04/04/2018
A Message from ABEA President James Burns, MD
Dear Colleagues,
Welcome to the first year of the next centennial for the American Broncho-Esophagological Association! I am honored to have worked closely with so many on the council in serving the membership over the past 10 years. In that time the ABEA has grown substantially and I thank all of you for entrusting me with the reigns as president this year. I want to welcome new council members Mark Courey and Michael Pitman and acknowledge the new roles of Seth Dailey (secretary) and Milan Amin (president-elect). I give a special Thank You to Al Merati for agreeing to serve as Program Chair even though this will require him to wear one more “hat” of responsibility this year.
The theme for this year’s spring meeting at COSM is Collaboration. The spirit of collaboration is embodied within the ABEA in many ways, all of which contribute to making the ABEA a vibrant and relevant organization. The various ways in which we collaborate with industry, our patients, hospital administrators, medical specialists and allied health professionals other than otolaryngologists, and with colleagues among worldwide organizations will be highlighted at the spring meeting. The ABEA continues close collaboration with the European Laryngological Society and will be represented at the 12th Congress of the ELS meeting in London with a round table discussion on Technical Innovations in Laryngology led by Mike Hinni. Collaboration with the ALA will continue with a combined ABEA/ALA session on Friday, April 20.
This year’s guest of honor is Steven Zeitels, a past-president of the ABEA, world-renowned innovator, and mentor to many ABEA members including yours truly. I’ve asked Steve to share his experience collaborating with patients in advancing innovative research initiatives. The Chevalier Q Jackson Award will be given to Ellen Deutsch, who I feel embodies the true spirit of Jackson’s mission of teaching and service through her continued efforts with pediatric airway foreign body courses and resident “boot camps” that feature team building exercises utilizing the latest simulation techniques. Robert Hillman, PhD, Co-Director and Research Director of the Center for Laryngeal Surgery and Voice Rehabilitation at the Massachusetts General Hospital, and Adjunct Professor (Communication Sciences and Disorders) MGH Institute of Health Professions will deliver the Chevalier Q Jackson Lecture on Ambulatory Monitoring and Biofeedback for Assessing and Treating Voice Disorders. This year’s program will include the first annual Jamie Koufman Lecture that will feature T. Colin Campbell, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Nutritional Biochemistry at Cornell University, discussing nutrition and the link between diet and disease.
There are several new changes to the program this year. First, poster presentations require manuscript submission and the top three poster award winners will be given cash prizes. Second, podium presenters are required to submit ONE question that will be used to create an online quiz that can be taken after the meeting on the ABEA website for additional CME. Third, new members who are accepted via vote of the membership will be notified earlier so they can plan to attend the ABEA meeting (Thank you to Paul Willging for helping with some sweeping changes that involved the membership committee). Finally, scientific session moderators will include ABEA post-graduate members to broaden the reach of our meeting within the membership.
The Past-Presidents Dinner will honor all past ABEA presidents, current council members, and 2018 award winners and special guests. The dinner will be held at the Old Hickory Steakhouse which is located within the Gaylord Resort, National Harbor, Maryland on Tuesday, April 17 at 6:30PM.
The 2018 Annual meeting promises to be an exciting gathering and an awesome venue at which to present your research and share ideas with colleagues. Thanks to all who submitted abstracts for consideration – there were 129 submissions - our committee has developed the program based on your hard work. You are all encouraged to recruit new active members, post-graduate members, and international colleagues who might be interested in joining the ABEA. I look forward to seeing all of you at National Harbor, Maryland near Washington DC in April 2018 (with a little luck, the cherry blossoms around the tidal basin will bloom that week – a spectacular site not to be missed).
Sincerely,
James Burns, MD
ABEA President
