Welcome to The Great Lakes Association of Orthodontists!
The Great Lakes Association of Orthodontists (GLAO) is a constituent of the American Association of Orthodontists. The GLAO advocates on behalf of its members and promotes the value and advancement of the Specialty of Orthodontics. Component organizations of the GLAO include: Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Ontario (Canada), and Pennsylvania (west of the Alleghenies).
A Message from The GLAO President...
The COVID-19 Pandemic has taken a toll on all of us. As I write this, COVID-19 cases are declining and like you, I am looking forward getting back to normal. I recently attended two orthodontic meetings and everyone was so happy to cautiously interact with friends and colleagues. You could feel the need for connection. One of the meetings I attended was the AAO Winter Conference on the Evolution of the Orthodontic Practice. A good number of orthodontists featured cited being lonely as an orthodontic practitioner as one of the reasons that they were happy about joining a group of orthodontists or dentists. Only you and your orthodontic friends get excited talking about orthodontic issues.
The last 2 years have been stressful for you and your staff. Now is the time to start planning to attend the GLAO Annual Meeting taking place in Cleveland this September. Call a friend of yours and ask them to come to the meeting and reconnect with one another. Have fun at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame party. Get your staff involved in planning the trip to Cleveland so they have something to look forward to over the next months. Pick a Rock and Roll Theme song for the office trip. Create your office band name and get everyone t-shirts. Staff retention is so important now so use this meeting to create fun for the office and to show appreciation for staff members. Your staff thinks you all deserve some fun.
The GLAO Annual Session planning committee has planned for a diverse group of speakers who will appeal to both doctors and staff with 10 hours of continuing education on Friday and Saturday. The Resident’s Forum has been a great success and will be held again this year. Let’s try to have all of the GLAO residents attend, learn and be inspired by GLAO members. All fun aside, we can accomplish more working together than working alone.
September 16-17, 2022 is the time to Rock Your Smile.
Dr. Valerie Martone ([email protected])
2021-2022 GLAO President