Jesus Medina Assumes Presidency of the Triological Society

With that being said, my modest intention is to focus on the role of clinicians as educators. Let’s face it: Clinicians, not only in academic otolaryngology but also in private practice, are constantly educating medical students, residents, fellows, nurses, midlevel clinicians and, not least of all, our patients. I believe that part of our calling as physicians is to be educators, and that is a role for which we receive little if any initial or ongoing training. I would like to emphasize, during this year, the importance of educating ourselves as educators.

I think of a favorite quote of mine from historian and educator Daniel Boorstin: “Education is learning what you didn’t even know you didn’t know.” There is a great deal we clinicians don’t know about education, and it will serve us and our trainees well to learn about it.

Q: What are your strategies for achieving this goal?

I believe that the Triological Society is ideally suited to provide an appropriate forum tailored to clinicians, where clinicians young and old can learn the basics as well as the most recent developments in medical and adult education. I intend to take a broad strategy toward this goal, but specifics could include workshops during the annual meeting, keynote lectures on education, webinars and a number of other activities to allow us as educators at all levels to stay current with what’s going on in education.

Q: What unique qualifications do you bring?

In my second year of medical school, I was invited to be an instructor for the physiology course. Ever since then, education has been a passion of my career. I’ve been fortunate to be involved in resident education every step of the way: I directed our residency and fellowship programs for many years and chaired a vibrant department of otolaryngology that takes pride in its educational program. I also served on the Residency Review Committee for otolaryngology and as a member of the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and the American Board of Otolaryngology. So I’ve had the opportunity to learn a little bit about education in otolaryngology from the perspective of all of its constituents.