No referendum on the Academy ballot!
As you all now know, the referendum concerning the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) membership's wishes about the creation of a subcertification of the subspecialty of Neurotology by the American Board of Otolaryngology (ABOto), which was requested to be placed on this year's AAO-HNS election ballot by a resolution of the Board of Governors (BOG) at the March 2003 meeting, is not on the ballot.On July 17, 2003, I received a telephone call from David R. Nielson, MD, executive vice-president of the AAO-HNS, informing me that this year's ballot would not include the referendum, giving members the opportunity to vote on the issue. Until that time I had mistakenly assumed that the resolution passed unanimously by the BOG would be followed by the Board of Directors (BOD) of the AAO-HNS. I quickly called Rebecca N. Gaughan, MD, chair of the BOG, who told me that a "compromise" had been made. The referendum would not be on this year's ballot, but the BOG would be given the opportunity to have the referendum placed on the 2004 ballot should the BOG still wish to do so. The BOG would be able to inform the membership about the issue through a series of articles throughout the year in the AAO-HNS Bulletin.
I called Jonas T. Johnson, MD, president of the AAO-HNS, who said that he agreed with the position of the BOG and that he had made it clear in a letter to the ABOto that the AAO-HNS was not in favor of subcertification in Neurotology.
Since my last editorial, I received the results of the American Otological Society (AOS) subspecialty subcertification membership survey--2003. There were 103 surveys returned by the deadline given. Of those returned, 37 were in favor of subspecialty certification in Nenrotology and 48 were not--a result similar to that of the American Neurotology Society survey.
We should not yet give up on the system of democratic representation. We should know the position of our candidates and make a careful selection before we vote. It is our duty.
JACK L. PULEC, MD
Editor-in-Chief
EAR, NOSE & THROAT JOURNAL
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| Title Annotation: | American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery; Editorial |
|---|---|
| Author: | Pulec, Jack L. |
| Publication: | Ear, Nose and Throat Journal |
| Article Type: | Brief Article |
| Geographic Code: | 1USA |
| Date: | Aug 1, 2003 |
| Words: | 351 |
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