 September 2021In This Issue:
President's Report
Joseph Han, MD, FARSDear friends and colleagues, On behalf of the American Rhinologic Society (ARS), it is my pleasure to invite you to Los Angeles and the 67th ARS Annual Meeting in October. In July, we had a successful and well attended in person Summer Sinus Symposium in Austin despite the persistent pandemic. For the Annual Meeting in Los Angeles we will have over 500 registrants which is wonderful considering the pandemic. I want to recognize and thank Rodney Schlosser, MD, FARS, the President-Elect and Program Chair, along with the program committee who have put together a fantastic scientific program that features the best scientific abstracts, interesting key note speakers, and several informative and clinically relevant panels. Also, a very special thank you to Wendi, Susan, and Tammy for their tirelessly work behind the scenes, during these challenges times that continue to be ever changing. During these difficult times, we have become more aware and appreciative of the blessings we have in our lives. I want to thank all our ARS members for your continued support during this unusual past couple of years. I would also like to acknowledge and thank our many corporate sponsors who have continued to generously support our society that is focused on rhinologic, allergic, and skull base diseases. Without their partnership, we would not be able to bring such high quality virtual and in person meetings to our members. With the arrival of our annual meeting, my presidency is coming to an end. It has been an honor and pleasure to serve our society. We have a wonderful group of volunteer physicians that make our society great. Also, our society provides an environment full of friendship and camaraderie as well as provide a platform for discussing the most up to date scientific information. The current tough times will pass, and I am certain our organization will continue to achieve enormous things in the future. I want to thank you for the chance to serve as a steward of such a wonderful organization. I look forward to seeing you in Los Angeles! Executive Vice President’s Report
Michael G. Stewart MD, MPH, FARSI am pleased to report that the American Rhinologic Society (ARS) has made it through 2020 and most of 2021 in great shape, thanks to our volunteer leadership and our members and industry partners. We successfully held what was probably the first major in-person meeting in our specialty since the pandemic started, with the Summer Sinus Symposium in Austin, TX in July 2021. The course co-directors – Drs. Greg Davis, Marc Dubin and Doug Reh – did an amazing job of coordination and management and we had a very successful meeting with great education and great fellowship, and no Covid related issues. There are too many leaders responsible for the success of the Society to name them all, but I do want to recognize a few. ARS President Joseph Han, MD, FARS, and ARS President-Elect and Program Chair Rodney Schlosser, MD, FARS have done tremendous work to keep the Society on track and to allow us to hold the 67th Annual Meeting live and in person in Los Angeles. This year’s meeting program will contain a rich combination of new research, invited lectures and panel discussions, and it will be great to get together with colleagues again. Brent Senior, MD, FARS has kept our relationships with industry partners vibrant, and he has helped to created new venues for education during the pandemic. We owe a special debt of thanks to Todd Kingdom, MD, FARS, who for many years has organized our Fellowship programs, including overseeing the Annual Match. Todd supported the recent development of a robust accreditation process which is led by a committee chaired by David Poetker, MD, FARS, and after many years Todd is now turning over leadership of the Fellowship Task Force to Stacey Gray, MD, FARS, who will be working with a new Task Force. We thank Todd for his extraordinary efforts on behalf of the Society and all the Fellowship programs and trainees, and we also thank Stacey for taking on this important role. I would also like to recognize Dr. Alan Shikani, who through a very generous gift has funded the Shikani International Rhinology Award. This will be an annual award, funded in perpetuity, which recognizes outstanding research or clinical work by an international member presented at our Annual ARS Meeting with an honorarium and travel grant. President-Elect and Program Chair's Report |
Greg Davis, MD, FARS |
Marc Dubin, MD, FARS |
Doug Reh, MD, FARS |
Course Directors, American Rhinologic Society’s Summer Sinus Symposium
The Austin Summer Sinus Symposium 2021 was a huge success with nearly 400 colleagues and 200 exhibitors attending this event in person. After nearly two years of Zoom meetings, we were finally able to see each other in person, interact with engaging panels, and socialize with our friends.
There were many excellent panels delivered by our world class faculty. Dr. Paul Pottinger, a University of Washington infectious disease professor, delivered an excellent keynote talk discussing his adventures summiting Mount Everest, the challenges of the Nepal earthquake, and paralleling those challenges to treating the infectious components of sinus disease. The signature event at the hotel rooftop bar, Zanzibar, was a huge hit!!!!
What’s next? Summer Sinus Symposium in Miami, July 29-31, 2022. This is going to be our final meeting as chairs of this event, and we are going to wrap up our tenure in style! Expect to have a full program focusing on allergy, skull base surgery, and a Spanish-speaking track. Plus, the meeting will be in South Beach Miami! This is an incredible venue with world-class dining and entertainment. Sure, it will be warm, but the recently renovated Loews Hotel is on the beach!
Put on your flip flops and block out your schedule to attend “The Best Sinus Course in The World”.
See you there!
Women in Rhinology Section Update
We are looking forward to seeing you in person at the American Rhinologic Society (ARS) meeting in Los Angeles. Women in Rhinology (WiR) will be hosting a lunchtime lecture on Saturday October 2nd at 12pm co-sponsored with the ARS Diversity, Resident & Fellows, and Mentorship Committees. Our guest speaker will be pediatric otolaryngologist, best-selling author (and WiR member!) Dr. Nina Shapiro from UCLA. She will be discussing Medical Communication to the Non-Medical Audience. You don’t want to miss this interesting and timely discussion!
A general membership meeting will be held for our WiR members on Friday October 1st at 5pm in Boardroom A to discuss ideas for new WiR initiatives. We will also plan to review the Governing Council positions in preparation for elections next year when a whole new WiR Governing Council will be chosen.
This year, we will be replacing one Member-At-Large position as Dr. Lauren Luk rotates off after a 3-year term. Please remember to vote for this position here: https://www.american-rhinologic.org/2021-WIR-Election. Deadline is September 30th.
Furthermore, if you have any colleagues interested in joining the WiR general membership, they can sign up here: https://www.american-rhinologic.org/WIR-Application. (ARS username and password required).
We are excited to announce that the first WiR CORE Grant was a great success and was awarded to Dr. Amber Luong’s group at UT Houston for their project entitled “Predicting Sinonasal Inverted Papilloma Attachment Using Artificial Intelligence”. Way to go!
As always, to keep up-to-date on WiR events and initiatives, please follow us on Twitter (@women_rhinology) and IG (women_in_rhinology).
See you in LA!
Jivianne T. Lee, MD, FARS - Chair: [email protected]
Elina Toskala, MD, FARS – Chair Elect: [email protected]
Patricia Loftus, MD, FARS – Information Officer: [email protected]
Stephanie Joe, MD, FARS – Financial Officer: [email protected]
Stephanie Shintani Smith, MD – Research Chair: [email protected]
Danielle Warner, MD – Member at Large: [email protected]
Lauren Luk, MD – Member at Large: [email protected]
Allergy and Immunology in Rhinology (AIR) Section Adds Additional Leadership
Amber Luong, MD, PhD, FARS
Chair, ARS Allergy and Immunology in Rhinology Section
The Allergy and Immunology in Rhinology Section (AIR) is rounding out its first official year. At the Fall meeting, we will be announcing newly voted in general council members at the AIR section meeting.
AIR section members have been busy on several fronts. The section supported 2 publications that have been accepted for publication in IFAR. Lauren Roland, MD, FARS et al. in which Jean Kim, MD, PhD, FARS served as the corresponding author published a Viewpoint article in IFAR entitled “Biologics for chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps: Economics and ethics.” We will be exploring the question of healthcare economics in CRSwNP management in a combined ARS/AAOA panel discussion moderated by Mickey Stewart, MD, MPH, FARS. Senior authors Josh Levy, MD, FARS and Amber Luong, MD, PhD, FARS shepherded the recently accepted Viewpoint article “What is Allergic Fungal Sinusitis: A Call to Action”.
Under additional leadership, there are several future projects planned. Of course, the section will continue to help shape ARS meetings with panel suggestions. Additional initiatives include a resident engagement and education activity with focus on allergy and immunology topics. Also, we are at the planning stage of developing a multi-disciplinary workshop with outreach to other professional societies on allergic fungal rhinosinusitis. Finally, the recent dramatic weather and climate have sparked talks about how these events may be affecting the upper airway. Daniel O’Brien, MD, FARS will initiate framing this potentially vast project.
All ARS members in good standing are eligible to participate in AIR leadership and activities. We invite all interested to visit https://www.american-rhinologic.org/allergy-immunology-in-rhinology-section to learn more and complete a membership form.
Research and Grants Committee Update
Benjamin S. Bleier, MD, FACS, FARS
It is with bittersweet feelings that I write this report for Nose News as the outgoing chair of the Research and Grants Committee. Over my past six years as chair I have seen many positive changes both within the committee and the rhinologic research community as a whole. The steady hand of the American Rhinologic Society (ARS) executive leadership has enabled and supported a dramatic growth in the number of grants as well as the total dollars offered. In 2016 the only two grant mechanisms advertised were the New Investigator Grant and the Resident Research Grant for a total amount of $41,000. In contrast, the 2021 grant cycle offered three additional grants including the Friends in Research Grant, ARS Consortium Grant, and the Women in Rhinology Grant sponsored by Xoran, for a total of $145,000. The efforts on the part of the society to enhance the grant offerings led to a commensurate increase in interest in submissions as the total letters of intent increased from 16 in 2016 to 33 in 2021. In addition to these enhanced funding opportunities, potential awardees now also have access to unique mentorship opportunities which began as a bespoke program organized by Dr. Corinna Levine and have now blossomed into an independent ARS committee under the leadership of Dr. Murray Ramanathan with its own independent funding source from GSK cultivated by Dr. Brent Senior. I could not be prouder of the ARS community as they have embraced each of these research opportunities offered and made great strides in our understanding of Chronic Rhinosinusitis. As a I now pass on the chair responsibilities to Dr. Vijay Ramakrishnan, I am grateful to all the committee members who have donated their time and expertise over the past six years, and I am looking forward to seeing all the great things to come.
Announcing the Shikani International Rhinology Award
The ARS is excited to announce the creation of the Shikani International Rhinology Award! This generous gift from long time ARS Fellow, Dr. Alan Shikani creates an annual award will be granted to a clinician or scientist located outside the United States who has made a significant, creative and/or transformative contribution to Rhinology.
Dr. Shikani is a fellow of the American Rhinologic Society, the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, the American College of Surgeons, and the Triologic Society. He earned the Maurice H. Cottle Award for Clinical and Basic Research in Rhinology in 2003. He has been a “Top Doc” in Maryland for numerous years. He is the founder and director of the Maryland ENT Center and the Maryland Nose & Sinus Center Rhinology Fellowship Program in Baltimore.
The Shikani awardee will be selected from the accepted international submissions for oral presentation at the Annual Fall Meeting of the American Rhinologic Society. The applicant must submit a manuscript and application three months prior to the meeting. The awardee will be notified one month ahead of the meeting.
To learn more about this award, visit our Shikani International Rhinology Award page.
International Forum of Allergy & Rhinology Highlights
The IFAR Editorial Leadership is excited to share some exciting news and new features. First, our Impact Factor continues to rise now 3.858 ranking IFAR #2 in Otorhinolaryngology and #1 in Rhinology. Our submission numbers also soared to a new record nearly 20% over last year. Despite this growth in submissions, we are proud that our time to first decision has continued to decrease and is now under 10 days – the most expeditious journal in the field! We look forward to working with you to make IFAR the informational centerpiece for cutting edge discovery and innovation, best practices, and commentary and debate, for clinicians and researchers worldwide with interest in the fields of rhinology, allergy, cranial base and associated disorders.
- We have some other exciting things we want to share with you:
- International Consensus Statements (ICAR) documents can be found at our website for your review including NEW ICAR:Rhinosinusitis 2021 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/20426984
- We have continued to gather COVID-19 resources for you, and have housed them all on our website for easy access: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/20426984/covid19
- Our PODCAST series continues to be downloaded in record numbers. Check our podcast homepage for updates: https://www.scopeitoutpodcast.com
- CME for reviewers! More information at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/page/journal/20426984/homepage/cmeforreviewers
- Follow us on Twitter @IFAR_Journal
- IFAR has added new manuscript categories for submission! Please see Author Guidelines for complete details: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/20426984
Wishing you the best in all of your endeavors!
Timothy L Smith, MD, MPH
Editor-in-Chief
Associate Editors
Ben Bleier, MD
Stacey Gray, MD
Robert Kern, MD
Sandra Lin, MD
Amber Luong, MD, PhD
Rod Schlosser, MD
Zach Soler, MD, MS
Justin Turner MD, PhD
Kevin Welch, MD
Sarah Wise, MD
Dupilumab and AFRS and CRSsNP Phase 3 Studies
Primary chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a common disorder in the general population; several subtypes exist including chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP), chronic rhinosinusitis without nasal polyps (CRSsNP) and allergic fungal rhinosinusitis (AFRS). Recently, CRSwNP treatments with biologics such as omalizumab, mepolizumab and dupilumab have been evaluated in successful clinical trials demonstrating efficacy. Given success of dupilumab, a monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin-4 and -13, it is being investigated for treatment of AFRS and CRSsNP which have similar type 2 inflammation. AFRS is an uncommon type 2 inflammatory disorder against fungi with regional variations in prevalence; a trial of ~120 AFRS patients with recurrent nasal polyps is currently actively enrolling across the United States and is estimated to complete May 2023(NCT04684524). A second trial in AFRS is also planned aimed at starting dupilumab immediately after sinus surgery. CRSsNP has several inflammatory endotypes, including type 2 inflammation similar to CRSwNP; a two part trial of ~240 patients is currently actively enrolling across the United States and is estimated to complete September 2023(NCT04678856).
Obituary
Dr. George Wesley Facer, 83 years old, and a past president of our society, died on September 24, 2020. Dr. Facer was born in Millbury, Ohio, to Elsie Kiel Facer and Clyde Facer. He is survived by his devoted wife of 53 years, Pat Facer, daughters Dr. Michelle Facer (Dr. Eric Etzel), Dr. Carla Facer (Greg Armstrong), granddaughter Madison Etzel, grandson Parker Etzel, and several nieces and nephews. He received his BSc and MD from Ohio State University. Dr. Facer completed Otolaryngology residency training at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, and served as a Major in the Army at Fort Leonard Wood, MO. He was on the staff at Mayo Clinic Rochester, Mayo Clinic Arizona and Mayo Graduate School of Medicine where he was Professor of Otorhinolaryngology. Dr. Facer was noted for his work with chronic ear disease, otosclerosis, and significant hearing loss, founding the Cochlear Implant Program at Mayo Rochester. He was most passionate about giving the gift of hearing to thousands of individuals. He was a pioneer in promoting and supporting women in medicine and an advocate for always doing the right thing regardless of the personal cost. He was an intelligent, generous, caring, and gentle man who taught numerous physicians not only the technical skills required to be a surgeon, but the art of being a humble, kind and compassionate physician. His patients were amazed by his ability to recall so many details about their personal life. It was his fervent hope that this would continue into the future of medicine. He was a member of numerous medical societies and professional organizations continuing his memberships until his death. He was an avid hunter and fisherman, taking only animals that were on his cooking menu. He was an enthusiastic Ohio State University fan but more importantly was a family man. He passed on his love of fishing, sports, and the outdoors to his daughters and grandchildren, but his greatest gift was teaching everyone to be better people. George was preceded in death by his son, Michael, his brothers Walter and James, and his sisters Ruth and Carolyn. Memorial donations may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
2021 Friends in Research Campaign
From the strength of our recent Scientific Programs at both the Spring and Fall meetings, it is easy to see that research is at the heart of the future of our specialty. Each year, the ARS awards resident and new investigator grants in rhinology as a participating society of the AAO-HNSF CORE Grant program. New this year the ARS is also offering a three-year, multi-site Consortium Grant. Many of these small grants have served to support the early development of some of our brightest minds and future leaders of our specialty. Members and friends of the American Rhinologic Society have the opportunity to make a direct donation to the ARS in support of research.
With your support, we can continue to fund the studies that provide clinical insights valuable to the care of our patients. This work not only advances the care of our patients through scientific innovation, but also generates important data establishing the efficacy and cost effectiveness of our care. In the current financial landscape, this is equally important to ensure that our patients have access to the treatment necessary to address their complaints.
Past grants have been largely supported by donations from industry, but it is up to us to ensure the strength and vitality of our specialty. We encourage the members of the ARS to join us in investing in the future of rhinology by making a tax-deductible contribution.
Donate Now!
DIAMOND ($2500)
Lee Mandel, MD, FARS
Michael Stewart, MD, FARS
PLATINUM($1000)
Pete Batra, MD, FARS
Benjamin Bleier, MD, FARS
Roy Casiano, MD, FARS
Greg Davis, MD, FARS
John Del Gaudio, MD, FARS
Adam Folbe, MD, FARS
Rick Geoffrion, Mr.
James Hadley, MD, FARS
Peter Hwang, MD, FARS
Robert Kern, MD, FARS
Devyani Lal, MD, FARS
Amber Luong, MD, PhD, FARS
R. Peter Manes, MD, FARS
James Palmer, MD, FARS
Murugappan Ramanathan, MD, FARS
Douglas Reh, MD, FARS
Marc Rosen, MD, FARS
Rodney Schlosser, MD, FARS
Michael Sillers, MD, FARS
Jonathan Ting, MD, FARS
Eugenia Vining, MD
Marilene Wang, MD, FARS
Sarah Wise, MD, FARS
GOLD ($500)
Abib Agbetoba, MD
Nadeem Akbar, MD
Todd Kingdom, MD, FARS
Andrew Lane, MD, FARS
Joshua Levy, MD, FARS
Edward McCoul, MD, FARS
K. Christopher McMains, MD, FARS
Robert Pettis, MD
Juan C. Portela-Arraiza, MD, FARS
Kenneth Rodriguez, MD
Brent Senior, MD, FARS
Stephanie Smith, MD
SILVER ($250)
Waleed Abuzeid, MBBS
J. Noble Anderson, Jr., MD
Anonymous
Do-Yeon Cho, MD
Noam Cohen, MD, FARS
Michael Cruz, MD, FARS
Steven Davis, MD
David Gudis, MD, FARS
Thomas Higgins, MD, FARS
Stephanie Joe, MD, FARS
Donald Lanza, MD, FARS
Sanjeet V. Rangarajan, MD, FARS
B. Todd Schaeffer, MD
Elina Toskala, MD, FARS
Justin Turner, MD, FARS
Winston Vaughan, MD, FARS
Robert Weiss, MD, FARS
Bradford Woodworth, MD, FARS
Arthur Wu, MD, FARS
John Wyllie, MD
BRONZE ($100)
Thomas Edwards, MD
Rohit Garg, MD, FARS
Wayne Hsueh, MD
Ian Humphreys, DO, FARS
Kent Lam, MD, FARS
Corinna Levine, MD, FARS
Brian Lobo, MD
Tran Locke, MD
Chadi Makary, MD, FARS
Osarenoma Olomu, MD
Russell Reitz, Mr.
Austin Rose, MD, FARS
Nicholas Rowan, MD
Christopher Roxbury, MD, FARS
Perry Santos, MD
Kristine Smith, MD
Brian Song, MD
Jessica Southwood, MD
Thomas Stark, MD
Jason Talmadge, MD
Cal Tarrant, Mr.
Mark Zacharek, MD, FARS
FRIEND ($50)
Diala Almardeeni, MD
David Scott Fortune, MD
Ashleigh Halderman, MD, FARS
Brian Humphreys, MD
David Keshner, MD, FARS
Glen Misko, MD
Gretchen Oakley, MD, FARS
Sam Patel, Mr.
Greg Rowin, MD
Ketan Shah, MD
Matthew Speyer, MD
Carol Yan, MD
*as of September 24, 2021
CORPORATE PARTNERS
The American Rhinologic Society would like to express our deepest thanks and appreciation to the participants of our Corporate Partners Program. Our corporate partnerships have been invaluable in their support of ARS initiatives to promote excellence in rhinology and skull base surgery. Through our ongoing collaborative relationships, we hope to continue to mutually develop exciting and lasting opportunities for our members to enhance education, investigation, clinical care, and patient advocacy in the future.
The American Rhinologic Society would like to thank our 2021 Corporate Partners for their support:
Platinum
 |
 |
 |
Gold
 |
 |
 |
Silver
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Bronze
