Trustee Report – May 2021

Greetings!

The AAPD will hold the 2021 Annual Meeting as a virtual meeting again this year. Named Hub 2021, our annual meeting was originally planned to be a live meeting in Boston, Massachusetts. Unfortunately, with the continuing uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 the Board of Trustees decided to make this meeting a virtual meeting as we held last year in Nashville. At the Winter Planning meeting of the BOT, there was significant discussion regarding this decision. Please know that I am as disappointed as anyone might be in the cancellation of the live annual meeting. However, the BOT vote to cancel the live meeting was a unanimous decision and I believe it was the absolutely correct decision.

Some of you may agree with the decision and some of you may disagree with the decision. Here is the thinking that was revealed during heartfelt and honest discussion. The AAPD annual meeting is about a number of things. Continuing education courses, educational exhibits, commercial exhibits, district caucuses, council and committee meetings, BOT meetings, the General Assembly and last and certainly not least, social events.

Aside from the difficulty in knowing exactly what the State of Massachusetts and the City of Boston may have in place regarding restrictions related to COVID-19, the BOT conversation was focused on several issues. One of these was the ability to provide the quality CE experience that the AAPD membership is accustomed to at the annual meeting. Another topic was the desire to provide a safe environment for the membership and the family members of AAPD members as well as our exhibitors and AAPD staff. Also discussed was the reality that many members attend the annual session for social and networking engagement and fun. Limiting attendance within a room at a CE course was going to be necessary. Limiting attendance at social events was also going to be a requirement and food and beverage service was a huge unknown.

With a focus on these factors, the BOT voted to cancel the live meeting and hold a virtual only meeting. I was torn as to how to vote because here in the Midwest, particularly in Kansas, we have been somewhat insulated from events surrounding COVID-19 that have been ongoing on the coasts. However, I am convinced that we did make the correct decision.

Now, on to the upside! NashVirtual was an amazing event, given the short planning window and the lack of perfect situations and platforms for holding virtual meetings. All of that is different this year and I am certain that the AAPD Hub 2021 (May 20 – May 30) will be a stellar event! If you have not already done so, go to the AAPD website and click on the link to the Hub. Register and get ready for some great CE presentations. Your full registration will allow you the opportunity to watch any and all of the CE for up to 5 years and spread out the CE credits as you may need them. My team is looking forward to some wonderful presentations and more of the fun we had last year.

Consider doing the same if you were unable or did not include your team in last year’s meeting. For my team we held a CE day where we watched the presentations on the big screen that I set up poolside. We catered lunch and had a fun day of CE followed by pool lounging. My team has plans that are underway to top that for this year.

The final piece of the BOT discussion regarding the 2021 annual session centered on the next annual session. It is a milestone event in the life of the AAPD so please mark your calendars for the AAPD 2022 Annual Session that is scheduled for San Diego. This meeting will be amazing as you will join other AAPD members to help celebrate 75 years of AAPD excellence!

There were a number of other items that were discussed, and action taken at the Winter Planning meeting. At the risk of making this article much too long, please refer to the AAPD website under the Governance section to review the minutes from that meeting if you have an interest in other business that was discussed. If you have any questions regarding the BOT or AAPD, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Lastly, it has been my distinct honor to serve the SWSPD, District V of the AAPD. My 3-year term ends at the General Assembly meeting in May. I was told by a mentor back in 1982, when I began practicing that giving back to your profession is the only way to assure that the profession is what you want it to be. At the time, I was a general practitioner, but I took the message to heart and became involved in my local dental society. Nine years later, I became a pediatric dentist and my involvement deepened. I can honestly say that I have enjoyed every minute of my volunteer involvement in my profession.

With that, I would like to introduce to you your new SWSPD, District V Trustee. Jeff Rhodes will become your Trustee at the May General Assembly meeting. Jeff practices in Northwest Arkansas and I believe will serve you very well over the next three years. Please join me in welcoming Jeff to this new roll of service to you and the AAPD.

Watch your emails for notice of the virtual SWSPD Caucus which we will hold during the Hub 2021 meeting. Please plan to attend, and additionally, if you have any topics you would like to discuss at the caucus, please let me know.

Finally, I would like to say a very sincere thank you to Michelle Jacobi. Michelle serves as your Executive Director of the SouthWestern Society of Pediatric Dentistry. Michelle is the person behind the scenes, making sure that you SWSPD meetings run so smoothly that you would not even know she is there unless you asked about her. She is the person who gently reminds me and your officers that it is time to have a meeting or to write an article for the newsletter. She is often invisible put she is the glue. Michelle, thank you for all that you have done over the past three years to help me be a better Trustee and for all that you do for the SWSPD.

Respectfully submitted,

John T. Fales, Jr., DDS, MS
Trustee, SouthWestern Society of Pediatric Dentistry