NYU Langone Health
What is the greatest challenge our specialty is currently facing and how would you advocate for action through member engagement?
The greatest challenge facing our specialty is physician wellness. The competing forces of increased regulation by government and insurance companies, electronic health records, population growth and patient demand for high quality, individualized care in the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic have taken a significant toll on all of us.
Lack of member wellness leads to worsening patient outcomes, professional and personal disengagement and even early retirement, leaving our specialty altogether.
There are many competing factors for physicians’ time and money, and we need to demonstrate continued value to members so that they would want to be engaged and donate their time and resources. As we slowly emerge from the pandemic, it is clear that individual and societal priorities and values have changed. As secretary, I would focus on communication with our members in two major ways: demonstrating the incredible existing value of the BOG, resources of which members may not be aware, and by reevaluating the needs and interests of our members by asking them how they want to engage.
What initiatives would you recommend strengthening the relationship and engagement opportunities between AAO-HNS state, local, and specialty BOG societies?
The BOG exists to strengthen the relationships between all of the AAO-HNS societies and foster engagement. I have been fortunate to have been a part of developing and expanding some of these initiatives. As part of the leadership of the Governance and Society Engagement Committee for 3 years, I helped provide our members with an interactive map where they can see every BOG society (including officer and admin contact information), the ability to email Academy members in their state and a yearly Roundtable forum to discuss common challenges and share best practices. We also completed a new toolkit with information for member societies to grow regardless of their size or level of resources.
Most recently as Vice Chair of the Legislative Affairs committee, I have worked through the challenge of maintaining our usual advocacy through virtual means. I intend to support initiatives that leverage new technology and platforms to enhance the BOG’s already robust network to communicate the many excellent projects the BOG and Academy are performing for our members, especially those focused on wellness such as the 125 Strong Campaign.
