Happy spring! Or in my neck of the NESO woods, happy summer as our spring lasted all of one week. That being said, with spring comes the annual AAO meeting, which took place this year in Washington, DC. As usual, NESO was very well represented, both at the House of Delegates meetings and on Capitol Hill immediately following the AAO, while visiting with representatives voicing the concerns of members.
Our NESO delegation – comprised of Drs. Carrie Melita, Dennis Hiller, Lee Erickson, Dan Ryan, Phil Mansour, Michal Kleinerer, Marlon Salmon, Dan Stuart, Chris Lundberg, Jeff Blasius, Katie Klein and me – was very active during the first and second sessions of the AAO House of Delegates meetings on both Friday, May 4 and Monday, May 7 during the AAO. We were also joined by our NESO Trustee, John Callahan and our Executive Director, Kristin Dunn.
Some of the numerous items that impact our Association and specialty that were acted upon by our delegates include directing the AAO president to create a Big Data Task Force that will assess how the AAO might develop a data analytics program to better position the association and specialty in propelling the AAO’s mission and strategic plan forward in a new and more effective way. The HOD approved a new strategic map and policies that reflect diversity and leadership in governance and encouraged constituents to assemble delegates that reflect the diversity of the members in their geographic region. An AAO task force was also created to research issues specific to female orthodontists and find ways that women may be better served as association members.
Our delegates also were instrumental in keeping our CAP assessment at $600 for fiscal year 2018-19. This will increase to $800 per year for years 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22. The CAP’s all digital approach last year saw a 6100% increase in monthly visits to the AAO consumer website. Other actions by the house included increasing the component legal support fund by $1 million, reinstating the AAO faculty fellowships, clarifying our position on medically necessary treatment of craniofacial anomalies and additions to the code of ethics and professional conduct to address harassment & inappropriate interpersonal relationships. More detailed actions of the house can be found on the AAO member website.
I want to personally thank everyone for all their hard work and dedication while representing NESO at this year’s AAO. As a reminder, our NESO annual meeting will be held this year on November 2-3 at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut. Registration will open soon and I look forward to seeing everyone as we “Experience a New Direction” in NESO meetings. Details can be found on the NESO website.
Wishing everyone a great summer!!
Sal Manente, President, NESO
