I have the honor and privilege to serve with a special group of volunteer leaders who work tirelessly for you every year to help promote our critical issues: Drs. Jean Edouard Asmar, Norman Boucher, Russell Sandman, Ty Saini, Francis Picon, and Madeleine Goodman.  Your MASO Board of Directors are an amazing group of people who come together, to share their knowledge and experience, to better the future of orthodontics for all of us.

What is MASO?  We are a Constituent society of the AAO made up of the component states of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, the District of Columbia and the US territories of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Our issues are different than other parts of the country and we represent you and those unique matters to the AAO.  We work on your behalf to help all of us maintain successful orthodontic practices, to provide exceptional orthodontic treatment to our patients and to provide the highest quality orthodontic education to our members. 

I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge our executive director, Anita Field, who has led us for more than a decade. We are a fiscally strong society.

I want to acknowledge two other special members.  Dr. Nahid Maleki, who has risen through the ranks of the Board of Trustees to become the next secretary/treasurer and will in the near future serve as the President of the AAO. As Dr. Maleki moves up the ladder Dr. Steven Siegel a past MASO president was elected this past October to now serve as our trustee-elect. Congratulations to both who have served our society well.

We have our upcoming Ad-interim meeting on Friday March 11, 2016 at The Princeton Club in New York City. The meeting will feature the renowned speaker Dr. Mauro Cozzani, who will present our annual Scientific lecture from 9am to 4pm. Take the opportunity to register early as space is limited. Make the time and turn it into a great weekend get-away to the City and indulge in shows, restaurants, shopping, and sports. New York is truly the city that doesn’t sleep!

This April our exceptional group of delegates led by new chair, Dr. Luis Toro, will head to Orlando, FL to help set future policy for the AAO at the House of Delegates meeting.

Later in the fall, we will join our colleagues from the Great Lakes Association of Orthodontists to bring you a fantastic Annual Session September 22-25, 2016 at the beautiful Waldorf Astoria Biltmore Hotel in Phoenix, Arizona. Our theme will be: “Connect, Grow and Energize in the Valley of the Sun”.  We have an exciting group of speakers to stimulate the mind, soul and body. Mix that in with a great resort, world-class spa, golf courses, shopping and of course access to great sites like the Grand Canyon and Sedona.

Lastly, I want to acknowledge our Editor extraordinaire, Dr. Bob Williams, who puts together an award winning caliber journal year after year. Please read the journal to stay updated on the latest society news. To that end, please check this website often for more current announcements.

On a personal note, I want to wish each member of our society and their families a happy, healthy and successful 2016!

With sincere thanks,

Dr. Douglas Harte