This #GivingTuesday, Build the Future of Otolaryngology

On December 2, 2025, millions of people around the world will choose to celebrate #GivingTuesday by giving what they can to the causes they care about most. For our otolaryngology community, this day represents an opportunity to transform careers, advance research, and expand access to lifesaving care worldwide.

The American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) is the philanthropic arm of the Academy, funding research opportunities, education for young physicians, humanitarian care, and diversity initiatives that build and inspire the future workforce of otolaryngology. This #GivingTuesday, we invite you to give what you can to support these critical programs—every donation matters.

Fueling Breakthrough Research

The Foundation's Centralized Otolaryngology Research Efforts (CORE) Grants Program advances our specialty by funding investigations into innovative surgical techniques, novel therapies, and disease mechanisms. In 2025 alone, 32 CORE grants totaling over $550,000 were awarded to promising young surgeon-scientists exploring areas such as HPV-negative head and neck cancer, facial nerve regeneration, and genetic hearing loss.

Renee B. Hartl, MD, AuDFor Renee B. Hartl, MD, AuD, assistant professor of otology and neurotology at the University of Michigan, receiving a CORE grant launched her research career. "My experience has served as the foundation for later awards," she shared. "Beyond potentiating successful future funding, the CORE program has provided a strong network of mentors, colleagues, and friends who continue to help challenge me to be a better clinician-scientist."

Investing in the Next Generation

Travel grants ensure that medical students, residents, and early-career professionals can access education and networking opportunities essential for building successful careers. Some of these grants remove financial barriers to attending the AAO-HNSF Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO^SM, where mentorship and professional connections are forged. The Diversity Endowment URM Away Rotation Grant provides an opportunity for medical students from underrepresented backgrounds to take part in away rotations to experience otolaryngology practice first-hand.

Joseph Kidane, MDURM Away Rotation Grant recipient Joseph Kidane, MD, shared how the $1,000 award made his rotation possible: "Away rotations conferred the opportunity to immerse myself in a new residency program, hospital, and patient population. I quickly learned, however, that participating in them carries a significant financial cost. Expenses associated with travel, housing, transportation, and other costs quickly accumulate." Dr. Kidane is now an otolaryngology-head and neck surgery resident at the University of Southern California.

Building a Diverse Workforce

The Foundation provides opportunities specific to residents, young physicians, women, and individuals from underrepresented backgrounds, promoting diversity and inclusion throughout the specialty. From Women in Otolaryngology (WIO) Endowment Grants supporting invaluable wellness initiatives to research funding focused on social determinants of health and healthcare disparities, these programs are cultivating the next generation of diverse leaders in otolaryngology.

Strengthening Our Global Specialty Community

Global outreach remains a cornerstone of the Foundation's mission. The International Visiting Scholarship (IVS) Program enables junior academics from around the world to complete observerships at U.S. medical institutions and attend the Annual Meeting. Since 2008, when the IVS program was launched, it has provided grants to over 140 international young physicians, from 39 countries across five continents, fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange. The Eugene N. Myers, MD Global Education Fund, established in 2024, supports international colleagues by providing grants for travel to the Annual Meeting and access to online education resources.

As Muluken Bekele Wondimagegnehu, MD, an otolaryngologist at Hawassa University Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, shared, "[As otolaryngologists in Ethiopia] we lack resources. There is almost no surgical equipment, like operating microscopes, and basic supplies, like geofoam, to address the most prevalent ear diseases, such as chronic otitis media." Without financial support, traveling to attend meetings or accessing online education remains out of reach for many international colleagues.

Finally, Humanitarian Travel Grants provide critical funding to Academy members who deliver care to underserved populations worldwide, strengthening our global specialty community, and advancing patient care across borders.

Your Gift Makes a Real Impact

Every donation directly supports programs that build and inspire our future workforce. For example:

• $2,000 funds a travel grant for a young physician to access career-building education at the Annual Meeting
• $1,000 supports CORE research by an emerging surgeon-scientist investigating novel therapies
• $250 helps offset humanitarian travel costs for delivering care to underserved populations

Donations of $1,000 or more to the Annual Fund automatically enroll you in the Millennium Society, the Foundation's donor recognition club with exclusive benefits.

Join Us This #GivingTuesday

This December 2, make a tax-deductible gift to the AAO-HNS Foundation. Together, we can empower the next generation of surgeon-scientists, support young physicians in building their careers, cultivate a diverse workforce, and ensure that quality otolaryngologic care reaches patients everywhere.

Visit www.entnet.org/foundation to donate today or contact foundation@entnet.org for more information.