Legacy of Excellence Digital Flipbook

Chapter 5: 2017 – 2021

A strategic plan is not fixed. It is a living, breathing document that will be adapted as necessary to reflect the needs of our organization. A strategic plan is not siloed. Although the plan will have distinct goals, the strategies and tactics will be cross-functional to flex within our highly collaborative environment and our complementary mission areas. A strategic plan is not risk-free. We need to have new ideas as an organization that will stretch us and take us outside of our comfort zone. We are on a journey for the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery…to build our collective future together.” - Carol R. Bradford, MD, MS, 2020-2021 President, March 2021 Bulletin

T he breadth and depth of the work of the AAO-HNS/F continued to be on display from 2017 to 2021 with accomplishments that were a direct result of past years’ investment in the foundation and pillars of the organization. This included a focus on building a strong volunteer leadership structure with committees, sections, and the Board of Governors; enhancing special unity with the formation and success of the Specialty Unity Summit (SUS); supporting the specialty through education innovation, research and quality initiatives, and advocacy outreach; and connecting the global otolaryngology

collaborative leadership to meet the needs of the global otolaryngology community. (see special section on COVID-19) STRATEGIC PLANS BUILDING THE FRAMEWORK AND SETTING THE COURSE The work of the AAO-HNS/F was well-framed from 2017 to 2021 by a multistep strategic planning process conducted approximately every three years. The Strategic Plan set the overall direction of the organization by defining specific goals and objectives that guided resource management, but also provided the flexibility to maximize member benefit through operational adjustments. Practically, this allowed objective review of existing programs, identified new opportunities, and prioritized specific areas while maintaining financial stability. The 2018 Strategic Plan, led by Gavin Setzen, MD, was approved by the Boards of Directors (BODs) in March 2018, and the 2021 Strategic Plan, led by Carol R. Bradford, MD, MS, received final approval by the BODs in April 2021. The Academy employed a collaborative and inclusive process that invited the participation of multiple stakeholders conveying the interests of all demographic groups, specialty societies within otolaryngology,

community through the work of the International Advisory Board, participating in Joint Meetings, and growing the number of International Corresponding Societies. At the heart of it all was the Academy’s focus not only to enhance existing value for members in their practice and delivery of quality patient care, but to expand services within the organizational mission. During this five-year timeframe, the Academy transitioned from the theme, “Value 4U: You Care for Patients and We Care for You” to “We Are One” (see page 134). The importance of this change in 2018 could not have been more foresighted and calculated

2017: Launched the AAO-HNS/F podcast channel, frequENTcy , with a wide-range of topics from advocacy, health policy, and quality to practice management tools and leadership development and everything in between.

especially for what was to come just two years later. In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, the Academy further deepened its roots in providing uninterrupted services, comprehensive support, and

2017: OTO Open , the AAO-HNSF’s peer-reviewed gold open access journal, was launched.

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