Soundings FALL 2022
PUBLISHED IN THE INTEREST OF OUR MEMBERS AND THEIR PATIENTS
President’s Message
David Cognetti, MD, FACS PAO-HNS President Welcome to Fall Soundings! Fall seems especially beautiful in Pennsylvania this year. The vivid autumn colors have been in full affect, with the extra glow from the red October of Phillies playoff baseball. Similarly, the Pennsylvania Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery (PAO-HNS) enjoyed extra glow this summer. In June, we returned to an in-person annual meeting in Hershey and in September, welcomed our colleagues from across the country to Philadelphia for the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) 2022 Annual Meeting and OTO Experience.The excitement of being back together was palpable for attendees at both events. It is always sweet to be in Hershey, but this year it was extra sweet. The PAOHNS 2022 Annual Scientific Meeting was the first time the membership of PAO-HNS was together in-person since 2019. Program Co-Chairs, Drs. Andrew McCall and Nicholas Purdy, led an outstanding program that attracted prepandemic attendance levels. Dr. Kelly
Malloy, Associate Chief Clinical Officer of Surgical and Rehabilitation Services at University of Michigan Hospital, delivered keynote talks for the general session and the Women in Otolaryngology event. Dr. Malloy is a Philadelphia native and attended medical school and residency in Pennsylvania. It was exciting to welcome Dr. Malloy back to her home state and have her share her expertise in surgical simulation and her recommendations for sponsorship throughout our field. This year we introduced committee meetings to foster collaboration across our membership and to open opportunities for those who would like to be more involved in our society. These committees are helping to organize sessions for next year’s meeting. We also introduced a hands-on Otolaryngology experience for children which included numerous stations that were both fun and educational.
This event was wellreceived and reinforced the strong family atmosphere of our meeting. Congratulations to the resident team from Geisinger Medical Center on the Conchal Bowl award for winning the Jeopardy session. Congratulations to Lauren Gardiner from University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and Joann Butkus from Thomas Jefferson University Hospital for winning first and second place in the Oral Presentations. Congratulations to Thomas Haupt from Howard University and Emily Milarchi from Pennsylvania State University for winning first and second place in the Poster Presentations. The Academy also recognizes this year’s well-deserving awardees. The Community Service Citation Award was awarded to the Honorable Marty Flynn and the
Distinguished Service Award was given to Paula Marcinkevich, AuD, CCC-A. I was deeply honored to be bestowed the The Helen Krause, MD Distinguished Service Award. Speaking of honors, the PAO-HNS was awarded the Board of Governors Model Society Award at the AAO-HNSF 2022 Annual Meeting and OTO Experience in Philadelphia in September. During the meeting, PAO-HNS participated in a panel discussing the benefits of state societies and the ways in which the AAO-HNS could further support them. Dr. Jessyka Lighthall joined me as a panelist along with Jefferson resident Dr. Jena Patel and Penn State medical student Dana Goldenberg, both of whom illustrated the personal impact that PAO-HNS has had on them. Many of our members attended the AAO-HNSF 2022 Annual Meeting and OTO Experience which enjoyed robust attendance this year. As typical for September, the weather was beautiful. The meeting not only highlighted the beauty of our state but also showcased the extensive groundbreaking research being conducted at the Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery programs within it. As for advocacy, the PAO-HNS partnered with the AAO-HNSF on a letter of support of cytomegalovirus (CMV) education and screening of newborns in Pennsylvania. On June 27th, Governor Wolf signed Senate Bill 709 establishing the CMV Education and Newborn Screening Act into law. This is great news for the hearing health of our state’s children. In closing, it was an exciting year for the PAO-HNS! The return to in-person meetings reminded us of the biggest benefit of our Academy…each other. I look Continued on page 2