Don’t Miss the 2026 SUO/AADO/OPDO Meeting in Phoenix

This year, academic ENT leaders will gather for the combined Society of University Otolaryngologists/Association of Academic Departments of Otolaryngology/Otolaryngology Program Directors Organization annual meeting, November 20-21, in Phoenix.

Come early for a pre-conference Train-the-Trainer symposium (November 19) on ergonomics, led by Geeta Lal, MD, from Surgical Ergonomics and Linda Miller, OTD, CPE, CEO of EWI Works International. The symposium will focus on how to train residents in these all-important skills— although many faculty likely need to learn these skills themselves! Attendees will learn key OR ergonomic techniques, how to include ergonomics training in a residency, and how to create an institutional culture that fosters long surgical careers.

The SUO/AADO/OPDO meeting’s keynote looks to a future that is already here. Andrew Hung, MD, will speak on The Use of AI in Surgical Training. The theme of looking to the future will continue with The Future of Otolaryngology: Presidential Perspectives, a panel of subspecialty society presidents, led by Mas Takashima, MD. Leaders from the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS), the American Rhinologic Society (ARS), the American Neurotology Society (ANS), the American Head and Neck Society (AHNS), the American Society of Preventive Oncology (ASPO) and the American Laryngological Association (ALA) will discuss where their societies are headed and how they plan to impact the various otolaryngology–head and neck surgery (OHNS) subspecialties.

Joseph Kerschner, MD,  a pediatric otolaryngology surgeon–scientist, senior partner in Strategic Transformation at Chartis, and former dean and provost at the Medical College of Wisconsin, will give a keynote address later in the day.

The remainder of the conference will focus on the realities of life in academic OHNS. The predominantly panel format will provide discussion on topics pertinent to all faculty, ranging from You Can’t Always Get What You Want—Understanding the Realities of Academic Department Leadership, and One Department, Many Missions: Aligning Culture Across the Academic ENT Spectrum, to Exploring Administrative Leadership and Managing the Difficult Senior Surgeon.

Other panels focus directly on the challenges of training medical students, residents, and fellows. We all know that training to become an otolaryngologist–HNS is a complex multifactorial educational process that entails teaching both clinical and surgical skill sets in different environments; fortunately, several national organizations have developed protocols, guidelines, and an extensive repertoire of material on how to take a graduating medical student and turn them into a full-fledged otolaryngologist–HNS. These protocols address most parameters that need to be taught, but what about the factors that affect training that are not in the protocols? SUO/OPDO panels that will address some of these issues include Innovative Ideas and Protocols to Build Resident Rapport and Promote Honest Evaluations, Taming the Research Arms Race, The Evolving Role of Away Rotations in Otolaryngology Residency Recruitment, and Associate Program Directors: Best Practices for Role Optimization.

Leaders from the American Board of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, and the Triological Society will also provide updates during the annual meeting.  

Dr. Messner is a professor of otolaryngology–head and neck surgery and the Clayton Endowed Chair in Pediatric Otolaryngology at Baylor College of Medicine, chief of pediatric otolaryngology at Texas Children’s Hospital, both in Houston, and president of SUO.