blustery snowfalls, we see the hopes and dreams of the new year, 2017, on the horizon.

With the numerous challenges mounting for practitioners to simply practice good medicine, and to establish and maintain effective and trusting patient-physician relationships, the question may arise, “What can I do?”

Shared below are my top 10 resolutions for the upcoming year, all achievable and all worthwhile. The overall themes revolve around staying well informed, remaining positive, and being proactive whenever possible.

Top 10 resolutions

1. To peruse the AAO-HNS/F 2017 Leadership Forum & BOG Spring Meeting offerings. Many wonderful  opportunities and presentations, including leadership development skills, business of medicine discussions, the Board of Governors (BOG) Candidates Forum, and networking events, abound at this meeting held March 10-13, 2017, in Alexandria, VA. The meeting registration is FREE for AAO-HNS Members who are practicing otolaryngologists and will offer CME credits!
2. To attend the AAO-HNS/F 2017 Leadership Forum & BOG Spring Meeting. This amazing meeting provides an opportunity to learn and to mingle with leadership physicians and staff from the Board of Directors and BOG, as well as colleagues from around the country.
3. To nominate or promote a colleague (or yourself) for an Academy committee position. Deadline for submission is January 1, 2017, so visit the AAO-HNS website and submit your application soon.
4. To join or contribute to a Legislative Affairs activity such as PROJECT 535 or ENT PAC, the Academy’s political action committee.
5. To share with colleagues a tip or trick in our daily battles against challenging insurance practices and growing governmental mandate requirements.
6. To join or contribute to your local ENT society. Our BOG Governance and Society Engagement Committee is actively helping every state develop a society for its members to share information and concerns, and to build collegiality and friendships.
7. To honor a mentor. I have been blessed to have my father serve as a mentor and advisor for medical and life matters, and express my appreciation to him on a regular basis. Having established several endowment funds in his name, I will continue to donate to assist our eager and energetic young physician beneficiaries.
8. To befriend a mentee. As recipients of good advice, we can all offer our experiences and knowledge with the next generation. Help a resident, a fellow, a colleague. The benefits will last a lifetime.
9. To thank my office staff, business manager, and the Academy staff for the tireless work they have devoted toward keeping our practices efficient and busy.
10. To thank my family and significant others for supporting the many wonderful activities we all engage in to help our patients and our careers. A simple acknowledgement of our love and appreciation is priceless.

We should never lose sight of what attracted us to our incredible profession of otolaryngology. The BOG and the AAO-HNS offer such a wealth of information, advisors, and mentors to help us survive and succeed. With determination and positive action, we can all preserve the ability to provide outstanding patient care, and to build the trust and hope that our patients and practices expect and deserve.