Charles Beatty, MD, president of the Triological Society
© David Aleman/f-stop Photography
NEW ORLEANS—Panels of experts discussing the latest treatments, techniques, and issues in otolaryngology convened at the Triological Society Combined Sections Meeting, held January 18–21 in New Orleans.
The meeting drew more than 500 physicians and 104 exhibitors, guests, and staff this year.
Albert Merati, MD, professor of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at the University of Washington in Seattle and secretary/treasurer of the society’s Western Section, said that the Triological Society Combined Sections Meeting “offers the opportunity to see emerging knowledge that touches across all of the subspecialties of our field. It unifies us; it kind of puts us into one room, and keeps our thoughts to the future.”
Several attendees noted that the speakers were a big draw for the meeting. “In a sea of thousands and thousands of papers that come through e-mail or to your mailbox in journals, it’s especially good as a trainee to come here and hear from the people who’ve started a lot of this,” said Neil Patel, MD, a resident at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
Fellowship [in the Trio] is both professional and social. This is where you develop a lot of your mentors and a lot of your colleagues and trust their advice. —Charles Beatty, MD, Triological Society President
Presidential Address: Why Trio?
Charles Beatty, MD, president of the Triological Society and an otolaryngologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., used his presidential address to remind the audience about the roots and traditions of the society, and what sets it apart from other medical associations.
“The founders of the Triological Society felt there was a need to reunify this specialty and share the scholarly advances of specialists in the areas of laryngology, rhinology, and otology,” said Dr. Beatty. The organization was also created to prevent too much fragmentation within the specialty. Edward B. Dench, MD, the first president of the Triologial Society, said, “The trend toward subspecialization is threatening to degrade the entire profession, especially in those cases where it encouraged dissatisfied generalists simply to declare themselves expert in certain disciplines.”
Dr. Beatty said it’s unknown whose idea the thesis requirement was, but it now has become one of the most critical ingredients of the society’s identity. “I think the thesis has separated the Triological Society as not another ‘pay to play’ organization. I think all of us recognize membership in any group is more meaningful when one invests themselves, their time and effort, to achieve a goal,” he added.
The society’s mission is to encourage and assist otolaryngologists–head and neck surgeons “to develop and maintain and enhance their knowledge and skills and their pursuit of improved patient care through education, research, and fellowship,” Dr. Beatty said. “Fellowship is both professional and social. This is where you develop a lot of your mentors and a lot of your colleagues and trust their advice.”
While he said that the society continues to attract the “best and brightest,” he added that “we need to do more to encourage membership among scholars and leaders in private practice.”
Thomas Collins is a freelance medical writer based in Florida.
A Brief History of the Trio
- 1895: The Triological Society is created when 11 physicians meet to explore the formation of a medical society that would bring together different disciplines within the head and neck region; the organization is known officially as the American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.
- 1897: Vice presidents are selected to represent different sections of the country.
- 1900: A “suitable” thesis is added as a membership requirement to join the society.
- 1963: The abbreviated name “Triological Society” is legalized in the organization’s constitution.
- 1985: The Trio acquires The Laryngoscope, the leading academic journal in the field of otolaryngology, which has been published since 1896.
- 2006: The inaugural issue of ENTtoday is published.
- 2015: The society launches the online journal Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology.
- 2016: Approximately $190,000 in travel grants and $600,000 in scholarships, awards, and research grants are given out by the society.
Charles Luetje, MD, Honored with Patrick E. Brookhouser, MD, Award of Excellence
Dr. Luetje receives the Brookhouser Award from Trio President Dr. Beatty
This year’s Patrick E. Brookhouser, MD, Award of Excellence was presented to retired otologist and neurotologist Charles Luetje, MD, from Olathe, Kansas.
Dr. Luetje is a former vice president of the Middle Section of the Triological Society and a past president of the American Otological Society and American Neurotology Society. He also founded the Midwest Ear Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to restoring hearing in deaf adults and children, and started the cochlear implant program at New Delhi Ear Hospital.
Triological Society president Charles Beatty, MD, called him a “tireless advocate for the deaf and hard of hearing.” He added that “many of you in this society are beneficiaries of his single-mindedness in proactively advocating for the transformation of the Triological Society to a more diverse organization, and he continues to be a quiet—yet forceful—supporter of young otolaryngologists.”
Dr. Luetje, in his remarks, recalled meeting Dr. Brookhouser—for whom the award is named—at Lackland Air Force base in San Antonio in the early 1970s, and following his career after that. “To be recognized by your colleagues is the very best thing that can happen to you,” he said. “Thank you very much for this award. It is deeply appreciated, and means the world to me.”
2016 Fowler Award for trio thesis
Gregory Grillone, MD
Gregory Grillone, MD, an associate professor and vice chairman of otolaryngology and residency program director at Boston University, was awarded the Fowler Award for best thesis in basic science.
In his research, Dr. Grillone found that elastic scattering spectroscopy (ESS) with a portable device is effective at distinguishing, in real time, between normal mucosa and invasive cancer. Drawing from 34 patients undergoing resection for squamous cell carcinoma in the oral cavity, ESS distinguished normal from abnormal tissue with a sensitivity of 84% to 100% and a specificity of 71% to 89%, depending on how normal versus abnormal tissue was defined.
“This is the first study to evaluate the usefulness of ESS in guiding resection margins in oral cavity cancer,” Dr. Grillone said. “ESS appears to be effective in distinguishing between normal mucosa and invasive cancer regardless of whether there’s inflammation or not, and between normal and abnormal, such as severe dysplasia and CIS [carcinoma in situ], which may require further resection. Further studies are needed, with larger sample size, to validate these findings.”