Having a good mentor is important to every phase of a physician’s career, but perhaps never more critical than in the earliest years out of training. Recognizing the key role that expert mentorship plays in a young physician’s success, the YPS has created the Model Mentor Award.
Any YPS member may nominate one of their mentors for this award by submitting a narrative vignette that illustrates an effective and nurturing mentorship by this physician.
Requirements:
- The nominees must be AAO-HNS members in good standing
- The nomination packet requires full contact information for both the nominee and the nominating YPS member, as well as a nominating paragraph of up to 325 words
- The YPS Governing Council will select the Model Mentor Award winners to be recognized during the YPS General Assembly at the AAO-HNSF Annual Meeting & OTO Experience and will consider the winning vignettes for submission to Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery
2023 YPS Model Mentor Award
This year’s Young Physicians Section (YPS) Model Mentor awardee is Maurits S. Boon, MD, a professor at Thomas Jefferson University Sidney Kimmel Medical College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is dual board-certified in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery and sleep medicine. With extensive research and experience in sleep surgery, specifically using hypoglossal nerve stimulation for treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), he is co-editor of the first book on upper airway stimulation.
Dr. Boon is also the residency program director and vice chair for education at Thomas Jefferson and sits on its executive board. Throughout his many roles, he has served as a mentor for residents and junior faculty members, providing career advice and facilitating opportunities for advancement. He has fostered the academic interests of junior faculty by involving them in the management of student rotations and residency and exposing them to leadership opportunities.
He encourages faculty members to participate in ongoing clinical trials, lectures at national and international gatherings, and publications. Demonstrating gratitude to be in a position and profession to help others—patients as well as fellow physicians—he has been instrumental in facilitating the career advancement of otolaryngologist-head and neck surgeons in the United States and abroad.
Internationally recognized for his expertise in conditions that affect the nose, sinuses, voice, and swallowing, Dr. Boon takes an individualized approach to treating sleep disorders, recognizing that they go well beyond just treating snoring and sleep apnea. He is always available for his trainees and patients, and continually looks for ways to improve clinical care, surgery, and teaching.
Recipients of the YPS Model Mentor Award include:
- Philomena M. Behar, MD (2022)
- John H. Krouse, MD, PhD, MBA (2021)
- Lawrence M. Simon, MD (2020)
- Samantha Anne, MD
- Stacey L. Ishman, MD, MPH
- Giancarlo F. Zuliani, MD
- James D. Sidman, MD
- J. Regan Thomas, MD
- Bill Lydiatt, MD
- Ellis M. Arjmand, MD, PhD
We thank you for your contribution to the future of the specialty.
