Legacy of Excellence Digital Flipbook

LEGACY OF EXCELLENCE

Dr. Bradford was the first woman to be elected president of the American Head and Neck Society in 2012, served as president of the Society of University Otolaryngologists Head & Neck Surgeons in 2017, and was the fourth woman to be elected President of the AAO-HNS/F. When she took office in September 2020, she brought tremendous well-earned respect from the entire otolaryngology community to the office which was beneficial as the world was still suffering greatly from the COVID-19 pandemic and facing a new wave of infections and no end in sight. Because COVID-19 is a respiratory disease, the AAO-HNS/F found itself on the frontlines of developing and disseminating information about the disease, proper methods for testing and treatment, how to safely return to practice, emerging vaccines, and more. “We are a high-risk specialty, so we were really leading the way in determining the safe way to provide care,” Dr. Bradford explained. “What were the room guidelines? What were the mask guidelines? Defining flexible laryngoscopy as an aerosol-generating procedure, writing letters to state legislatures, the wellness issue, the diversity, equity, and inclusion issue, the financial issue… the Academy, in the middle of a crisis, has played and continues to play a vital role in helping people in this specialty come together and figure out a pathway forward.” After the first Virtual Annual Meeting concluded in October 2020, Dr. Bradford wrote in her first Bulletin column, “In the midst of this upheaval, it is prudent to focus on why leadership matters, at all times, but particularly in times of turmoil and crisis. These times are unsettling for all of us. The pandemic has impacted our profession, our work, and our lives. We have fear of uncertainty and of change. Leadership matters because leaders help us have confidence in our future. Leaders help define the pathway to that future. The Academy has provided important leadership during this time of crisis, and we will continue to serve you, our members, as well as your communities, which include patients, families, learners, and our global colleagues.” As the AAO-HNS/F celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2021, it also embarked on updating its Strategic Plan for the years ahead, acknowledging how much the country and even the world had changed in just a short period of time. Dr. Bradford led the strategic planning effort that incorporated stakeholders across the breadth of otolaryngology as well as industry, health system and payers to plan the critical upcoming years. For her term as President, “diversity, equity and

inclusion”, education, “leadership and mentorship” and wellness. These were incorporated into the 125 Strong Fundraising Campaign designed to raise money for specific programs in each of these areas that would be spent as designated by the donors for specific activities within each area. “The COVID-19 pandemic has shone a bright light on health disparities in our country,” she wrote in the Bulletin . “Our Black, Latino, and Native American communities have been disproportionately devastated by COVID-19. Pre-existing conditions are more prevalent in communities of color in our country. There is similar inequity in vaccine distribution and acceptance. Structural and societal inequities and social determinants of health are deeply influenced by implicit bias and discrimination. “As we begin to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic and look forward to a post-vaccine world, we understand that our society, and we as individuals, have changed. We are more aware of inequity and the fragility of life. We are aware that access to high quality, safe care should be a right and not a privilege. We understand that we must work together and engage with our communities to realize our Core Purpose and Guiding Principles.” In discussing what this means specifically for the specialty she explained, “How do we have otolaryngologists mirror or reflect the communities we serve? I believe in the very broadest definition of diversity, equity, and inclusion, so that might mean the color of our skin, it might mean LGBTQ+ status, it might mean ethnic background, it might mean disability [which is] very relevant to our specialty. The important question is, ‘What will we, the American Academy of Otolaryngology, do to support inclusive diversity and equity?’ None of [this] is a simple, easy answer because some of it is the issues in society itself, not just in medicine and certainly not just in otolaryngology.” Finally, Dr. Bradford reflected that the AAO-HNS/F continues to provide extraordinary value to its Members and to the global community as a whole and said, “I’m very excited about where we are going based upon the priorities articulated in our Strategic Plan. Coming together as a community really highlighted the value of specialty societies for forging our way beyond the pandemic.”

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