Candidate Statements | Director at Large: Academic | Brian B. Burkey MD, MEd
I am honored to be a candidate and hope to be able to serve the Academy by “providing perspectives that represent the varying interests and concerns of the membership,” as stated in the official job description.
Q: How would you strengthen our grassroots activities to protect our specialty from legislation that would undermine our mission? What life lessons in your career would you use to identify and strengthen portions of our strategic plan to improve our membership’s future?
Brian B. Burkey MD, MEd
I am honored to be a candidate and hope to be able to serve the Academy by “providing perspectives that represent the varying interests and concerns of the membership,” as stated in the official job description. Although I have spent all my life in academic medical venues, I have worked closely with community practice otolaryngologists and believe that I understand the current practice needs of all otolaryngologists. I promise that I will work with the membership to stay abreast of those needs and appropriately bring those needs to the awareness of the Academy’s leadership.
I have a strong experience working effectively in the leadership of many major surgical and otolaryngology organizations, including: AAO-HNS, Society of University Otolaryngologists, American Head and Neck Society, American College of Surgeons, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), and the American Board of Otolaryngology. Protecting our specialty from legislation that might undermine our mission will require building collaborative and cooperative relationships within our otolaryngology societies, and also with other medical and surgical societies, in order to increase our voice in advocacy issues. Efforts such as PROJECT 535 and the ENT Advocacy Network are laudable but will be more powerful if coordinated with those of other similarly minded groups.
My particular passion is in the field of education, and I have both a fundamental background (masters in education) and experiential training in this area, spanning from patient education to CME. I am committed to placing a particular emphasis on the improvement of the educational opportunities for all AAO-HNS members, including novel ways to reach members for a more efficient transfer of knowledge and feedback. This will be essential to improve our future during the anticipated change in the clinical practice and business aspects of otolaryngology, including reimbursement models and documentation requirements. I humbly ask for the opportunity to represent and serve you.