Finding Value Beyond Your Practice Area at #OTOMTG25
The AAO-HNSF 2025 Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO is an opportunity to influence the specialty's future by sharing expertise and gaining insights from peers across practice settings and subspecialties.
Vaninder Dhillon, MD, Chair, Annual Meeting Program Committee Endocrine Surgery Subcommittee
Vaninder Dhillon, MD
Finding Value at the Crossroads
As a laryngologist and endocrine head and neck surgeon, finding the intersection is always the most rewarding. Think about the intersection of vocal fold palsy and surgical dissection of the nerves in the head and neck, the intersection of chronic rhinosinusitis and the vocal health of a professional singer, the intersection of changes in Medicare codes and what that means in terms of patient access and improved patient counseling. All of these intersections and many more will surely be captured in the education program at the AAO-HNSF Annual Meeting in Indianapolis, Indiana. The topics of the Annual Meeting Education Program encompass more than the science they represent—they outline just what it means to be an otolaryngologist-head and neck surgeon in the year 2025.
Beyond Surgery: The Comprehensive Provider
A comprehensive understanding of how to care for our patients is important for most of us in this era of increasingly specialized knowledge. Being able to provide knowledge beyond our surgical specialty, giving patients the ability to understand the pros and cons of treatment that exist outside our subspecialty, and offering alternative treatments is crucial. This is how we become not only better surgeons and physicians but garner trust from our patients. In many situations, we must act as primary care physicians—the first port of call—as well as specialists. In an era when patients have access to many sources of healthcare information, we need to understand their needs and prioritize patient wellbeing. To own such conversations, we must be well informed beyond our area of practice.
Platforms for Cross-Specialty Dialogue
This year's Annual Meeting will host many platforms to enable discourse across subspecialties. Everyone should keep an eye out for the Stump the Expert Series, Great Debates, and consider looking into the comprehensive otolaryngology tag, which plans to encompass a multiplicity of large topics that relate to all of us within the field. It is a great way to not only discuss topics that intersect but also unify those of us who treat patients with the same diagnosis, symptom, sign, or presentation. It also offers perspectives from all realms of the practice field—academic, private practice, and advanced practice providers.
Broaden Your Horizons
I would encourage each and every one of you to review not only your subspecialty, what sparks your interest, the biggest event, or the repeated talk. I would encourage a review of the entire program so as not to miss the larger, newer, and more comprehensive talks that serve to intersect subspecialties, bring one side of the discussion to another, and to question, challenge, and advance our understanding of how to treat our patients. See you all in Indianapolis!
