From Mark Egbert, DDS, FACS Dear Colleagues: It’s hard to believe another year is concluding and another successful AAOMS Annual Meeting is behind us. If you attended the 99th AAOMS Annual Meeting in October in San Francisco, Calif., we hope you had an enjoyable and rewarding time. I am pleased to share with you a summary of Annual Meeting highlights and other news about Association activities, events and projects. Annual Meeting generates strong numbersThe following AAOMS officers and Trustees were elected during the Oct. 11 House of Delegates session:
During their three sessions, the delegates also:
In other actions, the House of Delegates:
Preparation is underway for the 100th AAOMS Annual Meeting Oct. 8 to 13 in Chicago, Ill. The Association will be celebrating its centennial, and we hope to see you there. AAOMS, OMS Foundation form strategic allianceAs mentioned earlier, the House of Delegates adopted a resolution (as part of the consent agenda at the AAOMS Annual Meeting) for stronger collaboration between the Association and OMS Foundation. The new Board met for the first time in November. Initial focus of the new strategic alliance will center on improved donor recognition and outreach, and the strategic plan is being revised for 2018-20. A new Development Director – Mary DiCarlo – has been hired, and some committees have been consolidated to ensure unified messages from both organizations. The AAOMS Board looks forward to the benefits this strategic alliance will provide to the membership and both organizations. Membership dues statements have been sentIn November, 2018 AAOMS membership dues statements were sent. These statements include the second $350 installment of the three-year assessment approved by the 2016 House of Delegates to support the AAOMS Informational Campaign. If you are in a category of membership that qualifies for a discounted membership fee, your assessment has been proportionately reduced. The statement allows you to voluntarily pay dues for allied OMS organizations: the OMS Foundation and OMS Foundation Alliance, OMSPAC and IAOMS. Please submit your dues payment by Dec. 31 to assure continuation of AAOMS membership benefits. To renew online, visit AAOMS.org and log in to the Member Center. If renewing memberships for allied staff, fax or mail the separate statement included in your mailing. Your staff also can log in and renew their individual memberships. The Member Directory Verification Form also is included in the dues mailing. Fax or mail this form to AAOMS to assure correct listing in the AAOMS directories that are public (MyOMS.org) and members-only (AAOMS.org). Please carefully review this information, as the transition to a new association management system allows for better identification about the availability of your contact information. Include your email address to keep informed through e-communicators and member alerts of Association activities. ADA House of Delegates approves specialty recognition commissionThe ADA formed a Task Force exploring the establishment of a separate Commission for Specialty Recognition to counter potential regulatory arena concerns with the current recognition process in the House of Delegates. The Task Force proposed a Commission with nine dental specialists (one for each of the recognized specialties), nine general dentists and one public member. AAOMS and seven of the eight other dental specialties communicated to the ADA Board that a more appropriate representation would be nine dental specialists, five general dentists and one public member. The ADA Board recommended to the ADA House of Delegates that the Commission’s representation be aligned with the Task Force recommendations. AAOMS shared its concerns about the proposed Commission, advocating the proposal be referred back for further study. Despite strong lobbying by AAOMS members who are ADA delegates in the caucuses and testimony in the House of Delegates, the House approved the Board’s recommendation in October. Day on the Hill registration to openRegistration for the 18th AAOMS Day on the Hill is scheduled to open Jan. 9. As the Association’s foremost grassroots event, Day on the Hill encourages members to advocate to Congressional representatives about issues facing the specialty and patients. Day on the Hill will be April 17-18 at the Renaissance in Washington, D.C. For more information, visit AAOMS.org/DayontheHill. Informational Campaign spreads to WebMDThe AAOMS Informational Campaign is sharing content on the health and wellness website WebMD to build awareness about OMSs and the conditions they treat. WebMD draws 73 million visitors per month. For consumer statistics relevant to OMS, WebMD claims:
AAOMS is taking advantage of WebMD’s new Branded Destination opportunity that offers a microsite with five pages of OMS-specific content, including an overview home page and four pages describing specific conditions or treatments: Workshop to instruct on leadershipThe Emerging OMS Leadership Workshop will take place March 3-4 in Rosemont, Ill., at the DoubleTree. The course will be available to between 50 and 75 AAOMS members interested in expanding their skills and pursuing a more prominent leadership role in the specialty. The curriculum will cover formal assessments and six major topic areas: personality type and leadership, nine virtues of exceptional leaders, time management, managing conflict, leading change and emotionally intelligent leadership. Registration is $500. Winners of grants for volunteer trips announcedFor the third consecutive year, the AAOMS–Henry Schein Cares Foundation Global Outreach Program is providing financial assistance to OMSs who volunteer through healthcare programs. Four winners are receiving grants of $2,500 to help cover their expenses. They also will be able to select as much as $2,000 in products from the Henry Schein catalog for their mission. The recipients are:
Stay aware of hacking attemptsUnfortunately, many members have received phishing/spam emails claiming to be from AAOMS or the AAOMS President. Scammers use these emails to try to trick you into providing personal information. Please immediately delete fraudulent emails. AAOMS is sharing the following guidance to help recognize fraudulent emails:
AAOMS will offer complimentary training for members on how to spot a phishing email in the next few weeks. This has been a busy year for AAOMS, and I hope it has been a successful one for you as well. I want to thank you for your continual support of AAOMS and my work on the Board. I am always available if you have a concern or suggestion for the Association. PLEASE let me know if there is anything I can do to assist you or your local component. I would be very happy to attend any of your local state society meetings to give a (long or short) report from the Board and to answer any questions from our membership. Sincerely, Mark A. Egbert, DDS, FACS |