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As we head into July, I hope that all our members are enjoying the summer months.\u00a0 The Fourth of July is the unofficial start of summer in Seattle, and I\u2019m excited for some gorgeous days ahead!<\/p>\nAs we head into July, I hope that all our members are enjoying the summer months.\u00a0 The Fourth of July is the unofficial start of summer in Seattle, and I\u2019m excited for some gorgeous days ahead!<\/p>\n
July is also the start of the AAE membership year, and we are happy that our new membership database is now live! As AAE President, I find myself discussing the numerous benefits of AAE membership with members and other stakeholders. The value of membership may differ somewhat from individual to individual, and the value may evolve for one member throughout the course of their career. That has been the case for me.<\/p>\n
I attended my first AAE Annual Meeting in the spring before I started my endodontic graduate program.\u00a0 Other than the knowledge that I was headed to residency; I became fully aware that at that time that I did not know what I did not know.\u00a0 What struck me most at my first annual meeting was the immense sense of community<\/strong> within the AAE. To date, this is still one of my key takeaways from our annual meeting each year.\u00a0 Whether it\u2019s walking into the Opening Ceremony, the General Assembly, or the Celebrate event \u2013 each with their own vibe \u2013 each year I am reminded that we are one<\/strong> profession<\/strong>. \u00a0We gather from different practices all over the world, but we are all endodontists first.\u00a0 Secondarily, we may be a private practitioner, member of the military, academician, researcher, administrator, businessperson, retiree, or you-name-it endodontist. But we all assemble to celebrate endodontics. The return to work on Monday morning after the annual meeting is always a bit bittersweet for me. I miss the energy of the meeting as I return to the norm, but I am reinvigorated by interactions at the meeting.<\/p>\n Along with the community at the annual meeting comes the premier continuing education <\/strong>offered at our flagship event. The latest content from experts in the field excites me about the present and future of our profession. Our outstanding CE options extend beyond the annual meeting and include both additional in-person and online options. Endo On Demand is a fantastic resource for quality CE at a time and place that is most convenient for you.<\/p>\n I have benefitted early and often in my career from the AAE\u2019s support of endodontic educators<\/strong>. All endodontists – not just educators – profit from these initiatives, as robust endodontic education programs are crucial for the future of our specialty and our patients. Among the many educator benefits, a significant one is the Educator Workshop held each summer. This meeting rotates hosting endodontic predoctoral directors, graduate program directors, and department chairs in a three-year cycle. I\u2019ve had the opportunity to attend each of these programs one or more times and can attest that these workshops are invaluable. A perennial comment is, \u201cWe should do this every year!\u201d.\u00a0 I gratefully acknowledge the support of the Foundation for Endodontics in supporting endodontic educators as well through numerous funding opportunities and initiatives.<\/p>\n As I\u2019ve matured in my career, I\u2019ve grown to more fully understand and value the advocacy<\/strong> efforts of the AAE. In May, I attended a meeting with the dental directors of insurance companies from across the country along with staff and AAE Treasurer, Dr. Elizabeth Shin Perry. We discussed items of mutual interest with the dental directors, including the necessity of quality endodontic services such as CBCT, surgical resorption repair, vital pulp therapy, and orifice barriers. Further, our advocacy team has been productive in just my short time as President, and the AAE has formally communicated with the ADA, American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, and legislators on issues including the ADA amicus brief on the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, the ADA Clinical Practice Guidelines on Restorative Treatments for Carious Lesions, a position statement vital pulp therapy, the Dental Specialties Licensure and Scope of Practice Amendment Act in the District of Columbia, and Save Your Tooth Month proclamations. We are so fortunate that AAE member-leaders engage in our advocacy efforts, and I thank Drs. Elizabeth Shin Perry, Ken Wiltbank, and Beth Damas for their leadership on the ADA Code Maintenance Committee, as well as our entire Practice Affairs Committee for their advocacy efforts.<\/p>\n A member benefit that I have enjoyed from for the duration of my career are our communications and publications<\/strong>. The Journal of Endodontics<\/em> is frequently cited as a top member benefit. AAE Connection allows members to communicate on clinical cases and other issues in an interactive discussion forum. I enjoy reading members\u2019 contributions each morning in the daily digest. Our Colleagues for Excellence<\/em> publications are incorporated into my predoctoral endodontic curriculum. Finally, our marketing efforts are reaching millions each year and are spreading the word about the value of saving the natural tooth and seeing an endodontist for endodontic care.<\/p>\n These are just some of the member benefits I value.\u00a0 As you renew or consider renewing your AAE membership this year, I hope you consider all that our association does for our members, the profession, and our patients.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As we head into July, I hope that all our members are enjoying the summer months.\u00a0 The Fourth of July is the unofficial start of summer in Seattle, and I\u2019m…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":26519,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[219],"tags":[],"feature":[202],"class_list":["post-27337","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-presidents-message","feature-communique"],"yoast_head":"\n