President and Program Message

President's Letter

Every book I have ever read on organizational management emphasizes three critical elements for any entity to be successful: a clear vision of why the organization exists and how success is to be defined, a clear plan to achieve that success, and the organized team of people with the dedication to implement the plan.

Overlying this foundation is the necessity for re-evaluation of purpose and procedures and the flexibility to meet challenges both predictable and unforeseen. Sometimes the changes in focus are gradual with time to ponder them. Other times, the situation requires immediate action.

There are two significant events that have forced the Academy to re-evaluate all three of the critical elements for success: the international economic chaos starting in 2008, and the Japanese tsunami of earlier this year.

The economic downturn has been the on going initiator of change in the Academy's thinking for the future while the Tsunami was the trigger of sudden and necessary change. These are things that we have talked about before.

What we haven't talked about is the success that we have been able to achieve by changing our plan with bold, innovate thinking and a lot of hard work by some very dedicated people, in particular, Program Chair, Terry Pannkuk and Nate Skaggs of Skagga Inc. Without them this Scientific Session could not have taken place.

The Academy started the year with a significant financial deficit from the 2010 Scientific Session caused by the understandable decrease in revenue caused by the international economic downturn and the loss of some membership revenue. You can see from our most recent financial statement that we have now worked our way out of that hole and are back in the black.

Additional good news is that the online 2011 Scientific Session is currently projected to have a positive cash flow so that 2012 will start for the Academy with money in the bank.

So, what's ahead for AMED? First and foremost is the need to revisit the Academy's mission and make a clear statement of our intent. For instance, "Are we dedicated to promoting the concept of precision and excellence of enhanced vision or the instrument(s) that allow us to achieve the concept?"

Second, the need to embrace innovation and technology in the way we gather and disseminate the most current information is of paramount importance to the plan to achieve the Academy's mission. The online Scientific Session will have far reaching impact on the way all international dental meetings are held. The door is now open to international cooperation and collaboration among the sisterhood of micro dental organizations. All we now need to do is clasp hands and walk through the door together.

Third, we need to welcome our colleagues everywhere who have the dedication to our shared goals and integrate them into the innovative organization for which the Academy has become well known.

Lastly, it has been my pleasure to be President of the Academy. I thank all of you for the opportunity to be of service.

William G. Lannan, DDS
AMED 2011 President

Welcome to the 10th Annual Meeting & Scientific Session

I'd like to welcome all of you to our very exciting and very ambitious, groundbreaking venue. Aside from the global connectivity and profound features described by Bill, your experience will have a unique intimate interactive feel. As you log onto the AMED website you will be able to see a list of your colleagues and the presenters, giving you casual opportunities to chat one-on-one or in groups.

Everyone participating in this conference will be logged on from their own computers at their own homes and offices. The exception will be our moderators and technicians who are working in teams with 4 levels of backup to provide you with this experience.

I would like to personally thank Nate Skaggs and his team who tirelessly checked our presenter's files and computer systems for the last several months. I would also like to thank Zeiss, Leica, Seiler, and Global for participating in our Virtual Exhibit Hall. Finally, I would like to thank G. Hartzell and Son for offering awards to our research and student presenters on Friday.

Please be sure to visit our virtual exhibit hall; it's a great place to chat with colleagues, presenters, and product representatives. You will have plenty of time after the meeting to view the recorded presentations if you were unable to attend them live. We also offer 3 ways you can potentially connect with presenters and ask questions. There will be a live Q and A period immediately after each presentation; you can type in your questions to the moderators at any time during the presentation. If your question isn't presented during Q and A, you will likely find the presenter online and have the opportunity to chat with him or her. Finally, we urge you to write in comments on the presenter's page where they can respond at a later date.

Now it's time to begin the program, tune in and enjoy! Thanks again for participating.

Terrell Pannkuk, DDS, MScD
Diplomate of the American Board of Endodontics
AMED 2011 Program Chair