An Innovative Program in Global CME: The International Federation of Head and Neck Oncologic Societies World Tour

A group of six specialists, four head and neck surgeons, a medical oncologist and a radiation oncologist, traveled the world recently offering continuing medical education programs in head and neck surgery and oncology over a period of five weeks. As founder of the International Federation of Head and Neck Oncologic Societies, I led the group, which also included Arlene Forastiere, MD, Professor of Medical Oncology, from the Johns Hopkins Medical Center in Baltimore, Kian Ang, MD, PhD, Professor of Radiation Oncology from the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Patrick Gullane, MD, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery from the University of Toronto; Jean-Louis Lefebvre, MD, PhD, Chief of the Head and Neck Service at the Center Oscar Lambret in Lille, France; and William Wei, MD, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Otolaryngology at Queen Mary Hospital of the University of Hong Kong. Two additional members, both head and neck surgeons, joined the group for parts of the tour: Jochen Werner, MD, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Otolaryngology at Phillips University in Marburg, Germany; and Randal Weber, MD, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Head and Neck Surgery at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. We traveled continuously for five weeks, spanning the globe. The International Federation of Head and Neck Oncologic Societies (www.ifhnos.org) has a membership of 36 national head and neck societies from all parts of the world. The purpose is to promote international camaraderie and collaboration in patient care, education, and research. The federation has held quadrennial congresses in various parts of the world: 1998 in Mumbai, 2002 in Rio de Janeiro, and 2006 in Prague, and the upcoming Fourth World Congress will be held in Seoul, Korea, June 14–19, 2010. IFHNOS also supports and sponsors national and regional conferences and workshops in Head and Neck Oncology worldwide. A new program of global continuing education was developed this year and was offered in 11 locations throughout the world. The program consisted of a 2½-day conference with interactive, interdisciplinary sessions, covering the specialty of head and neck surgery and oncology. Various parts of the world were divided into 11 regions, excluding North America. Between September 28 and November 4, 2008, 11 successive conferences were held in London, Barcelona, Rome, Athens, Warsaw, Moscow, Mumbai, Bangkok, Beijing, Buenos Aires, and Bogota. Leaders in the specialty in these locations were selected as conference organizers. The program was supported by unrestricted educational grants from industry, and local hospitality to the touring faculty was provided by the organizers at each location.Figure: Shown here are the traveling faculty (left to right), WILLIAM WEI, MD, from Hong Kong; JEAN LOUIS LEFEBVRE, MD, PhD, from France; JATIN SHAH, MD, from New York City; ARLENE FORASTIERE, MD, from Baltimore; PATRICK GULLANE, MD, from Toronto; and KIAN ANG, MD, PhD, from Houston.The program consisted of 12 topics, covering the entire specialty of head and neck cancer, divided into 90-minute sessions. A 30-minute introductory lecture was delivered by one of the members of the traveling faculty, followed by 60 minutes of interactive, interdisciplinary discussion by panelists, which consisted of two members of the traveling faculty and two regional experts at each location. The discussion centered around case presentations on previously selected cases at each location, covering important points and issues pertaining to a given problem. Open and frank discussion between regional experts and the traveling faculty provided a forum for comparing regional differences in diagnostic approaches and therapeutic interventions. The attendees at each location were offered state-of-the-art knowledge and philosophies in the management of various types of tumors of the head and neck. Availability of ample time for questions and discussion generated impressive enthusiasm and interest from the attendees. Sessions on advances in chemotherapy and radiotherapy were integral to the overall program, which also included sessions on molecular biology and targeted therapies in selected tumors of the head and neck. All the PowerPoint presentations of the traveling faculty and extended abstracts were distributed to all the attendees on a CD ahead of time. Nearly 4,000 CDs were distributed to attendees all over the world. Each day a two-hour session of demonstration of operative techniques by video presentations was the highlight of the program. The response and attendance at each location was extraordinary and overwhelming. At each location, more than 30 regional experts participated as panelists on various topics, offering a free exchange of ideas and interaction and exchange of information. Tremendous enthusiasm was expressed by attendees, who had the benefit of six of the leading experts in the specialty of head and neck oncology, discussing so many different topics over the course of the 2½ days. Approximately 30% of the attendees throughout this intense program were trainees in the specialty of head and neck surgery and oncology. The box shows the number of attendees at each location. This is the first time that such an innovative program in continuing medical education globally has ever been offered in the specialty of oncology, and we consider the impact to have been phenomenal. In addition to promulgation of medical education, the program offered tremendous opportunity for specialists from all parts of the world to interact with international leaders in the field and build bridges of camaraderie, friendship, collaboration, and cooperation. Based on the outstanding success of this first program offered by IFHNOS, we are planning to repeat it every two years with a different group of traveling faculty members in different locations. The next program is tentatively scheduled to be offered in October 2010. Number of Registrants & Percentage of Trainees at Each LocationTable

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