The universal bond of education
When I consider the incredible diversity of folks at our AAO-HNS/F meetings, I am reminded of a quote from Freya Stark. When reflecting upon the various people she had come across in her travels, she wrote, “love of learning is a pleasant and universal bond, since it deals with what one is and not what one has.” There is a remarkable and appealing meritocracy in our passion for teaching and learning.
When I consider the incredible diversity of folks at our AAO-HNS/F meetings, I am reminded of a quote from Freya Stark. When reflecting upon the various people she had come across in her travels, she wrote, “love of learning is a pleasant and universal bond, since it deals with what one is and not what one has.” There is a remarkable and appealing meritocracy in our passion for teaching and learning.
How do Academy members learn? Is it really changing? Our AAO-HNSF is completing a major initiative to stay on top of (and ahead of) this very question; more on that soon!
While some of the vast array of AAO-HNSF education content is available throughout the calendar year, the highlight of every season in otolaryngology is our Annual Meeting & OTO Experience, “Where Science and Experts Converge.” This year’s meeting will be September 15-18 in New Orleans, LA. We are all teachers and experts, regardless of the number and colors of badges and ribbons that we see at the Annual Meeting. We teach daily in patient rooms, on the phone with colleagues from other disciplines and specialties, in the supermarket when our neighbors and patients run into us, and very much so at our Annual Meeting. This zeal for teaching comes from many places; for some, we recognize that it is indeed how we ourselves improve. As Robert Heinlein famously said, “When one teaches, two learn.”
Meeting buzz is up. Registration is up. Committee engagement is up. We are set for a lively, practical, and world-class meeting worthy of your time and education budget. That is our commitment to you, and I look forward to seeing you there!
The AAO-HNSF Annual Meeting & OTO Experience education program offers otolaryngologists and other healthcare professionals a series of unique and dynamic education experiences designed to broaden and enrich their practice of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery and to provide a foundation for continued learning. Our ground-breaking education program formats have been enhanced for this year’s meeting. To learn more about the #OTOMTG19 education program, go to https://www.entannualmeeting.org/education-program/.