2017 General Assembly Minutes
Call to Order
President Linda G. Levin called the 2017 General Assembly of the American Association of Endodontists to order at 9 a.m. on April 28, 2017, at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. A quorum of voting members was in attendance.
Approval of Minutes
President Levin called for approval of the minutes of the April 9, 2016 General Assembly held at the Moscone West Convention Center in San Francisco, California, as published in the Communiqué.
GA-1 Moved: that the 2016 General Assembly Minutes be approved as distributed in the September 2016 issue of the Communiqué.
Motion Carried.
Reports of Officers
President Levin announced that written reports from the AAE President, Secretary, and Treasurer were made available to members electronically via the AAE17 mobile app.
Treasurer’s Report
Treasurer Stefan I. Zweig reported that for the fiscal year that ended on June 30, 2016, the AAE had a surplus of $648,000 after investment earnings, and that the AAE received a clean audit from its independent auditors. This indicates that financial operations not only comply with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, but also that the association is financially sound and that the Board of Directors has operated responsibly and in the best interest of the AAE and its membership.
Dr. Zweig reviewed Operating Revenues, Expenses and Net Surplus/Deficit for the years ending June 2014 through the budget of June 2018. Overall, revenues are increasing, and expenses have also increased as a means to generate those increased revenues. The current fiscal year is forecasted as a deficit of ($24,000), and the AAE continues to work on reducing the projected deficit by year-end. Dr. Zweig shared that the projected deficit reflects expenses related to the implementation of new association management software, as well as website improvements aimed to enable the AAE to be more responsive to the needs of its members.
The AAE Net Asset/Reserve Fund balance on June 30, 2016 was at 80% of the 2016 expense budget, which is a healthy financial position.
The Board approved a Fiscal Year 2018 budget projecting revenue of $10,010,000, expenses of $10,194,000, investment earnings of $189,000 and strategic initiatives of $50,000 with a deficit of $(45,000). Similar to the current fiscal year, the deficit is reflective of a focus on continuing to provide increased value to members.
Treasurer Zweig thanked the AAE Budget and Finance Committee, Board of Directors, and staff for their work.
Constitution and Bylaws
Professional Staff Membership
The first set of proposed amendments related to re-naming the Auxiliary membership category to “Professional Staff Membership,” and were published and distributed in the February 2017 issue of the Communiqué.
Dr. Myers noted that the change to the membership category is proposed to more accurately reflect the membership category itself, and to better align with the annual meeting registration category available to these members, who currently register for the meeting as “Professional Staff.” Better alignment of these terms is seen as important for clarity, because a significant portion of these members join or renew membership in conjunction with registering for the meeting.
Motion Carried.
***
GA-3 Moved: that the proposed amendments to the AAE Bylaws, as published in the February 2017 Communiqué, be approved.
Motion Carried.
AAE Membership Requirements
The second set of proposed amendments related to changing the requirements for AAE membership so that individuals would not be required to join any other organization in order to qualify for membership in the AAE. This proposed change was posted in the AAE17 mobile app.
Dr. Myers noted that the change was proposed in response to member concerns regarding costs associated with membership. Current membership criteria require AAE members to belong to organizations other than the AAE, resulting in increased cost to the individual. The AAE Board recognizes the value of membership in other dental organizations, however, believes that AAE members should determine which organizations they join based upon value to them as individuals.
Discussion from the floor noted that because this proposed amendment was published the week of the annual meeting, the Assembly had limited time to discuss the issue and make an informed decision. It was requested that the General Assembly be provided with more information on the proposal and additional time for consideration.
GA-4 Moved: that the proposed amendments to the AAE Bylaws, as posted on the AAE17 mobile app, be approved.
Motion Postponed until 2018 General Assembly.
Editor’s Report
Editor Kenneth M. Hargreaves reported continued advances in the Journal of Endodontics. The JOE has seen a 314% increase in the number of submitted manuscripts since 2003. The JOE’s impact factor, a measure of how often a published paper is cited, has increased more than four-fold since 2000; and the JOE’s impact factor ranks the Journal as #10 out of 89 dental journals. This workload has been managed due to the incredible efforts of the Scientific Advisory Board. In 2016, over 400 SAB members from 25 countries reviewed nearly 1,600 new and revised manuscripts. Dr. Hargreaves recognized reviewers for their service.
A new section focusing specifically on regenerative endodontics was introduced in 2016. It is hoped that this will foster research leading to improved treatment protocols and the rapid evolution of this field.
The JOE awards were presented at the Scientific Advisory Board Reception and recognized the best articles of 2016 in the categories of Basic Research: Biology; Basic Research: Technology; Case Reports and Clinical Techniques; Clinical Research; and Regenerative Endodontics. Dr. Hargreaves recognized the winning authors and those who received honorable mentions for their contributions, and encouraged members to submit nominations to recognize authors of 2017’s best papers.
Foundation for Endodontics Report
Foundation President Peter A. Morgan reported on the Foundation’s continued growth. He noted that the foundation supports residents, faculty, and endodontic programs. In 2016 the Foundation budgeted $1.5 million for grants.
The Foundation Board approved a new strategic plan in 2016, which enhances its mission to include activities which promote access to care and public awareness. The Foundation’s new Outreach Program has achieved great success in a short period of time. During 2016, residents and endodontist mentors traveled to Jamaica to provide the highest standard of endodontic care to patients in need at the Helping Hands Clinic. During two one-week trips, over 80 root canal treatments were performed, and the Foundation will continue this outreach program in 2017. Dr. Morgan noted that the Henry Schein Cares Foundation will be providing financial and equipment support for the co-branded program over the next five years, and that Seiler has generously contributed microscopes for outreach trips that have taken place.
The Foundation’s 2016 Endodontic Educator Fellowship Award is supported by Edge Endo. Dr. Morgan recognized the 2016 fellowship recipient, Dr. Carla Falcon, assistant professor at Rutgers School of Dental Medicine.
Dr. Morgan recognized corporate donors who have increased their commitment as well as new corporate donors. He encouraged members to make a pledge to assist the Foundation in achieving their 2016-17 fundraising goal of $1.45 million.
American Board of Endodontics Report
American Board of Endodontics President Craig Noblett reported that the ABE congratulated and presented pins to 85 new Diplomates at the Grossman Ceremony. He spoke to the importance of increasing the number of board-certified endodontists: the ADA guidelines for specialty recognition require the establishment of a certifying board and the testing and certification of a significant number of dentists identified with the specialty. The ABE Board and staff continue to work to encourage participation, and the ABE has seen a recent increase in the number of Candidates and Diplomates.
Presentation of ABE Nominees
Dr. Noblett presented the slate of nominees for ABE Directors:
For a term of 2017-2018:
James D. Johnson
For a term of 2017-2020:
Asgeir Sigurdsson
Melissa M. Drum
Fabricio B. Teixeira
GA-5 Moved: that the slate of nominees for ABE Directors be approved.
Motion Carried.
Nominating Committee Report
AAE Nominating Committee Chair Gary R. Hartwell presented the slate of nominees for AAE Officers and AAE Foundation Trustees and Public Sector Representatives.
Officers, American Association of Endodontists:
President, Garry L. Myers
President-elect, Patrick E. Taylor
Vice President, Keith V. Krell
Secretary, Alan H. Gluskin
Treasurer, Stefan I. Zweig
Immediate Past President, Linda G. Levin
Trustees, Foundation for Endodontics:
Craig S. Hirschberg
Kirk A. Coury
Public Sector Representatives, Foundation for Endodontics:
Mary Conditt
Kim Livesay
Mark Laramore
Motion Carried.
Election of District Directors
President Linda G. Levin presented the slate of nominees for AAE District Directors:
District 1, Ali Behnia
District 2, Richard L. Rubin
District 3, William H. Rousseau
District 6, Joseph A. Petrino
District 7, Daniel J. Pierre
Motion Carried.
Swearing-in of Elected Officers, Directors, and Trustees
New AAE officers and district directors, ABE directors, and AAE Foundation trustees took an oath to abide by the Constitution and Bylaws of the American Association of Endodontists and the Bylaws of the respective organizations to which they have been elected, and to discharge their duties and responsibilities to the best of their abilities.
Outgoing President’s Remarks and Transfer of the Gavel
President Garry L. Myers thanked Immediate Past President Linda G. Levin for her service to the specialty, and presented her with the AAE past president’s pin. Dr. Levin thanked the membership for the opportunity to serve as AAE President, and presented the gavel to President Garry L. Myers.
Incoming President’s Remarks
President Myers spoke to the Assembly regarding the AAE’s need to continually increase efforts to educate the general public and general dentists about the endodontic specialty and the quality treatment that endodontists provide to patients. The AAE is the only association that will advocate specifically for specialty endodontic care, and the AAE’s new strategic plan focuses efforts on this goal. Dr. Myers noted that the engagement of the membership will be key in accomplishing these goals.
New Business
President Myers entertained requests for new business. A proposal was made to further study the issue of membership requirements relative to the motion which had been postponed until the 2018 General Assembly.
GA-8 Moved: That the Board direct the Membership Services Committee to develop a level four knowledge-based governance paper on the topic of whether the AAE should allow members to choose whether to be members of the ADA or other organizations, and be it further
Moved: That this paper be presented to the Board at its Interim Meeting, and distributed to the General Assembly a minimum of 90 days prior to its 2018 meeting.
Motion Carried.
There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 9:50 a.m.