Vince Lombardi said, “The achievements of an organization are the results of the combined efforts of each individual.” In the last dozen years or so, the Triological Society has undergone significant transformation, maturing and adapting to meet the contemporary goals and needs of its members. I’ve been privileged to work with a group of dedicated colleagues who earnestly entreated TRIO to recognize that we could potentially become irrelevant to the House of Otolaryngology or respond dynamically to prevailing challenges and opportunities.
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January 2025Working with the executive committee and council, we’ve taken an organization steeped in a rich tradition of fellowship, scholarship, mentorship, publishing, and educational programming and expanded, enhanced, and diversified who we are, what we support, and how we will define ourselves going forward.
Indeed, we remain an ecumenical, elite group of professionals. While submission and acceptance of a candidate’s thesis remains a cornerstone of membership, the expanded range of acceptable topics and the hands-on support of Dr. Dan Deschler leading the thesis committee has enabled all who wish to join the opportunity to do so. Currently, an enhanced outreach program focused on international and private practice membership is guided by our membership committee, chaired by Dr. Marilene Wang.
Our membership is growing—it’s getting younger, more diverse, and reflective of our specialty. For decades, we were identified as an “old white male society.” No longer! Women, minority colleagues, and younger members serve TRIO on the executive committee and council, and as program chairs and leaders across committees and publications.
Our commitment to scholastic excellence remains. Our Combined Sections and COSM meetings are popular, and attendance has been robust. The programs are wide-ranging and thought-provoking, and provide a wonderful opportunity for residents, fellows, and young practitioners to engage with leaders in our specialty—especially in Speed Networking and the celebrated Resident Bowl.
In partnership with our publisher, Wiley, The Laryngoscope remains the pre-eminent journal in our specialty, now complemented by our open-access journal, Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology. ENTtoday, the most widely read and awarded periodical in otolaryngology, covers relevant, and at times controversial, topics that are significant for all members of our specialty to be aware of and conversant in. Drs. Samuel Selesnick, Romaine Johnson, and Robin Lindsay serve as editors and are supported by dedicated editorial boards and TRIO member reviewers.
Dr. Brad Goldstein leads our research committee; he and his grant reviewers provide a critical financial resource for young investigators. Recently, under his and Dr. Dana Thompson’s leadership, Drs. Shawn Newlands and Jay Piccirillo served as co-principal investigators in the successful application for an R25 grant from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders to establish TRIO’s Neely National Clinician–Scientist Mentorship Network. This first national mentorship network for otolaryngologist-scientists will enable comprehensive mentorship, training, and networking opportunities. We celebrate this unique achievement.
Medical students, residents, and fellows can receive travel awards. TRIO’s commitment to supporting education and research is also demonstrated by its clinical scientist and research career development awards. We’re fortunate to provide these funds, which total $650,000 each year.
As my tenure as TRIO’s executive vice president comes to an end at COSM 2025, I’m proud to report TRIO is thriving. Our current and future leaders are accomplished, devoted, and visionary. For me, it has been the actualization of a teaching from Saint Francis of Assisi: “Start by doing what is necessary, then do what is possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible.”
I thank you all for the very special opportunity to serve TRIO.
With gratitude—Myles.