Legacy of Excellence Digital Flipbook

Chapter 5: 2017 – 2021

Johannes J. Fagan, MBChB, FCS(SA), the inaugural IAB Chair, seated, and Eugene N. Myers, MD, FRCS Edin (Hon), Past President and Inaugural Coordinator of International Affairs, conduct the first IAB General Assembly at the AAO-HNSF 2017 Annual Meeting & OTO Experience in Chicago, Illinois.

“I do believe that the establishment of the IAB strengthens the voice of the global otolaryngology community and signals the AAO-HNSF’s commitment to assume a more global educational and organizational role. We should all embrace this opportunity to make it a reality,” said Dr. Fagan. Connections and Networking During this timeframe, program enhancements were added to the AAO-HNSF Annual Meeting & OTO Experience schedule to connect the global community. The AAO-HNSF International Symposium became a dedicated component and track of the Annual Meeting designed to showcase cutting-edge content, including Expert Series and Panel Presentations, which were presented by international physicians. It provided a means for the global perspective of relevant and current topics in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery to be shared.

established itself as a standard of excellence in many aspects and has become an authentic benchmark for other medical societies. It is also unequivocal that its Annual Meeting is the global scientific climax of the specialty calendar, gathering thousands of colleagues from all over the world,” said Dr. da Costa. Also, on the Annual Meeting program was the IAB General Assembly, in which there was robust engagement from around the globe. When an in-person meeting, Regional Roundtable Discussion Groups were held and divided into the following roundtables: Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Middle East, and Latin America. Attendees from these geographic regions shared ideas, best practices, and insights on issues facing the specialty. When the Annual Meeting went virtual in 2020, virtual Regional Roundtables were held. Bringing together this community on a virtual platform was met with such great enthusiasm and success that in 2021 the Global Grand Rounds program was launched.

“It is well-known globally that the AAO-HNS has

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