Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists Bulletin Summer 2022 - 10

PCSO News and Events
Trustee Report
Fun and Sun: Updates From the AAO
Annual Session
Dr. Trista Felty
Abbotsford, British Columbia
PCSO Trustee on the
AAO Board of Trustees
I am writing this report, having returned just a few
weeks prior from our first in-person Annual Session
in more than three years. While it was a whirlwind of
productive meetings, educational lectures, and entertaining
social events, it was especially nice to be present
with everyone in person once again. While some
of us may have been a bit sad that Hawaii was not
available as originally planned, we must commend
the Planning Committee and the American Association
of Orthodontists (AAO) staff for their hard work
in turning around such a large meeting with less than
a year's notice. For those who were not aware, the
State of Hawaii had retained use of a majority of their
convention center for COVID-19-related services and
support. The inability to have an exhibit hall precluded
us from hosting our meeting there as intended.
Luckily, the Miami Beach Convention Center had just
completed an extensive renovation and upgrade and
was available for us to host our meeting. And Miami
sure brought the fun (and sun!). We had more than
11,000 attendees in person, with another 2700 tuning
in virtually. Events like Relapse's welcoming party at
the convention center, the Leadership Appreciation
Night aboard the SeaFair Yacht, the award's luncheon
with Dan Marino, and the closing party at Nikki Beach
were just a few of the social highlights.
PCSO was well represented during the awards
ceremony, and we must congratulate these PCSO
members.
□ Dr. Ron Wolk from Alberta was this year's James E.
Brophy Distinguished Service Award winner.
□ Dr. Mona Hamoda from the University of British
Columbia was the Milo Hellman Research Award
Winner, and she presented her research titled
" Continuous Positive Airway Pressure, Mandibular
Advancement Splints or Both: A Randomized
Controlled Trial. "
□ Dr. Angelina Loo from British Columbia was
this year's recipient of the AAO Humanitarian
Award.
During the Annual Session, we also had a productive
meeting with numerous international leaders from
various countries during the World Federation of
Orthodontists breakfast. The House of Delegates was
able to conduct their business in person during the
Annual Session (and what may have been one of our
shortest house meetings ever). The PCSO delegation
was well led by Dr. Paul Kasrovi, our delegation chair,
who will give a more in-depth account regarding
the actions of the House in his report. I am looking
forward to next year's Annual Session in Chicago as
the momentum for in person meetings continues to
build.
At our post-Annual Session board meeting, a large
focus was devoted to addressing the staff shortage
crisis that many members are currently facing.
Spearheaded by the Council on Orthodontic Practice
(COOP), five motions were passed to create a multipronged
approach to this nuanced issue. These action
items include the following.
□ Advocacy: One main focus will be on advocating
for standardizing regulations and training, while
also reducing requirements for orthodontic
assistants. AAO's legal department has already
identified some high-priority components that
have the most restrictive requirements for staff,
to help expand the candidate pool and create
more mobility for staff moving to new states or
provinces.
□ Awareness: An awareness campaign will target
high school guidance counselors and junior
college dental assisting programs to promote
orthodontic staff careers.
" Employees are a company's greatest asset-they're your competitive advantage.
You want to attract and retain the best; provide them with encouragement, stimulus,
and make them feel that they are an integral part of the company's mission. "
-Anne M. Mulcahy
10
PCSO Bulletin Summer 2022
Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists Bulletin Summer 2022

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