ASPO Presidents Letter
Welcome to the ASPO web site! If you are new to the site please take a few moments to browse and appreciate the incredible depth, talent, and vibrancy of this unique organization.
The mission of ASPO is simple: to foster excellence in the care of children with ear, nose, and throat disorders and enhance pediatric otolaryngology as a profession. As the leading voice of pediatric otolaryngology, ASPO and its members have made a profound, lasting, and ongoing impact the quality of care delivered to countless children and families worldwide.
In 1990 I attended my first ASPO meeting as a pediatric otolaryngology fellow in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This was the sixth meeting of the society and I distinctly remember bristling with pride knowing that Charley Bluestone, my fellowship director, was the incoming president. What I also remember was the warmth and camaraderie of this motley bunch, which likely explains my attendance of every meeting since.
At 26 years of age ASPO has become a young adult that competes quite favorably with more senior otolaryngologic societies for attendance and media attention at national venues. We have indeed grown up quickly and developed a robust endowment, scientific program, committee structure, educational curriculum, and training resources.
Having just blown past a silver anniversary this may be the right time to pause and reflect on the purpose of a medical society, such as ASPO. William Osler may have said it best in his 1903 address in New Haven:
“We doctors do not ‘take stock’ often enough, and are very apt to carry on our shelves stale, out-of-date goods. The society helps to keep a man ‘up to the times,’ and enables him to refurnish his mental shop with the latest wares. Rightly used, it may be a touchstone to which he can bring his experiences to the test and save him from falling into the rut of a few sequences. It keeps his mind open and receptive, and counteracts that tendency to premature senility which is apt to overtake a man who lives in a routine.”
Beyond keeping senility at bay, I would emphasize the role of a society in building opportunity for all otolaryngologists involved in the care of children: opportunity to serve, lead, grow, discover, teach, and improve. And let us not forget the opportunity to meet, mingle, mentor, and simply have a darn good time.
Welcome, again, to ASPO! Please get involved, stay involved, get others involved, and let us know what’s on your mind. As president I look forward to seeing you at the 2012 meeting in San Diego, which will undoubtedly be a fun, enlightening, and memorable experience for all.
With warm regards,
Richard M. Rosenfeld, MD, MPH
SUNY Downstate, Brooklyn, NY, USA