CEO Update, May 2025

“Knowledge is useless unless it is shared,” Yvonne Jobin, Cree Elder

No truer statement can be said. As a national medical professional association, AAOA has the privileges of working with otolaryngology practitioners daily. While our courses and Annual Meeting showcase the value of peer-to-peer learning, our staff see this almost daily. The key word in CME is “continuing.” Each of you participates in our programming to continue your professional development. While the drive for attendance is the well thought out program our Education Committee and faculty have designed, there is the added value of peer-to-peer learning inherent when a group of professionals get together.  Sharing how the learning will impact your practice with colleagues at your table, in the exhibit hall, or even the Whova community chat is a great way to take home more than the syllabus. Shared challenges help drive better solutions.

AAOA continues to work to evolve our educational programming with novel formats. To this end, we are hosting an educational workshop to incorporate facilitation into our delivery tool kit. How do we share the knowledge typically housed in a powerpoint presentation or panel discussions to ignite conversations among our members?  How do we share best practices? And how do you, our learners, take what is shared and implement it? Our Annual Meeting will give us an opportunity to find new ways to share, engage, and network to give everyone some “ah-ha” moments and ideas to take home. While the Annual Meeting Committee is still building the program, it is not too early to lock in your registration — remember it is part of your dues with no additional registration fee — and your hotel room at the Seabird Resort to help make sure you are part of this exciting program.

Knowledge and especially knowledge that can be share goes beyond CME too. Thanks to the creativity of Haidy Marzouk, MD and the Patient and Professional Education Committee and Christie DeMason, MD and the Socioeconomic Committee, we have expanded our member resources. Focusing on practice issues with our Practice Corner, the latest research with our Virtual Journal Club, resources for Food Allergy Awareness, and Peer-to-Peer tips on both pediatric and geriatric patient challenges, both committees have been augmenting our tools and resources. Have a practice challenge?  Solution to share? Or an idea on new topics we can tackle?  We welcome your input and your shared knowledge.