Newsletter Volume 12
March 2003
American Otological Society, Inc.
136th Annual Spring Meeting AOS Council Update
The American Otological Society’s Annual Spring Meeting will be held at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center, Nashville, Tennessee, May 3-4, 2003. Enclosed with this newsletter is a combined program and abstract book-let for this meeting.

Dr. Horst R. Konrad and the Program Advisory Committee have planned an excellent program. The Saturday Scientific Sessions will begin at 7:30 am and continue to 12:05 pm in the Delta Ballroom B at the Gaylord Opryland Resort with an AOS group member photograph to be taken immediately following. The Sunday Scientific Sessions will begin at 1:00 pm and conclude at 5:00 p.m. in the Delta Ballroom D. All members are encouraged to register for the Scientific Sessions.

The Saturday Scientific Sessions will feature a panel discussion on Noise Induced Hearing Loss: Current Status and New
Directions. Dr. Leonard P. Rybak will serve as moderator and panelists will include Kathleen Campbell, PhD, Robert A.
Dobie, MD, Richard D. Kopke, MD, and Brenda L. Lonsbury-Martin, PhD.

The Sunday Scientific Sessions will feature a Vestibular panel with Dr. Phillip A. Wackym as moderator. Panelists: Drs. Lloyd B. Minor, John P. Carey, Phillip A. Wackym, and Neil T. Shepherd. Topics will include Use of Intratympanic Steroids, Use of Intratympanic Gentamicin, Differentiating Meniere’s Disease from Superior Semicircular Canal Dehiscence, and Vestibular Rehabilitation.

The President’s Annual Reception and Dinner Dance will be held at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center, Saturday evening, May 3, 2003, and promises to be a gala affair with excellent food, conversation, and dancing to the music of “The Best Band in Town.” The cocktail party will begin at 6:30 pm with dinner served at 7:30 pm. The Best Band in Town plays the best of Country, Top 40’s, dance or background music. This talented group of Nashville musicians offers an extensive play list from oldies to top 40 and country favorites. Don’t forget to pack your favorite dancing shoes, bring your favorite partner, and dance the night away.

Tickets for the President’s Annual Reception and Dinner Dance, for members and invited guests only, may be purchased through the AOS Administrative Office at 2720 Tartan Way, Springfield, IL. The cost is $125.00/person. Send check or money order payable to the American Otological Society(Checks must be in US Dollars drawn on a US bank). An order form for the banquet tickets is available on the AOS website. Support your Society by attending the reception, dinner and dance.		 The Council of the American Otological Society, Inc., met on February 8, 2003, in Naples, Florida. The Council members present included: Drs. Horst R. Konrad (President), Jeffrey P. Harris, Clough Shelton, Sam E. Kinney, Richard A. Chole, John K. Niparko, Antonio De La Cruz. Dr. A. Julianna Gulya was available by conference phone.

Dr. Konrad received 54 abstracts for the 2003 Annual Meeting. These abstracts were sent to the Program Advisory Committee without reference to author or institution, who rated the abstracts on a scale of 1-5, with one being the highest score. Twenty-four abstracts were selected for the Scientific Sessions.

Dr. James F. Battey, Jr. has been selected as this year’s Guest of Honor at the Annual Meeting. Dr. Maureen Hannley will receive the Presidential Citation.

Dr. Konrad appointed Drs. Samuel Selesnick, Chairman, Stephen Cass and Paul Lambert to serve on the 2003 Audit Committee. The committee will review the financial statements and give a report at the Annual Meeting.

Dr. A. Julianna Gulya serves as Chairperson of the Award of Merit Committee and will announce the committee’s choice at the AOS Banquet on Saturday evening.
Membership Update
The current membership totals 294: Active 139, Senior 76, Emeritus 8, Associate 43, Corresponding 17, and Honorary 11.
Transactions

The Council is pleased to announce the AOS Transactions will no longer be published as a hard cover presentation on a yearly basis. The 2002 Transactions will be published on the AOS website. The AOS will only publish a hard cover five-year summary of the Transactions. The hard cover presentation of the Transactions has continued to be a significant cost factor for the Society and by publishing on the website, the Society will recognize a cost savings of eight to nine thousand dollars per year.

The Council will continue to look at other alternatives to cut costs for the Society in lieu of raising member dues.

COSM 2004

The 137th Annual Meeting will be held at the J. W. Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa, Phoenix, Arizona, May 1-2, 2004. AOS Scientific Sessions will take place on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning The AOS Banquet will be held on Sunday evening.

AOS By-Laws and AOS Research Fund By-Laws

Since the May 2002 meeting, the AOS has published the revised by-laws for the Society and the new AOS Research Fund By-Laws. Please find a copy of these by-laws included with this mailing of the newsletter.

Website

The website has the 2003 Spring Program and Abstracts posted.

Abstract and membership forms are not included in this mailing as they are available on the website and can be printed from the website.
www.americanotologicalsociety.org

Call for Papers

October 15, 2003, will be the deadline for submission of abstracts for the 2004 Annual Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona. All abstract submissions are to be submitted electronically via the website or e-mail.

Abstracts are received with the understanding that they are not under simultaneous consideration by another publication and that they are original contributions that have not been previously published. Accepted abstracts become the permanent property of Otology & Neurotology and may not be published elsewhere without permission from Otology & Neurotology.

Website: www.americanotologicalsociety.org
E-mail: segossard@aol.com

E-Mail

We are continuing to build our membership database. Please send your e-mail address to segossard@aol.com. If you have a change of e-mail address or mailing address, you may e-mail the changes or mail to Shirley Gossard, Administrator, American Otological Society, 2720 Tartan Way, Springfield, IL 62707.
The Council looks forward to seeing you in Nashville,
Tennessee. Please support your Society by attending the Annual Meeting.
In Memoriam
Recently deceased member of the Society:
Dr. Walter A. Rosenblith passed away on 5/1/2002. Dr. Rosenblith was an associate member of AOS since 1970. The last known family address was 164 Mason Terrace, Brookline, MA 01246. The Council extends their sympathy to the family of Dr. Rosenblith.

Membership Development
Dr. Horst R. Konrad reported 10 new members will be inducted into the society at the 2003 Annual Meeting in Nashville, Tennessee.

Ballots were sent to the Active and Senior members in November to vote on the proposed candidates. 140 ballots were returned.

Seven Active Members: Drs. Howard W. Francis, Michael H. Fritsch, Michael E. Hoffer, Christopher J. Linstrom, Gary F. Moore, G. Mark Pyle, Michael J. Ruckenstein
One Associate Member: Dr. John J. Rosowski
Two Corresponding Members: Drs. Sandra G. Desa Souza and Olivier Sterkers

Treasurer’s Report
The balance on hand in the AOS Treasury as of January 23, 2003, was $88,486.82.

Research Fund Report

Dr. Jeffrey Harris reported the balance in the Research Fund as of January 1, 2003, was $6,972,720. Projected funding for approved grants for 2003-2004 will be $275,000. In 2002-2003 four grants were funded in the amount of $199,892, this amount included the second year funding of the AOS Clinician-Scientist Award.