Episode Transcript
[00:00:08] Welcome back to the Stimulating Stuff podcast. I'm your host, Rich Vogel, El presidente, the enchanter in chief. That's right. I just began my second term as president of the as and M, and today I thought I'd share my incoming presidential speech that I gave at the 2024 as and M annual meeting on May 18 in Washington, DC. Before I start, let me just set the stage for you. So every year at the annual meeting of the as and M, there's this business luncheon on Saturday where we update members on as and m activities and give out awards to people who go above and beyond for our profession, it used to be a members only function, but all conference attendees are welcome today.
[00:00:54] So it's Saturday at the as and m meeting. We're at the business luncheon, the society updates are done, the awards have been given out, and it's time for the official ceremony where the presidency transitions from one person to the next. In this case, from Lan Jun Guo to me, the ceremony, it's not fancy or anything. It's nothing more than the passing of a gavel from the previous president to the next. So I receive the gavel from land June. There's this photo op, and then I step up to the podium to give my speech. Just keep in mind, at the beginning of the speech, we just transitioned between presidents, and the conference was held in Washington, DC. Here's the speech.
[00:01:42] Please join me once again in a round of applause to thank lan June for her service to the as and MH. It's not an easy job.
[00:01:59] What you just witnessed. There was an archaic american tradition called a peaceful transfer of power.
[00:02:12] What an honor it is to be leading the most functional institution in Washington DC.
[00:02:34] For those who don't know me, I'll tell you a little bit about myself. The most concise and comprehensive description that I've ever heard about myself is a quote from my wife, Bethehem, who once said, I'm 90% wonderful and 10% dang it.
[00:02:55] That about sums it up. Literally. If you add up all the adjectives that people might use to describe me, I think 90% would be wonderful and 10% would fall into the category of dang it. Really.
[00:03:09] I'm happy to see so many people attending this meeting. Brian and I were program chairs this year. We tried to create something for everyone, bring in new names and new faces, while still giving a platform to top experts. By the way, meeting planning isn't just about educational content. We planned down to the very last detail. And Kayla will tell you there's nothing more mind numbing than choosing between the $25 cookies and the $23 cookies. So I hope you enjoy the cookies.
[00:03:42] If you look at the member benefits on the as and M website, you'll find what I tend to think of as more tangible benefits. High quality education at meetings like this, on demand webinars, continuing education units, cmes practice guidelines, career postings. But there's no mention of the intangibles like community. And this community is what I love most about the as and M. And we need community, don't we? Sometimes our profession of neuromonitoring can be disheartening and demoralizing. I'm sure you've heard me say it before. Neuromonitoring, once sold as a highly advanced professional practice, has been reduced to a commodity purchased in reverse auctions to the lowest bidding seller. There's competition between companies and between hospitals and companies. Insurance carriers don't want to pay you for the work you do. Hospitals want the service for free. Surgeons demand kickbacks. Employers expect you to work more hours under worse conditions for less pay. Hospitals treat you like sales reps. There's bickering about scope of practice. Licensure efforts get blocked by powerful special interest groups who seem to have no special interest in patient care. There are very few champions for our work. For every one surgeon that truly appreciates and understands neuromonitoring, there's one that endures it as a necessary evil, and perhaps two or three others that couldn't be bothered.
[00:05:20] The workforce. People feel overworked, underappreciated, and generally just burned out.
[00:05:30] Raise your hand if at least some of this resonates with you.
[00:05:36] Everybody in the room raised their hand.
[00:05:40] Look around.
[00:05:43] Thank you. You can put your hands down. And in the context of this negativity that we all feel, there's the as and MH, a community where different people come from all over the world to teach, to learn, to share experiences, to set aside differences, to solve common problems, to grow together, to incrementally improve the quality of care delivered to patients.
[00:06:08] When I come to this meeting, when I look out at all of you, I see some part of myself.
[00:06:16] There are people who are new to this field and people who have been around for a while. There are people who work in technical roles and those who work in supervising interpreter roles. There are experts, lecturers, teachers, researchers, and there are students at various stages of their careers.
[00:06:33] There are exhibitors. There are people who run companies, people who want to lead and people who do not. If one or more of these descriptions sounds like you. I say, me too. I've been there. I've done that. I am there. I'm doing that. I love the as and M because there are shared backgrounds, shared experiences, shared needs and desires. The as and M is a space for everyone.
[00:07:03] Raise your hand if this is your first year as a member of the as and M.
[00:07:08] Wow, I didn't expect to see so many people. Thank you. You can put your hands down. Raise your hand if this is your first in person as and m meeting again. Wow, I'm shocked to see so many people.
[00:07:23] Well, in case no one has said it to you, welcome to the as and M. We're happy to have you as a member of our community.
[00:07:39] I'd like to take this opportunity to share with you a few experiences that I've had over the years as a member of the as and M. To show you how wonderful this society can be in the as and M, I found advocates in 2014, I had given several lectures in smaller settings, grand rounds, hospital in services, but I hadn't spoken at a major conference since my days in academic neuroscience. I attended as and m meetings, but I mostly kept to myself, watching, learning, judging. Just kidding. But for those of you who don't know, one of my great passions is public speaking, and I wanted to be up on stage sharing my knowledge. So I looked around and I noticed there was a gentleman in the audience who seemed friendly and approachable and seemed to know everyone. So I walked up to him and introduced myself and asked if it would be possible for me to give a talk one day. How do I get up there? I said that gentleman's name was doctor Lawrence Wusbowski. He said, come with me, and he introduced me to several people. The following year is a direct result of those introductions. I spoke at the as and M Winter Symposium and the asset annual meeting, and I spoke at the as and M annual meeting the year after that. Since that 2014 encounter ten years ago, I've given over 100 invited lectures on neuromonitoring all over the world. It's what I love most about my work. But this isn't about me. It's about what the as and M makes possible. And it all started with me attending an as and m meeting and simply networking. Larry, thank you.
[00:09:20] In the as and M, I found mentors.
[00:09:24] Before becoming involved in the as and M, I was lucky enough to be surrounded by wonderful, brilliant people who were gifted mentors like Adam Doane, Cheryl Wiggins, Jeremy McAllister, VJ Tambie, and others.
[00:09:37] Not everyone has this privilege though finding competent mentors in their place of work. I also found mentors in the as and M. In particular, I'd like to recognize two people who are very special to me who've had tremendous impact on my career, Jeff Balzer and Jay Shills. Jeff and Jay, you are brilliant, honest, trustworthy, patient, and kind. Thank you for setting the example of what it means to be a mentor. Thank you for elevating our profession and being an inspiration. It's an honor to call you both mentor, colleague and friend.
[00:10:15] In the as and M, I found trailblazers. There are clinical trailblazers, like Chuck Yinling, who was doing dorsal column mapping in the 1980s, and Dan Schwirtz, who was doing monopolar motor mapping in the 1990s.
[00:10:29] And then we also have cultural trailblazers who paved and continue to pave the way for others to have a seat at the table.
[00:10:38] In the as and M, I found high quality education.
[00:10:41] Here you will find the people who actually did the research and wrote the paper, chapter or book that you might read or learn about in your employer's education program back home.
[00:10:52] You have the opportunity to talk to these people and learn far more than you ever would in some article.
[00:10:58] In the as and M, I found innovation.
[00:11:02] Our sponsors and exhibitors pay a lot of money to be here to learn about your needs and demonstrate their latest technology.
[00:11:09] They're in the business of creating solutions to your problems. I've enjoyed the opportunity to contribute to the development of electrodes, probes, software updates, and so much more. And while I've made many great relationships with our exhibitors, I want to recognize someone very special, Todor Ivanoff, who passed away very suddenly in 2022. Toder was an engineer who worked for Axon, which was later acquired by Medtronic. He was one of the brains behind the Nim eclipse. He always greeted you with a smile. He was always excited to share some new features he developed and hear your feedback and input and also argue with you about it.
[00:11:50] But he was a wonderful person who we all missed dearly.
[00:11:55] In the eastern, I found friends and colleagues too numerous to name in our modern world, where friends are profile pictures and social media posts. Here I found genuine connections.
[00:12:09] And of course, in the as and M, I found love. It was here that I met my beautiful, wonderful, perfect wife, the soul of my life, my dream girl, Beth Wells. You know, Beth has attended every as and m meeting for over 20 years.
[00:12:25] And just so everyone's clear, Beth doesn't accompany me to the as and M, I accompany her. So all of this is to say if you're a new member or if this is your first meeting, I can tell you from my experience, the as and M is a community where you will find advocates, mentors, trailblazers. You will find innovation, high quality education, career advancement, engaging conversations, colleagues, friends, and maybe even love. I hope you'll stick with us and keep coming back. Just know that you are valued and appreciated.
[00:13:01] Speaking of appreciation, I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who volunteers their time on the as and M board. As committee chairs are working on committees. I don't want to detract from anyone's work, but I would be remiss if I didn't highlight a couple of very impactful people.
[00:13:18] First, Kayla Cairns. She's not a volunteer, but she has the most pivotal and impactful role in our society. This is Kayla's 6th year as our executive director and she has an extremely difficult job. Few people know what goes on behind the scenes, what it takes to run a society. Kayla has a baby at home, one on the way, and she was just named chief operating officer of Affinity strategies.
[00:13:54] Katherine Overz Katie serves on the board of directors and she's a chair of our research committee. They review the literature and select the member each year for the top peer reviewed publication. They also perform blinded reviews and score dozens of abstracts that you submit, ultimately selecting the top abstracts to receive an award. In addition to her volunteer work with the as and M, Katie has a full time job. She's a PhD student, a program for which she pays for out of pocket, and she has a baby at home. I have to say, I've known Katie for almost ten years now, and my first impression of her is the same as I have today. Katie, you have the most admirable Persona of anyone I've ever met in my life. I'm honored to have you in my life.
[00:14:47] Michelle Mora, who is now your president elect, is a kind, caring, and generous person. She's been the perfect leader of our awards subcommittee, a role she's taken very seriously. If you want to know the true nature of an organization and its leadership, look to see if they recognize their people. I'm passionate about awards because people deserve recognition for their hard work and success, and a willingness to show recognition is a hallmark of a caring organization. Michelle, thank you for all your hard work and dedication to this important cause.
[00:15:23] In August of 2018, Jay Shills and I started a project to update our bylaws. Initially, we were just updating committee descriptions, but we quickly discovered our bylaws were kind of a mess. They were outdated, didn't conform to established standards and best practices, and some of our prescribed methods and processes turned out to be illegal. So updating the bylaws became a monumental task. And while several people contributed to this effort over the years, the people that were instrumental in getting it over the finish line were Jay Shills, Josh Murgos, and, of course, Kayla, who is the engine behind everything the as and M does. So thank you for that.
[00:16:06] In 2019, we took steps to publicly, formally, genuinely make the as and m a more inclusive and welcoming environment. And I'm going back to my first presidency now. But I told you I wanted to launch a task force to identify and address barriers faced by underrepresented members of our community.
[00:16:30] We had no real understanding of our own cultural diversity within the profession or within as and m. There was no formal mechanism in place for underrepresented members to have a voice. There were no dedicated resources.
[00:16:45] When I announced the creation of this task force, I asked for a volunteer to lead this initiative, and Tara Stewart stepped up. She took my half bake idea and transitioned it into our DEi task force. Now, let me just say this. Whatever your personal politics are on the phrase Dei, I need you to divorce yourself from those politics, because there's absolutely no relation.
[00:17:10] It is fundamentally about embracing the diverse background that has made up no neuromonitoring practitioners from the beginning and helping anyone with an interest in neuromonitoring to understand that the as and m welcomes them. And there's a pathway to leadership for anyone who wants it and wants to work for it. Tara built this vision for the task force. Chrissy Accra. Dino ran it for a while. And the new leader is Brooke Callahan. Thank you all for the work you've done on this important initiative.
[00:17:41] So this is my second term as, as and M president, the first of which I just said, commenced in 2019. I think we got a lot done in that term. We repaired fractured relationships with asset and acNs, our sister societies. We launched the Dei Task force. We rolled out four new awards. We published two position statements. We initiated meaningful dialogue with our sponsors and exhibitors, and we held our first virtual meeting in the dawn of Covid-19 in February of 2020.
[00:18:14] I feel like these initiatives spoke to people who saw me as representing a new generation, a new path forward. People who left the as and m frustrated, vowing never to return. They came back. Our membership has steadily grown, and our leadership became more diverse organically. But the work isn't done. I have to be honest with you.
[00:18:39] I don't think I should be standing here twice as your president. While I'm honored and thankful for your confidence, I believe other people deserve an opportunity. Organizations need to be agile, constantly adapting and evolving, able and willing to embrace a certain level of churn in their leadership or risk extinction. Most other societies don't allow multiple terms because it alienates the membership, stifles innovation, and gives the impression that leadership is exclusionary and out of touch. That's not who we are. So I can say unequivocally and out of principle that this will be my last term.
[00:19:18] But let's talk about what I want to do, what I want to focus on in the coming year.
[00:19:24] And I think there are two main topics, communication and our website. So on the communication side, I want to improve our communication. I know that we send out a ton of email and the reasons are twofold. One is engagement, and two is that the email and call volume that Kayla gets are just overwhelming to her.
[00:19:52] The fact is, most people don't open their emails. And so we need to figure out what is a better way to communicate with you. How do you, how do you want to be engaged with? What platform do we need to be on? You know, we spend over $100,000 a year on our executive management company and the price is going up. And a lot of that is because the members don't open their emails. And so they come with questions and they just pick up the phone and they send in emails, and we get tens of thousands of emails every year. So we got to figure out, how do we communicate with you in a way that is palatable and in bite sized chunks. Is it emails? Is it social media, is it website? I don't know, but we're going to figure this out. I'm going to find a way to reach you in a platform or multiple platforms that are places where you go for information.
[00:20:46] And the second is I want to look into having an AI chat bot on our website. It'll be the first place that you go when you have a question about the as and M. That chat bot will be an expert about everything on the website, and the website will be constantly updated. So if you have a question, you go there. And if it's not answered, then it will be escalated to Kayla and her team on the back end and somebody will get in touch with you with an answer.
[00:21:14] The second thing I want to work on, and I mentioned website before, but it's really about patient facing educational information. So we're in the midst of an AI revolution and I want to build out high quality content on our website that is easily searched and indexed by AI so people have access to more detailed, accurate, and up to date information about neural monitoring in the as and M. And I want to build out more patient facing educational content to help the public better understand neuromonitoring.
[00:21:48] So I'm going to wrap it up now, and I just want to say I encourage everyone to embrace this intangible benefit of community.
[00:21:58] Get to know each other, introduce yourself to someone you'd never met. Make our new members and attendees feel welcomed and appreciated. Our profession may have its challenges, but the as and M is a place of refuge, a community open to everyone and full of possibilities.
[00:22:17] In 1990, there were just a few dozen people doing neuromonitoring in this country. The as and M was founded back then to bring them together and share ideas. Today we have over a thousand members, and this is the highest meeting attendance we've ever had. From so humble a beginning, look what we have become. I'm honored to be your president.
[00:22:42] Thank you.
[00:22:51] Okay, that's it for today. Thank you so much for listening. Please continue sharing this podcast on social Zen through word of mouth. Please continue sending your comments, insights, and thought provoking questions to stimulatingstuffpodcastmail.com. i always love hearing from you. I'm rich Vogel, and that was stimulating stuff.
