The AHNS Annual Meeting, as well as all content from the 2022 Combined Otolaryngology Spring Meetings (COSM), is available via the virtual platform through May 31st!

Access COSM 2022

If you registered for the meeting, you should have received information on how to access it. If you did not register, you are welcome to still register for the virtual content through this link:

Register For Virtual Access

In addition to all the impactful and groundbreaking educational content, special highlights include lectures from our distinguished keynote lecturers including:

Dear AHNS Members,

We are extremely excited to announce that the American College of Surgeons (ACS)/Commission on Cancer (CoC) recently approved the first quality metric for head and neck oncology: time to initiation of postoperative radiation therapy (PORT) < 6 weeks for patients with surgically managed head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

In light of this momentous first, the American Head and Neck Society Value and Quality of Care Service, in collaboration with the American Society for Radiation Oncology, is launching a national quality improvement initiative to decrease delays starting adjuvant radiation therapy for patients with HNSCC. If you are interested in finding out more about how to participate in this initiative, please email Vasu Divi at [email protected] or Evan Graboyes at [email protected] by June 1.

AHNS Value & Quality of Care Service Chair and Vice-Chair

Vasu Divi, MD and Evan Graboyes, MD, MPH

Dear Colleagues,

As we prepare to attend our first in-person AHNS Annual Meeting in three years, I want to take this opportunity to share with you some of the amazing work our society has accomplished. Before I do, though, I want to thank all the AHNS Executive Committee and Council leaders for their sound guidance and decision making this past year. Thank you, also, to Drs. Jim Rocco and Jeff Liu, for putting together the upcoming Annual Meeting during COSM. It is the compilation of impressive science and engaging networking opportunities, and I am very excited to experience this meeting with all of you. I would also like to thank all our members, those who serve on services, sections or participate in any way your schedule permits, as it’s the membership that continues to be the life blood of this great organization.

During my last President’s Message, I mentioned that the Executive Committee was about to embark upon an in-person retreat during the Multi-Disciplinary Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona. I am proud of what we were able to accomplish in just a short period of time and I would like to share with you some of the initiatives we will be focusing on in the near future:

• Development of a comprehensive membership retention, recruitment and marketing plan
• Stronger engagement with our international partners and colleagues, especially as we gear up for the 2023 International Conference
• Creation of a focus group of non-surgical colleagues, who are an important part of our multi-disciplinary approach to oncologic care
• Creation of a roadmap that will provide guidance to our section and service leaders as it relates to all AHNS educational content
• Review and recommended increased research grant funding. The AHNS R&E Foundation will be looking to increase funding for our research grants, which will also help attract additional surgeon scientists to our society and provide fuel for innovations and new discovery in our field.

We are always looking for dedicated and passionate people to help us accomplish the goals of the society and I encourage all of you to become involved in the AHNS. It has made an impact in my life and career I hope you choose to actively participate. You won’t regret it.

Thank you, again, for your membership. I hope I see you in Dallas for our meeting at COSM and as always, please do not hesitate to reach out to me through our AHNS headquarters office ([email protected]). Stay well!

Sincerely,

Bert W. O’Malley, Jr, MD
President, AHNS

Register Now for the
2022 AHNS Annual Meeting

Register now for the AHNS 2022 Annual Meeting at COSM, to be held April 27-28, 2022 in Dallas, TX. The scientific program has been thoughtfully designed around the meeting theme “Technology and Innovation”. See below for the Endocrine Section Panels and Debates titled “To Operate is Human, to Ablate is Divine? A Debate About Ablation of Thyroid Lesions” and “Can You See What I See? Finding Parathyroids and Autofluorescence”.

PLEASE NOTE: AHNS Pre-Course registration is separate from the Annual Meeting Registration. For more details go to https://www.ahns.info/meetings/

Register for the Annual Meeting!

To Operate is Human, to Ablate is Divine? A Debate about the Ablation of Thyroid Lesions
Thursday, April 28th at 3:15pm-4:05pm

The ablation approach has moved to the current forefront of approaches for benign, and even some small malignant thyroid lesions. Is ablation a fad, a temporizing strategy, or will it replace many open surgical procedures on the thyroid? Following a brief introduction of the technology, endocrine surgery experts will debate the use of ablative technologies on benign thyroid lesions and microcarcinomas.

Objectives:
1. Recognize the development of ablative technologies and their potential for application to common thyroid pathologies.
2. Appraise the potential benefits of an ablative option for common thyroid pathologies.
3. Select patients and thyroid pathologies best suited for an ablative approach.

Schedule of session topics:

• Introduction – Michael Singer, MD
• An Introduction to Radio Frequency Ablation – Nishant Agrawal, MD
• Surgery vs. Ablation for Thyroid Lesions:
  • Benign Lesions
    • Pro – Ralph Turano, MD
    • Con – Marika Russell, MD
• Microcarcinomas
  • Pro – Jon Russell, MD
  • Con – Maisie Shindo, MD

Can You See What I See? Finding Parathyroids and Autofluorescence                                            Thursday, April 28th at 4:05pm-5:00pm

The discovery of parathyroid gland autofluorescence was a significant advance in understanding of its physiology. Recently, this phenomenon has been leveraged to improve identification of parathyroid glands intraoperatively and is now clinically available. Parathyroid autofluorescence has been extended to gland protection during primary and revision thyroid surgeries and may be value added in parathyroid directed procedures.

Objectives:
1. Articulate the concept of parathyroid autofluorescence.
2. Recognize the morbidity, mortality, and cost of iatrogenic hypoparathyroidism.
3. Formulate the possible integration of autofluorescence in your thyroid surgical practice.

Schedule of session topics:

• Introduction – Brendan C. Stack Jr., MD
• Parathyroid Preservation and the Prevention of Hypoparathyroidism – Brendan C. Stack Jr., MD
• Which Autofluorescence System: Camera vs. Probe – Amanda Silver, MD
• Indocyanine Green and Parathyroid Angiography – Brooke Su-Velez, MD
• Parathyroid Autofluorescence and Surgery for Hyperparathyroidism – Julia Noel, MD
• Question & Answer – Brendan C. Stack Jr., MD

Dear AHNS Members,

On behalf of the AHNS TORS Leadership we are pleased to invite you to a free TORS Webinar on The Pandemic Papers: TORS Research and Practice Innovation, 2021-2022, taking place on Wednesday, April 20th at 7:00pm ET/6:00pm CT/5:00pm MT/4:00pm PT.

Zoom in to this interactive AHNS Webinar highlighting the papers and posters presented and published during the pandemic. During this unprecedented time, erratic work-schedules and surging clinical volumes made it challenging for the head and neck surgeon to keep up with the literature and virtual meetings. This webinar will highlight some of this important work that deserves a first (or second) look.

Learning objectives:
1. Highlight manuscripts published during the pandemic related to TORS and oropharyngeal carcinoma
2. Review the take home points from each of these manuscripts
3. Discuss opportunities for future innovation and collaboration across institutions

Join the Webinar:
This is a reminder to register to access the webinar. If you have already registered, we look forward to seeing you virtually!