AO NORTH AMERICA
| PO BOX 308 | PHONE (610)251-9007 |
| DEVON, PA 19333-0308 | FAX (610)251-9059 |
Dear Colleagues:
Happy New Year again! Time has flown, much has happened since our last News, and AONA continues to develop as a significant contributor to the care of musculoskeletal injuries in North America.
Our Maxillofacial colleagues now have a well-established section, with an ever-increasing membership as Paul Manson describes in this News. We should be proud that their AONA group is a unique meeting-ground for surgeons with a common interest in the maxillo-facial skeleton yet diverse specialization - Dental/Oral Surgery, ENT, and Plastic Surgery. Unlike orthopaedic, hand and even spine surgery, the maxillofacial surgeons do not have other organizations to which all involved surgical specialties may belong. They are wisely developing meetings and a research and teaching agenda which will foster their collaborative approach to common interests.
 Peter Trafton congratulates David Lhowe and Ray White, the Co-chairmen of the Basic Residents course held in Portland, Maine last July. |
Your Steering Committee has been pleased by membership response to the programs established for Trauma/Fracture Preceptorships for practicing surgeons and trainees, and AONA Visiting Professorships. We have appointed an Awards Committee (Jack Wilber, Chair, Steve Benirschke, and Al Freeland) to review and recommend action on applications for these programs, as well as the above-mentioned resident clinical research awards.
A committee has also been appointed to develop surgical video surgical instructional material, primarily to improve our ability to teach soft tissue handling, that is so difficult to simulate in the instructional lab, but as we all know has such a vital impact on patient outcome. Brett Bolhofner, Roy Sanders, and Dick Lange are the members of this important committee.
Your Steering Committee remains committed to increase AONA’s responsiveness to the needs and interests of our membership, who are first and foremost the teaching faculty at North American AO/ASIF educational courses. A subcommittee is developing proposals for by-laws modifications to support this goal. Please send any suggestions you have to me at your earliest convenience.
It has been a privilege and an honor to serve you as AONA Executive Committee Chairman for the past four years. My term of office concluded officially at the 1996 Steering Committee meeting October 19th. I’m delighted to announce Eric Johnson’s election to EC Chairman, and to wish him a most successful term as our new leader.
My very best to you all!
Peter G. Trafton, M.D.