Robert Puchalski, MD, FAAOA
President Elect Candidate

It would be an honor to serve as AAOA President after completing my term as Treasurer. I am pursuing this position because I feel I can make a positive impact in this organization and our specialty. I am a private practice Otolaryngologist who is married to a pediatric emergency medicine physician. We met while in medical school at Washington University. We live in Charlotte, North Carolina, where my wife practices and teaches at Levine Children’s Hospital. We have four children, three of which are off to college. I have been an active member of the AAOA since joining as a resident member over two decades ago. Throughout this time, I have served in various capacities for the organization including participating in a task force to create practice guidelines and administering the Fellowship exam. I have also served on the Board of the AAOA as a Member at Large and also as the Chair of the Socioeconomic Committee. I have represented the AAO-HNS as a Delegate to the AMA for 15 years and served as the chairman of both the delegation and the  otolaryngology Section Council. I am grateful for these opportunities and feel privileged to be part of such a successful organization. With your support, I would like to advance the interests of the AAOA to the best of my ability. I pledge that I will dedicate the time and energy necessary to represent the interests of our members and the patients that we serve.

Dole Baker, MD, FAAOA
Treasurer Candidate

It is an honor to be nominated to serve again as Treasurer of the AAOA. I am in South Carolina in private practice as a General Otolaryngologist and Facial Plastic Surgeon and have been an active Otolaryngic Allergist since becoming a fellow of the AAOA over 20 years ago.

Since 2007, I have had the privilege of serving the AAOA membership in many capacities – Treasurer, Secretary, Socioeconomic Chair, Board Member at Large, and as a member of the Finance Committee, Patient and Professional Relations Committee, Audit Committee, and as the BOG representative to the AAO-HNS. These opportunities have provided me with a broad perspective on the needs of our members and the responsibilities of stewarding the long-term health of our organization.

During my most recent term as Secretary, I am proud of the continued growth and success of our affinity program. We have expanded this initiative and identified new and unique funding sources that have strengthened the financial position of the AAOA. These efforts have allowed us to expand and enhance membership benefits while keeping dues low and stable for the foreseeable future. I believe this balance – expanding value for our members while preserving financial stability – is essential to the mission and sustainability of our organization.

As Treasurer, I will continue to work closely with the AAOA leadership, Board, and staff to maintain our strong financial footing, explore innovative opportunities for growth, and ensure that we remain well-positioned to support our members in the years ahead.

It would be my privilege to continue serving the AAOA membership as Treasurer.

Farrah Siddiqui, MD, FAAOA
Director of Educational Programs Candidate

I am honored to once again be nominated for Director of Educational Programs, and I remain deeply committed to advancing the AAOA’s educational mission. I am grateful to the dedicated faculty, fellows, members, and staff who make our programs possible through their work on committees, task forces, and courses.

Over the past year, I have helped co-direct and teach the Basic Course, contributed to the Education Committee and Assessment Committee, and served on the Membership Task Force. Together, we refreshed course content, expanded panel discussions at the Annual Meeting, integrated topics on diversity and cultural sensitivity, and created the Explorer’s Course to better serve our learners. We have also strengthened resident and new member engagement, enhanced the Educational Stacks and Fellow Exam, and recruited motivated new faculty.

As Director of Educational Programs, I look forward to building on this momentum—expanding creative formats, strengthening online resources, and increasing accessibility across live, virtual, and hybrid platforms. My experience as an AAOA and ABOHNS item writer and oral examiner reinforces my belief in the AAOA’s vital role in educating residents, fellows, and practicing otolaryngic allergists. By offering flexible and engaging options, we will continue to reach more learners and support them in advancing our field.

Christopher Brook, MD, FAAOA
Director of Educational Assessment Candidate

It is an honor to be nominated again to serve as the Director of Educational Assessment, a position which I have held for the last three years. I am an academic rhinologist in practice at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts. Allergy testing and management are integral to my practice in rhinology and serve as both a clinical and academic interest for me. I have enjoyed the opportunity of being part of the Basic Course and Annual Meeting faculty for the last 8 years and look forward to continuing to do so.

With much gratitude, I accept the nomination to take on the role of Chairperson of the Patient and Professional Relations Committee.  This committee primarily serves the members of the organization creating high value content for distribution through multiple platforms.  This includes content such as blogs, podcasts, and practice questions for trainees, online panel discussions, etc.  I have served on this committee for a few years, participating in and preparing multiple types of content.  Since becoming a fellow of the AAOA in 2018, I have also helped with endeavors within the organization including education assessment and annual meeting planning, among others.  I am deeply committed to the practice of otolaryngologic allergy in my general ENT practice and seek to see it thrive among otolaryngologists and in ENT resident training.  I am honored to have an opportunity to continue this great work seeking to further engage our members in a bilateral relationship responding to their needs and further enlarging the organization’s footprint.

Wesley VanderArk, MD, FAAOA
AMA Physician Delegate Candidate

It is again an honor to be nominated for the position of AMA delegate for the AAOA. I have been active with the AAOA since joining the AAOA as a resident and attending my first Basic course in 1996 and eventually becoming a fellow in the organization a few years after that.  I have continued as an active member of the association serving in a number of different capacities as a member of the Patient and Professional Relations and Socioeconomic Committees, Chair of the Patient and Professional Relations Committee, American Medical Association Alternate Delegate, Delegate to the AMA, Secretary, and President of the organization.  I have had the opportunity to participate in a number of leadership and academic positions within the organization and now most of my involvement is in advocacy efforts for the organization.  Involvement with the AMA allows our organization to have a voice and effect change on Capitol Hill in an effort to protect and preserve the ability of our members to continue practicing Otolaryngic Allergy.  Our AMA involvement in the past, while working with sister organizations, has been instrumental to maintain vial mixing reimbursement and also affect more favorable language with USP 797 revisions.  Your membership in the AMA allows us to continue to be part of the AMA in order to affect that change, so I urge you also to become a member of the AMA for us to keep that opportunity alive for our organization.   I am grateful to have been a part of these efforts through the AMA in the past, and honored to be nominated again as the AMA delegate for the AOAA.  I appreciate your support in this election.

Rebecca J. Kamil, MD, FAAOA
Board Member at Large 2025-2028 Candidate

I am honored to be considered for the position of Board Member at Large on the AAOA Board. Since beginning my practice, the AAOA has been a source of knowledge, mentorship, and community for me, and I am eager to give back by serving in this leadership role.

As a practicing otolaryngologist with a busy clinical practice, I understand firsthand both the challenges and the rewards of incorporating allergy care into ENT. I believe the AAOA is uniquely positioned to help physicians thrive by providing the clinical education, advocacy, and peer support that allow us to serve patients with excellence.

If elected Chair, my priorities will be to:

• Strengthen and expand educational offerings that are practical and applicable in daily practice.
• Support members at every stage of their career by making AAOA resources more accessible.
• Advocate for physician-led allergy care in a changing healthcare landscape.
• Foster stronger connections within our community so that no member feels they are practicing in isolation.

I believe deeply in the mission of the AAOA and in the power of physicians working together. It would be a privilege to serve as a board member and to help guide our organization toward continued growth, innovation, and service to our patients.

Nalin Patel, MD, FAAOA
Board Member at Large 2025-2028 Candidate

Hunter Hoover, MD, FAAOA
Board Member at Large 2025-2028 Candidate

Haidy Marzouk, MD, FAAOA
Secretary Candidate

It is an honor to be nominated as Secretary of the AAOA. I am currently a General Otolaryngologist in Syracuse, NY working at a member hospital of Trinity Health.  I am also voluntary faculty at SUNY Upstate after being full-time faculty there for over seven years. Since becoming a fellow of the AAOA in 2018, I have helped with endeavors within the organization including education assessment, annual meeting planning, chair of the PPR committee, and others.  I am deeply committed to the practice of otolaryngologic allergy in my general ENT practice and seek to see it thrive among otolaryngologists and in ENT resident training.  As Secretary, I will work with the AAOA leadership and staff to ensure the AAOA continues to grow, engage, and retain its membership while remaining financially stable. It will be my privilege to serve the AAOA membership in this capacity.

Robert Stachler, MD, FAAOA
Coordinator of Education Candidate

I am honored to be nominated this year for the position of Educational Coordinator. This will be my fifth year in the position. We have accomplished a great deal in the last four years. We have developed a large pool of faculty that gives us many options for fresh and newer content in the future. We have had 4 successful years of hybrid presentations and meetings (Basic, Advanced, and Annual). Our meetings have been well attended and received by the membership. I must thank the wonderful Educational Committee, the annual meeting planning committee, and all of the staff: Jami Lucas, Claudia , Kate, and Marina, that have been pivotal in our success thus far. We have revamped the Advanced and Annual Meeting content, to prevent overlap of material.  We are rotating the Advanced content on a 3 to 4 year cycle. We have renamed the Advanced Course and are calling it the Explorers Course to reflect a new Format and innovative design.  I would like to thank Keith Sale for his help in organizing the meetings and content for revising the educational programming for our society this year.

We also are in the mist of our review by the ACCME this year, which we have been working on diligently.  We had a Teaching Retreat / Workshops for the Educational Committee and faculty in Chicago this year.  We learned about how to better engage our learners and to teach more effectively in the future.  There were four key stages of learning with implementation as the key end-component in the learning.  I am looking forward to some of our new content that we will be inserting into the Annual Meeting.  My session, that I will be leading ,will identify the most pressing topics or challenges for our society.  With special techniques (small group discussions, questions, reports from the tables) we will be able to address these issues head-on.  Only then can we manage them.  Peer to peer learning will be discussed and encouraged in these sessions.   Everyone at each table will have a voice in the discussions.  We will determine as a group what some answers can be to our issues. The goal is to give everyone some takeaways that each of us can immediately implement in their practices upon their return t the office.

We have decided to invited residents from every program to be involved in our society.  80 residents’ nominations were accepted for engagement and outreach, with the support of Sanofi.  The residents will have breakout sessions concurrent with the Annual Meeting for a wonderful, focused learning activity.  They will be intimately involved with our program as well.  I am very excited for this in the future.  Resident engagement and membership are crucial for injecting fresh ideas and perspective to our society.  As you can see, with all these irons in the fire, there is clearly more that I am interested in accomplishing in the near future. I pledge to continue to provide newer and innovative educational experiences to our members. I will continue to re-evaluate and modify our educational content to ensure it is fresh and cutting -edge.  I thank you for giving me this opportunity to serve you as your Educational Coordinator for the 2025-2026 educational year.

Christie DeMason, MD, FAAOA
Socioeconomic Chair Candidate

It is an honor to be nominated for reappointment as the chair position of the Socioeconomic committee. I am a general otolaryngologist in North Carolina where I have a focus on allergy and sleep surgery.

Over the last year, the socioeconomic committee has continued its mission to keep AAOA members informed on the latest news and any key policy changes that will affect our member’s daily practices as well as serve as a liaison to other medical societies such as the AMA. The committee also works closely with other AAOA committees to provide resources for our members.

This committee is so vital in order to make sure that our members get the most out of our practices. I would love the opportunity to be reappointed as the Socioeconomic chair and hope to continue to advocate for the AAOA. Thank you for considering me for the position.

David Scott Fortune, MD, FAAOA
Patient & Professional Relations Chair Candidate

I have been a long-standing member of AAOA since residency and passed the fellow exam in 2004. More recently, I became involved in AAOA Education and have enjoyed my tenure as a Basic Course Instructor since 2022. This past year I was elected as an At-Large Member of the Board of Directors of AAOA and have learned much about the organization and its less visible vital functions. This year I was approached with the opportunity to stand for election to a different role as the Chair of the Patient and Profession Relations Committee. My predecessor, Haidy Marzouk, MD has set a high bar for this position with outstanding content creation across a variety of AAOA platforms, and I would continue the work she initiated. Building on her foundation and leveraging my own skills from previous committee service with other organizations, I hope to add question writing as a board prep tool for our resident members and as a general refresher for those who have completed training and are already in practice. In addition, I would use my social media knowledge to push out material for AAOA members on a variety of platforms so they may engage with AAOA on their preferred media page. The AAOA Board of Directors is optimistic about the potential of YouTube videos and Podcasts as media that we can utilize to engage more members. Of course, I would be open to other suggestions from the membership regarding educational objectives to help get the most from AAOA dues. To assume this role, I hope to secure your vote, and I would relinquish my At-Large Board seat which will open the way for more talent to join the ranks of the AAOA Board of Directors. I am grateful to the Nominating Committee for selecting me to run in the 2025 election for Chair of Patient and Professional Relations Committee.

Christopher Vickery, MD, FAAOA
Audit Committee Candidate

I first attended the AAOA Basic Course in 1997—and while I was immediately drawn in, it took me a full decade to complete all the requirements for Fellowship. (I like to think of it as a slow-cooked commitment rather than procrastination.) Since then, I’ve been proud to serve in multiple positions on the board over the past decade.

It’s truly an honor to be nominated for the Audit Committee. I believe financial oversight is one of the most important responsibilities in any long-standing organization, and I’m grateful for the trust placed in me to help steward the AAOA’s continued health and vitality.

Even now, I continue to be amazed by the robust value this organization brings to all of us practicing clinical allergy. I’m excited to give back to a community that has given me so much—and to prove that I can, indeed, get things done in less than ten years.

Alpen Patel, MD, FAAOA
AMA Alternate Delegate Candidate

It is a great honor to be once again nominated for the AAOA AMA Alternate Delegate. I have been an active member of the AAOA since I joined as a resident member 25 years ago. During this time, I have served in various capacities for the organization. I have participated in several AAOA Academic Workshops, instructed at the Annual Meeting as well as at the Basic & Advanced Courses, administered the Fellowship exam, represented this organization as well as AAO-HNS at the AMA, lectured at various AAOA Symposia and Courses, and served as Board Member-at Large, Socioeconomic Chair, & Treasurer as well as on the Research, Nominating, Corporate Development, Compensation, Finance, & Investment Committees. In addition, I had the privilege to serve as President of the AAOA. I am grateful for these opportunities, and I am fortunate to be part of such a successful organization. With your support, I would like to represent the AAOA membership to the best of my ability.

Edwin Lee, MD, FAAOA
Board Member at Large 2025-2028 Candidate

I am honored and humbled to be nominated for a position on the AAOA Board. I am a private practice otolaryngologist in Northern Virginia, just outside of Washington, D.C. Since founding Reston ENT in 2006, otolaryngic allergy has played a significant role in the care of my patients, and it continues to be one of the most rewarding aspects of my practice. I was first introduced to the AAOA over 20 years ago through the Resident Course, and since then, I have remained an active member. In the last several years, I have become more involved with the AAOA by regularly attending meetings and connecting with colleagues who share a passion for advancing allergy care within our specialty. For the past two years, I have been honored to serve on the AAOA Socioeconomics Committee, which has deepened my appreciation for the Academy’s mission and the important role it plays in supporting both physicians and patients. While my direct service within the AAOA is still growing, I bring extensive experience in organizational leadership and governance from serving on boards and in leadership roles in my practice and other organizations. I believe this background, combined with my expertise in practice management and technology, can help further the AAOA’s mission and strengthen its ability to serve members in an ever-changing healthcare landscape. I am grateful for the opportunity to be considered for this position and look forward to continuing to contribute to the AAOA and the specialty of otolaryngic allergy.

Tran Locke, MD, FAAOA
Board member at Large 2025-2028 Candidate

It is an honor to be nominated for the position of AAOA Board Member at Large. I have been a Fellow of the AAOA since 2023 and have greatly enjoyed participating in its courses and conferences. As a fellowship-trained rhinologist and Director of the Otolaryngic Allergy service line at my institution, I have seen firsthand how the AAOA’s mission advances patient care and supports our specialty. As the resident sponsor for my program, I also value AAOA’s strong commitment to member and trainee education.

One thing I appreciate about the AAOA is its unique approach to education. The courses are engaging, personal, and truly unlike any other academic conference. They offer creative and interactive ways for members and attendees to not only learn content but build meaningful connections.

In addition to my clinical work, I serve on the governing board of the Women in Rhinology section of the American Rhinologic Society as Financial Officer, where I help develop the annual budget and assist in planning WIR events. I am also a member of the ARS Residents and Fellows Committee, where I have led projects to engage trainees on topics in rhinology and practice building. I have also helped plan and co-moderate a panel on building a successful practice, providing practical career advice for residents and fellows.

If elected to the Board, I hope to contribute by strengthening trainee engagement, helping grow the educational content, and supporting the continued growth of allergy within our specialty. I believe my experiences in leadership, education, and program development will allow me to meaningfully contribute to the AAOA’s mission. Thank you so much for your consideration.