Thanksgiving Feats: Celebrating Our Abundant Achievements
November is often a time when we begin to reflect on the past year as we prepare to celebrate the holidays. The past month alone has certainly given me a lot to look back on! A great pleasure and privilege of an AAE presidential year is receiving invitations to attend affiliate meetings. Attending these meetings affords me an opportunity to give updates on AAE initiatives and see members on their home turf. September 29-30 I attended the Florida Association of Endodontists meeting in Orlando. This meeting featured 2 days of excellent CE, a beautiful venue, and celebrated Dr. Robert Heydrich completing his year as FAE president. We are very lucky to have him as the new Director from District III on the AAE Board. It was well-attended and included private practitioners, educators, and all of the residents from both UF and Nova Southeast programs. It was great to see colleagues and old friends, as well as former residents and students of mine.
On October 23 I was welcomed to the Massachusetts Association of Endodontists meeting in Boston by their president, Dr. Rachele Luciano. This was a large meeting with many members present, representing private practice and educators. The program directors from Boston University, Harvard, and Tufts, were present and brought along all of their residents. I was given the opportunity to present A Perspective on Vital Pulp Therapy and give an update on our association, The State of the AAE. Mr. Gary Rejebian, Major Gifts Manager for the Foundation for Endodontics, was on hand (and at the FAE meeting as well) for an outstanding Foundation presentation. I was impressed that current MAE leadership is predominantly earlier career endodontists, which bodes well for future AAE leadership. MAE vice president, Dr. Natali Nunez, is an alumna of our most recent AAE Leadership Program. AAE Secretary Elizabeth Shin Perry drove 2 hours to attend the meeting, took many photos, and introduced me to many MAE members that I hadn’t previously met.
Official association business was conducted when the AAE Board of Directors met in Orlando on October 6-7, corresponding with ADA’s SmileCon. We spent a very productive first day working on an update to the AAE Strategic Plan, leaving day 2 for our Interim Board Meeting. The AAE Executive Committee attended the Dental Specialty Group meeting where we met with the leadership teams other dental specialties to discuss issues of mutual concern. The entire AAE Board of Directors hosted a luncheon for AAE members who serve as delegates to the ADA. District II Director Mark Desrosiers led the discussion on AAE positions on ADA resolutions. ADA Leadership made appearances at both of these events.
Another memorable event in October was participating in my first Satellite Media tour. On Friday the 13th I found myself in a studio in Manhattan doing 20 interviews for television and radio outlets, both live and recorded. The date was appropriate, considering the focus of these interviews was (based upon our survey) people’s fear of tooth trauma playing sports and what to do if you knock out a tooth playing sports or other mishap. The interviews also provided opportunities to stress to the public what sets the endodontist apart from a general dentist: their additional specialty training, their unique skill set, and how their offices are geared towards handling patients in emergencies on short notice. They also provided opportunities to inform the public how to refer themselves to an endodontist utilizing findmyendodontist.com, as well as the many patient resources available to them on aae.org.
With Thanksgiving rapidly approaching, I want to take a moment to express my deep appreciation to all our valued AAE members.
You are the cornerstone of our success, and we’re truly thankful for your unwavering dedication and commitment to advancing the field of endodontics. Your expertise and passion are the key ingredients that make our community thrive — much like your favorite recipe on the menu for your Thanksgiving feast. So, on behalf of the AAE, I extend our heartfelt thanks to you, our incredible members. I wish you a joyful and fulfilling holiday season. Thank you, and may this Thanksgiving bring warmth, joy, and memories to you and your loved ones.