The Section for Residents and Fellows-in-Training (SRF) was born out of the Committee of Residents in Training, which had been in existence for over five years. Residents have a vote on the Board of Governors and a representative on the AAO-HNS/F Board of Directors. All residents and fellows-in-training who are members of the Academy are automatically members of the SRF.
NEW! SRF Survey Results
View the latest results from the 2015-2019 SRF Survey. Findings share anticipated practice setting, subspecialty of choice, amount of debt, factors for pursuing fellowship, and much more.
Protect Yourself from Signing a Bad Contract
This 10-part video series highlights critical components of the physician contract negotiation process that all otolaryngologists should consider. Before you sign your first employment contract or a new employment contract, take advantage of the Academy’s newest member benefit providing easy and cost-effective access to Resolve, a national firm that specializes in physician employment contracts, to help you navigate both salary and benefit negotiations.
About the SRF
The Section for Residents and Fellows-in-Training (SRF) is composed entirely of residents and fellows-in-training from around the world who are active members of the Academy as medical graduates in training in otolaryngology. The SRF functions as an advisory body to the AAO-HNS/F Board of Directors and has been charged to focus on resources and issues to importance to residents and fellows-in-training, make recommendations to the AAO-HNS/F Boards of Directors, and support the otolaryngology-head and neck surgery specialty as a whole.
The SRF functions as an advisory body to the AAO-HNS/F Board of Directors and has been charged to:
- Communicate issues to residents and fellows-in-training
- Make recommendations to the AAO-HNS/F Boards of Directors
- Support the otolaryngology-head and neck surgery specialty as a whole
How to Get Involved and Leadership Opportunities
There are numerous ways to get involved in leadership that aren’t onerous, even to the busy junior resident taking call for the first time. The Academy and the SRF have something for everyone! Below is a brief overview of the numerous ways you can get involved.
Residency Program Representative
This is a great gateway into leadership activities and requires relatively the least amount of dedicated time. Residency representatives forward communications from the Academy–primarily from the Governing Council (GC) Information Officer–to their program and help relay any program specific concerns to the GC and the Academy. No previous leadership experience is needed. Each program should have somewhere between 1-3 representatives, depending on the size of the program. If interested, contact either the current Information Officer (listed below) or [email protected].
AAO-HNS/F Committees
There is an AAO-HNS/F Committee for everyone. Typically, committees meet once or twice a year either virtually or in person at the AAO-HNSF Annual Meeting & OTO Experience. SRF members are granted one-year terms. This is a great way to get involved in a specialty interest of yours and network with like-minded trainees and faculty at all stages! Committees typically propose Panel Presentations, lectures, Clinical Practice Guideline submissions, Position Statements, and more. These can have significant impact on daily practice.
Governing Council and Society Delegates
The Governing Council (GC) within the SRF acts as its elected officers and the numerous SRF society delegates serve as liaisons to other specialty societies such as the American Medical Association (AMA), American College of Surgeons (ACS), and Society of University Otolaryngologists (SUO). Each residency training program also has 1-2 SRF representatives to facilitate communications with the GC and the Academy.
The Governing Council (GC) and society delegates are elected positions and serve as officers and liaisons for the SRF. The GC is composed of eight members with various important roles that interface with all aspects of the Board of Governors (BOG), SRF members, and numerous other societies. Society delegates are paid by the Academy to attend their assigned society meetings and serve as liaisons for the SRF. Be on the lookout for emails from ENT Connect and our social media when applications open!
Eisenberg Health Policy Grants
The Eisenberg Health Policy Resident Leadership Grant, established by Lee D. Eisenberg, MD, MPH, provides four $550 resident leadership grants to attend the AAO-HNS/F Leadership Forum & BOG Spring Meeting as well as advocate on Capitol Hill for ENT-related policy issues. Recipients participate in substantive policy discussions, attend briefings on important topics directly related to healthcare policies impacting patient care, and meet and network with leaders in the specialty. Applications open in November and close in January.
Humanitarian Travel Grants
The Academy awards up to 25 $1,000 Humanitarian Travel Grants a year to support a trainee to attend a humanitarian medical trip in developing countries. These are awarded twice a year and are a great honor. A summary and write-up of the experience afterwards is expected. Trainees may only receive this grant one time. Deadlines are in November and May, depending on the timing of the humanitarian trip.
Resident Leadership Grants
Resident Leadership Grants (RLG) in the amount of $500 are awarded annually to numerous trainees each year to help defray costs of attending the AAO-HNSF Annual Meeting & OTO Experience. These can be awarded numerous times per trainee. Residents involved in leadership will be given priority and these are automatically awarded to all Governing Council members for both the AAO-HNS/F Leadership Forum & BOG Spring Meeting and the AAO-HNSF Annual Meeting & OTO Experience.
CORE Grants and CORE Study Section
The Centralized Otolaryngology Research Efforts (CORE) Grants are a prestigious assortment of funding opportunities that are awarded annually to investigators from trainees to faculty. Grants range from $5,000 to $150,000. There are numerous research grants that cover a broad range of subjects in otolaryngology. Letters of Intent are due in December and full grants are due in January. Awards are given in June the following year.
The CORE Study Section is for residents who are interested in CORE reviewing committee. This is an invaluable opportunity for residents to learn how to review grants and become better grant writers. Applications are typically due in January and reviewers are asked to attend the CORE study section in March in person.
AAO-HNS/F Leadership Forum & BOG Spring Meeting
The AAO-HNS/F Leadership Forum & BOG Spring Meeting is an intimate meeting held annually in the spring in Alexandria, Virginia, and is focused primarily on major policy issues and leadership talks. Advocacy on Capitol Hill also takes place at this meeting. There are members from both private practice and academic settings present and this meeting as a whole is a fantastic mentorship and networking opportunity. There are speed-networking events for everyone. Resident Leadership Grants are available to offset the cost of travel to this meeting.
Panel Presentation Submissions
These are panels that are sponsored by the SRF and oftentimes co-sponsored by other academy meetings as well. All SRF members are encouraged to submit Panel Presentation proposals on a topic that they are passionate about. As such they’re given the opportunity to moderate this panel and invite panelists of their choosing. This is an especially rewarding process to be a part of and a great way to network. The Member at Large of the Governing Council is responsible for compiling proposals from the SRF and is a great contact person for this. Applications open in November and close in January for proposals.
Stay Connected
For all SRF-related inquiries, contact [email protected]. Please join the conversation in the SRF Community on ENT Connect and follow us on social media!
Typical Calendar Year and Important Deadlines
September
- AAO-HNSF Annual Meeting with SRF General Assembly
October
- Election of new Governing Council and delegates
November
- Eisenberg Health Policy Grant applications open
- AAO-HNS/F committee applications open
- Deadline for Humanitarian Travel grants for January-June trips the following year
December
- AAO-HNSF Call for Science Opens
- CORE Research grant letter of intents due
- Academy committee applications due
January
- Academy Committee applications due
- Eisenberg Health Policy Grant applications due
- CORE Research Grant applications due
February
- Resident Leadership Grants open for AAO-HNS/F Leadership Forum & BOG Spring Meeting
April
- AAO-HNS/F Leadership Forum & BOG Spring Meeting in Alexandria, Virginia
Society delegate applications due
May
- Deadline for Humanitarian Travel grants for July-December trips the same year
July
- Resident Leadership Grant applications open for AAO-HNSF Annual Meeting & OTO Experience
August
- SRF Governing Council applications due
Current Governing Council and Delegates
Governing Council
Term: 2021-2022
Chair: Kevin Y. Zhan, MD
Vice Chair: Jake J. Lee, MD
Member-at-Large: Hayley L. Born, MD
Information Officer/Secretary: Chelsea S. Hamill, MD
Immediate Past Chair: Zainab Farzal, MD
BOG Governor (Governance and Society Engagement Committee): Kevin J. Contrera, MD
BOG Alternate Governor (Legislative Affairs Committee): Mark A. Fadel, MD
BOG Alternate Governor (Socioeconomic and Grassroots Committee): Hannah N. Kuhar, MD
Appointed Delegates
Term: 2021 – 2022
American Medical Association Resident and Fellows Section (AMA-RFS)
Delegate: Allen Young, MD
Alternate Delegate: Kody Bolk, DO
Society of University Otolaryngologists (SUO)
Delegate: Janice Farlow, MD
Alternate Delegate: Shadi Mehrabi, MD
American Board of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (ABOHNS)
Delegate: Jumah Ahmad, MD
Alternate Delegate: Emily Commesso, MD
American College of Surgeons – Resident and Associate Society (RAS – ACS)
Delegate: Brandon Kamrava, MD
Alternate Delegate: Brandon Knight, MD
International
Delegate: Gaelen Stanford-Moore, MD, MPhil
Alternate Delegate: Priya Dukes, MD
ENT PAC
Delegate: Sarah Khayat, MD
Alternate Delegate: Daniel Benito, MD
