Welcome to The Great Lakes Association of Orthodontists!
The Great Lakes Association of Orthodontists (GLAO) is a constituent of the American Association of Orthodontists. Components of the GLAO include: Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Ontario (Canada), and Pennsylvania (west of the Alleghenies). The GLAO advocates on behalf of its members and promotes the advancement of the Specialty of Orthodontics.
A Message from The GLAO President...
Looking for 2020 Clear Vision!
The United States government has been opened and closed so
often that we are never certain if anyone is ever working in Washington DC. One
person's opinion of whether that is good or bad depends on what news network
you watch or listen to! Fortunately, our GLAO government is always open for
business and working harder than ever to make a difference. We continue to get energized, motivated and
dedicated volunteer members coming forward to work with our GLAO Association
Management partners to help us lead and support our specialty of orthodontics.
Last year, the GLAO Board updated and approved our Strategic
Plan. The Plan was modified to reflect the changes that the AAO had made and
individualized it to reflect the needs of the Great Lakes members. Our main thrust
is to make the GLAO relevant to the members in Ontario, Western Pennsylvania,
Indiana, Ohio and Michigan.
So what is a Strategic Plan?
The Strategic Plan is a living document, created to provide
us guidance and vision into who we are and where we should be going for the
next three years. It focuses our sight
on what is important and where our energies should be directed. If you have not
seen it, it is available on the GLAO web site for members to review. https://www.glao.org/common/pages/UserFile.aspx?fileId=944638 The GLAO Strategic Plan has four main Goals and Objectives:
-
Effectively Represent the GLAO Membership
- Promote the Specialty of Orthodontics
- Provide and Promote Educational Opportunities
for Members
- Engage the GLAO Membership
This must be periodically reviewed and updated to reflect
changes in our specialty, membership, mode of practice and the needs of our
members. There are currently many changes happening to our specialty: technology;
scope of practice; clinical guidelines; State, Province and Federal
regulations; internet speeds, security and reliance; social media importance;
tele-dentistry and DIY practices, and relationships with general and pediatric
dentists. All of these concerns can
influence the quality outcomes we demand of ourselves yet are often beyond our
individual control.
The GLAO is the voice of the orthodontists in the Great
Lakes region and must represent the unique interests of our members. We are all
orthodontists and generally have the same ideals, but we can have some
different needs, concerns and expectations from those of some of our colleagues
on the east coast, west coast, mid-west and south. The AAO has 8 regional Constituencies each
representing a different part of the United States and Canada. The GLAO’s job is to represent our concerns
at the AAO level to assure we have a voice in national decisions reflecting our
values.
The specialty of orthodontics is evolving; another GLAO
responsibility is to Promote the Specialty of Orthodontics. Specialist expertise is critical in the
decision making and monitoring of treatment progress. The collection of “Big Data” by some has
created a means whereby artificial intelligence is being utilized to create
patient treatment plans based solely on bite registrations and clinical
presentation without regard to radiologic, soft tissue and functional
relationships or any underlying pathology.
100 years of orthodontic and dental research is being dismissed with
video and DIY orthodontics resulting in compromises to oral health and
stability. The GLAO is able to utilize
the resources of the AAO and its legal team to advocate for oral health and
patient safety.
Orthodontic Education is readily available through many
opportunities. In 2017 the GLAO created
a Task Force to explore what modifications could be made to our Annual Session
Continuing Education to make it more relevant for our members. We do not want
our Annual Session to be an AAO light, but rather, a unique learning experience
that is more user-friendly. We will be
within easy driving distance for our members 75% of the time while still having
an occasional meeting with another Constituency in more resort locations for
family enjoyment and colleague interaction. We hope to provide more hands-on,
clinical team training and explore child care opportunities for newer members
with young children.
Please save the dates for this year’s Annual Session, “Sun,
Sand and Smiles” on September 12-15th. We will be at the
Marriott Harbor Beach Resort in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. We have negotiated nearly half price on hotel
rooms ($150/night), child-care on-site and round-trip airline tickets are less
than $250 from most regional airports. We will be partnering with orthodontists
from the Middle Atlantic Society of Orthodontists (MASO) and have arranged
half-day seminars for doctors and staff, golf opportunities and a Saturday
night beach BBQ party. Educational topics with great speakers to include: “Clear,
Mostly Sunny with a Chance of Showers - Orthodontics in the 21th
Century”- Dr. Mark Hans, “Managing Obstructive Sleep Apnea in a Busy
Orthodontic Office” - Dr. Martin Palomo, “What Every Orthodontic Assistant
Should Know” –Dr. Doug DePew (Trapezio), “Esthetic Guide for Canine
Substitution” - Dr. Neal Kravitz, “Bringing
Your Office Into the Digital Age” -Dr. Christian Groth, “Personal
Cybersecurity: How to Better Protect
Yourself Online” –Mr. Steve McEvoy and “The Business Side of Dentistry: Are You Maximizing Your Wealth?” –Mr. Craig
Feinberg.
Our fourth Strategic Plan Goal is to “Engage the GLAO
Membership”. By definition this may be
hard to describe, but in concept, it is to assure that we are a relevant
organization responsive to our member’s needs, representing their interests at
all levels and making membership something to desire verses simply another
organization for our credential file. The GLAO leadership, in concert with the
AAO, is working to address some of these developing pressures. Task Forces have
been established to review weaknesses in our processes and to present means to
improve them. Leadership will review the findings and move forward with
opportunities for improvements for our members.
We are the GLAO and we are 1015 members strong. We are dedicated to addressing the desires of
our members and to return us to the days when we had professional comradery
with 500 to 700 of our fellow members, meeting once a year to learn something
new, renew old friendships and establish new friends with orthodontists in our
region. Let’s get involved, bring your family
and team to Fort Lauderdale in 2019 for clear vision in 2020.
Respectfully,
Dr. John Monticello
GLAO
President