Honor and Distinguished Service Awards

AAO-HNS Honor and Distinguished Service Awards

Honor Awards and Distinguished Service Awards are part of the Academy’s system for recognizing meritorious service. Members receive honor points for participation in a variety of activities and leadership roles. Non-members can receive honor points but are not eligible for Honor Awards or Distinguished Service Awards; points earned as a non-member convey if he or she then joins.

The Honor Award is the first award a member can obtain for participation in certain activities. A member can earn only one Honor Award in a lifetime. To receive an Honor Award, a member must earn 10 volunteer service points over a minimum of five years. The Honor Award point system is constructed to promote recognition not only for the quantity of service, but also for the variety and longevity of service. A maximum of two points, each of which must come from a different category of service, can be accrued each year.

The Distinguished Service Award is a recognition of volunteer service beyond the level of an Honor Award. Members who attain 50 honor points, including the 10 points received for an Honor Award, receive the Distinguished Service Award. But there is no limit on the number of Distinguished Service Awards a member may receive. All honor points, regardless of quantity earned in each category in a year, are credited toward the DSA. To date, the AAO-HNS has bestowed 1,388 Honor Awards and 203 Distinguished Service Awards.

2009 Honor Award Recipients

2009 Distinguished Service Award Recipients


2008 Honor Award Recipients 

2008 Distinguished Service Award Recipients 

How Do You Earn Honor Points?

Members receive honor points for participating in a variety of activities and leadership roles, including:

• Academy and/or Foundation committee participation
• BOG committee participation
• Exceptional service on a committee
• Annual meeting course instructor, paper presenter, or poster presenter
• Joint Surgical Advocacy Conference (JSAC) attendee
• BOG Spring Meeting attendee
• Officers and members of the Board of Directors
• Journal Editorial Board & Associate Editors
• BEST ENT Clinical Research Network
• CORE Study Section

Return to main Awards Page