Pursue Angle Society membership to satisfy your passion

The first Angle Society meeting that I attended was in 1994 in Nashville, Tennessee. I had been out of school for five years and I think that was the perfect amount of time for me to be able to fully appreciate the richness of the experience I was about to have. Believe it or not, I had at first turned down the invitation to attend. After all, I was already a member of so many organizations that I couldn't possibly attend another meeting. But I acquiesced at the insistence of my sponsors and agreed to come and see what was unique about this society of orthodontists. And what I found was an experience so different from what I was expecting that there was no question in my mind but that I would go on and pursue full membership.The most striking characteristic of that first encounter I had with the Angle Society was how friendly and welcoming the members were. The President and Vice President sought me out to thank me for attending and they appeared to be genuinely happy to see me there. It was a small group in attendance, maybe 40 or 45 orthodontists, in a small room compared to the huge lecture halls at most of the other meetings I had attended. After each speaker finished, there was time set aside for discussion and questions. Just guess who was having this discussion! None other than the most famous people in orthodontics at the time: Bill Proffit, Dan Subtelny, Charlie Burstone, Bob Isaacson. Other members were people whose books and articles I had read when I was a student, people with appliances named after them, people that you think you will never meet. I was in awe. And they were sitting in a small room with me there, having a back and forth discussion about my passion: orthodontics! What could be better?What was better was that I would also have breakfast, lunch and dinner with these people, that I would go on a tour of Nashville with them, and that they would be glued to their seats throughout the three days of presentations, just as I was. And one of the most intriguing aspects to me was that the group was a mixture of icons in orthodontics, private practitioners, and academic faculty. This blend of different perspectives generated relevant, fascinating discussions that revealed so much about the state of our specialty, where we were going, what our limitations were, and where we excelled.The Edward H. Angle Society of Orthodontists is made up of seven regional North American components whose members now originate from around the globe. My component currently has members from 20 countries on 5 continents. Other components are similarly diverse and several have held their annual meetings on other continents as well as within the confines of their own geographical region. For example, the borders of my component stretch from Ontario, Canada to the Southern tip of Florida but our upcoming annual meeting is being held in Brazil and is being organized by one of our Brazilian members.Each of the seven components has its own unique character that reflects the personality of its membership but abides by the general rules of the society as a whole. Each holds its own annual meeting that usually takes place within its geographic region. The key to maintaining membership is to participate actively no matter which component you are in, meaning there are presentations made by all members on a regular basis. These may be case-based, research-based, or on some other topic related to orthodontics. No matter the topic, there is always lively discussion and camaraderie.To join the society, a new candidate must be invited to a component meeting by a current member. Each new member will have two sponsors who will help direct him or her on how to meet the scientific and clinical requirements to attain full membership. The components have different methods established for reaching these goals that may take two to several years. Then, to maintain membership, each individual must make a contribution to the society (usually in the form of a presentation) at least every three years. For most members, this just comes naturally as everyone is drawn into the community of the society and wants to participate actively.Every other year, all of the members come together for the biennial meeting hosted by one of the components on a rotational basis. This past year, the biennial meeting was organized by the Southern California component in Pasadena, California. Each component contributes two speakers to the program and there are also special presentations arranged by the hosting members. The special events included in the agenda offer a unique opportunity to interact with other members in a social setting as well. Pasadena, of course, was the place where Edward Angle educated his last class of orthodontists. For me, a highlight of the time spent in Pasadena was being able to tour the school of orthodontics behind Edward Angle's home, both of which are still standing today. Pasadena was also the site of the 2nd meeting of today's Angle Society when it was held in 1932.Members of the Edward H. Angle Society of Orthodontists are passionate about orthodontics. Passion is why we all became orthodontists in the first place. The annual meetings help to renew my enthusiasm and optimism about the specialty. If you have a passion for orthodontics, you should consider becoming a member of the Angle Society. Contact a member you know, or find someone who is, by searching the roster at www.anqle.org. They can help you in your quest to satisfy your passion.

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