It is my privilege to serve the Middle Atlantic Society of Orthodontists as your President for the year 2017!  Fortunately, my predecessor, Dr. Doug Harte, has done an outstanding job in serving the organization and providing a smooth transition.  I thank the current Board: Drs. Norman Boucher, Russell Sandman, Ty Saini, Doug Harte, Bob Williams, Luis Toro Jr., Francis Picon, Madeleine Goodman, and Dave Harmon, for serving.  These volunteer leaders work on your behalf to address our critical issues.   I welcome our new Director, Dr. Alireza Omid Rajaei and welcome him to our MASO leadership team.  Our hard-working Trustee, Dr. Steve Siegel, is ascending in his leadership of the AAO, as is our AAO President-Elect, Dr. Nahid Maleki. The cohesive organization of our Society is due to the untiring efforts of our Executive Director Ms. Anita Field and her Association Management Company, Accent on Management.

As always, the MASO leadership is here to serve you, the members.  Please feel free to contact me at any time with thoughts or comments.

This year one of our two big events include our Continuing Education Seminar at the Ritz Carlton in Tyson Corner, in Mclean, Virginia on March 11, 2017.  Our speaker will be Dr. Joseph G. Ghafari, Professor and Head Orthodontics & Dentofacial Orthopedics at the American University of Beirut Medical Center.  Register on-line at www.MASO.org to attend his innovative presentation, “Revisiting Classes and Treatment of Malocclusions”.  We look forward to seeing you at the Ritz! 

And, make certain to attend the MASO Annual Session, “Beautiful Bermuda” at the historic Southampton in Bermuda on November 2-5, 2017.  Our committee is working tirelessly to bring topnotch speakers and exhibitors to Bermuda, offering you the best in education and entertainment!

Please consider giving back to this great profession of ours, whether it be your time, on an issue, or a donation to the AAOF.  Maintaining the standards of our own educators is a costly endeavor.  Take time to connect with some of the younger graduates coming from orthodontic programs and mentor them to maintain our consistency of high quality care.  See if there is something that you can offer to others through the MASO organization, or determine if you’d like to volunteer some of your time to MASO.  Let’s come together to affect change and move orthodontics forward in this quickly ever-changing health care field.