Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists Bulletin Summer 2021 - 6

PCSO News and Events
President's Report
President's Message
Hello Friends,
Dr. Marie Lathrop
PCSO President 2020-2021
As I write this note, I am enjoying the final day
of a birthday celebration that I shared with my
family, cousins, and friends (and no-I am not going
to admit which birthday was responsible for
a week-long party!). It was the first time in more
than a year we have been able to gather, thanks
to being fully vaccinated. Although we found
creative ways to stay in touch during the past
year with Zoom happy hours, movie nights, and
even graduations, the truth is that my friends and
I had all been functioning as islands with our own
core groups, and it had become a little lonely.
Fortunately, the vaccine and declining cases have
become a bridge to gathering and to bringing us
back to " normal. "
Likewise, as professionals, we have been working
diligently to keep our practices operating,
to keep our employees and families safe, and
to care for our patients. But many of us have
also been operating as islands . . . with limited
interactions outside the computer screen. We
are all grateful the worst is behind us, so I believe
it is time for us to do the work of building
the bridges between the lessons learned over
this past year and plan for our future! We have
the opportunity to take the wisdom and the
technologies that we have incorporated into our
practices and use that knowledge to collaboratively
engineer a vision of our profession and
our PCSO association.
The theme of the 2021 Western Orthodontic Conference,
our joint PCSO-RMSO annual session, is
" Building Bridges, " and for the first time in almost
two years, we will have the opportunity to gather
in person to learn, share, and encourage one another.
Although the virtual meeting and learning
options that have been incorporated by the PCSO
have been excellent (and we will continue to support
a virtual option for those who cannot attend
the meeting in person), being together in the same
space allows us to gain energy and camaraderie
from our fellow orthodontists. It is similar to attending
a concert in person, sharing the experience
with fellow music lovers, and feeling the sound in
your bones, as opposed to just listening to the album
with headphones at the gym. That in-person
connection is unparalleled and is something I am
really looking forward to sharing with all of you.
So, I hope you will be able to join me in my home
city of Portland in October to Build Bridges of
understanding and communication. Our aim is to
use bridges to overcome our collective isolation
and gather together to learn and to laugh. We
have a slate of wonderful new speakers, new topics,
and great opportunities to mingle in person
with colleagues and vendors.
For the past year, we have been virtually isolated,
and now we have the opportunity to embrace
our professional community at the 2021 Annual
Session. I look forward to celebrating with all of
you in person.
6
PCSO Bulletin Summer 2021
Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists Bulletin Summer 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists Bulletin Summer 2021
