TRIO Welcomes New Leaders in 2025

The Triological Society will welcome four new leaders in 2025. Two assume their roles after the January Sections Meeting, and two after the May Combined Otolaryngology Spring Meetings. Here they discuss their goals for their tenures and describe TRIO’s importance to the ENT community.

Executive vice president (May 2025)

ENTtoday: As incoming EVP, what do you hope to achieve during your tenure?

Dr. Murr: I intend to drive further progress toward making the concept of membership in our Society more irresistible to individuals who aspire to the Noble Legacy. Some people with whom I have spoken have elucidated that they think the Society is “closed” and insular; however, facts do not support this perspective. Our membership pipeline has been expanded to include a young and dynamic cohort that reflects the makeup of our specialty. In addition, Dana Thompson, MD, MBA, spearheaded the expansion of acceptable thesis categories. This significant expansion has made the Triological fellowship reachable by any individual who is motivated by formal, written, and creative contributions to our field. I envision the opportunity to expand societal-sponsored resources to assist individuals in creating the highest quality contributions, even if they are not in an academic center where services like biostatistical support are more readily available.

TRIO has an opportunity to support our field through enhanced collaboration with our other professional organizations. The American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery (AAO–HNS) has a new EVP, Rahul K. Shah, MD, MBA, who is himself a Triological Society Fellow. I am looking forward to collaborating with him and with all of the specialty society leadership teams to make our meetings strong and worthwhile. Our new CME coordinator, Jeffrey Simons, MD, MMM, will play a major role in guiding our meeting content. I am also looking forward to supporting the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the American Medical Association (AMA) concerning appointments to participate in important committee work such as the Board of Governors and the Current Procedural Terminology Editorial Panel. Additionally, we need to tell our members and fellows what we have done. I am excited that Sarah Bowe, MD, EdM, will oversee social media for our organization.

Our publishing arm is extremely strong, with great editorial leadership. Sam Selesnick, MD, at Laryngoscope, Romaine Johnson, MD, MPH, at Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology, and Robin Lindsay, MD, at ENTtoday, are spectacular. They are supported by a phenomenal volunteer corps of associate editors and reviewers who tirelessly contribute to the high quality of our publications. Our publishing partners at Wiley are equally dedicated. During my term, we will be in discussions with Wiley to continue our extremely successful partnership.

I must also acknowledge our truly superb management office run by Beth Faubel. She directs a team that is quietly effective. Recently, TRIO saw an opportunity to stabilize the back-room management of a trio of our academic societies—the Society of University Otolaryngologists, the Association of Academic Departments of Otolaryngology, and the Otolaryngology Program Directors Organization. As EVP, I hope to ensure that TRIO adds value to these extremely important organizations.

Last, but not least, I will mention our grant portfolio. I am so fortunate to work with Brad Goldstein, MD, PhD, to support his work and his team, which is dedicated to identifying the finest requests for funding that are submitted to our organization. Did you know TRIO gives away more grant funding than any other OHNS [otolaryngology–head and neck surgery] professional organization? We deliver approximately $500,000/year in grant support through our organization’s call for proposals. My goal is to keep our organization financially strong so we can continue to deliver these resources to aspiring principal investigators who are booting up novel research projects specific to our field. Let’s not forget our students, residents, and fellows. They are the future of our field. TRIO delivers travel grants to every student, resident, and fellow who attends our meeting with the submission of a paper or poster presentation. After all, our Society is all about mentorship.

ENTtoday: How will your career and leadership experience benefit the Society?

Dr. Murr: It’s shocking for me to say this, but I’ve been involved in otolaryngology–head and neck surgery for 37 years. I have been the professor and chairman of otolaryngology–head and neck surgery at UCSF for the last 10 years, and I’ve had fantastic mentors along the way. Eugene Myers, MD, wrote my letter of recommendation when I was a student. Dave Eibling, MD, took me through my first surgical operation. William H. Friedman, MD, selected me to be part of his program at St. Louis University. It was a small program, but I had amazing colleagues in the residency. Our chair was Michael D. Maves, MD, MBA. Dr. Maves is amazing in his administrative, educational, and surgical prowess. He was the EVP of our Academy and then the EVP of the AMA for about a decade. Bob Schindler, MD, had enough confidence in me to hire me onto the faculty at UCSF in 1993. Bob was a great boss and was so much fun to be around. He taught me about vision. Roger Boles, MD, was in the office next door to mine. Dr. Boles was a fantastic mentor who advised me on all sorts of issues as I navigated my early career. Anil Lalwani, MD, was a junior faculty member like me. Dr. Lalwani was a fantastic and generous colleague who helped me put together my Triological thesis. Later, my friend and boss David Eisele, MD, taught me about administrative courageousness. My long-time friend Andy Goldberg, MD, who is a colleague at UCSF, exemplifies wisdom and integrity and keeps me on the right track. Myles Pensak, MD, has been a spectacular leadership role model for me. His combination of frankness, insight, and managerial integrity has benefited our society for more than 20 years. What is the common thread? All are Triological Society Fellows.

So, what do I bring? I am a mosaic who absorbed all of these inputs with sponge-like tenacity. All of these people invested mentorship energy in me. I intend to use what I have learned and the experiences that have shaped me to concentrate on our society’s well-being and advancement. Our power is derived from our membership. Harnessing the experiences and perspectives of the membership, and the spirit of volunteerism will be central to the evolution of our society and the evolution of otolaryngology–head and neck surgery as a field.

ENTtoday: In your opinion, why is the Society important to the fields of otolaryngology, laryngology, and rhinology?

Dr. Murr: The Society’s importance is related to its ecumenical nature. It is one of the few societies that encompass the entire range of the field of OHNS. Whether you are a stapes surgeon, a surgeon who is concentrating on cosmetic rhinoplasty, or a surgeon who is pushing the envelope in skull base surgery, you can find content beneficial to your career at TRIO. Publishing and intellectual property, clinically relevant best practices, short videos to enhance nuances of technique that you did not know about, panels that address disparity or global surgery, or just the chance to speak with students and residents over a beer are all waiting for you at the Triological Society in a relatively intimate setting. Why is the Society important? It’s about the history, the quality, and, ultimately, it’s about the mentorship.

Treasurer (May 2025)

Per TRIO’s bylaws, as EVP-elect, Dr. Murr (with the approval of the executive committee), has appointed the treasurer-elect, Yuri Agrawal, MD, MPH.