ASPO-HNS Development

Help us enhance our impact on child health through educational programs, advocacy, additional grants, investigator support, other training initiatives and more.

She Leads: Female Leadership in Pediatric Otolaryngology Endowment Fund (Giving Tuesday Campaign)

We are pleased to continue to support the Female Leadership in Pediatric Otolaryngology Endowment Fund-- an ASPO-HNS initiative dedicated to celebrating, supporting, and advancing women leaders in our field. 

Although women now represent more than half of medical students and a growing share of OHNS residents, they remain underrepresented in traditional academic leadership positions. Challenges in retention, promotion, and access to leadership development continue to limit the full potential of women otolaryngologists. 

The Female Leadership in Pediatric Otolaryngology Endowment Fund was created by the ASPO-HNS Executive Committee, in partnership with Kris Rosbe, MD, other female pediatric otolaryngology leaders, and the ASPO-HNS Development Committee chaired by Deepak Mehta, MD. This fund will:

• Honor the pioneering women who shaped pediatric otolaryngology 
• Support women otolaryngologists at all stages of their careers
• Provide tools, mentorship, and strategies for successful career advancement
• Develop a strong pipeline of future female pediatric otolaryngology leaders 

Our campaign goal is $100,000, establishing a lasting endowment that will fuel leadership development for years to come. In an extraordinary show of commitment, Dr. Kris Rosbe has generously offered to match all gifts up to $50,000.

Donate HERE

Thank you to our generous donors: 

Henya Sandhaus, Robert Chun, Marci Lesperance, James Schroeder, Jad Jabbour, Brianne Roby, Reza Rahbar, Margo Mckenna, Emily Boss, Sharon Cushing, Kevin Pereira, Zahrah Taufique, David Chi, Sam Daniel, Ellen Deutsch, Steven Handler, Brian Reilly, Jeremy Prager, Kathleen Sie, Carol MacArthur, Jamie Funamura, Anne Messner, Jeffery Koempel, Craig Derkay, Amelia Drake, Gerald Healy, David Zopf, Wen Jiang, Christina Yang, Josephine Czechowicz, Torrey Fourrier, Adebola Olarewaju, Meslissa Scholes, Cecille Sulman, Erica Bennett, Daniela Carvalho, and Julie Wei

 My ASPO Superstar

As we go along our career we come across mentors, colleagues who have made an impact on you and your life. Here is a chance to recognize them with a pin. You know someone who has showed to you that she /he is a future leader in our specialty and is truly a rising “Superstar” showcase that person as our ASPO Superstar.

We want you to celebrate this person and take pictures to share it with us and you can share it on your social media.

All your contributions will go towards the ASPO Development Fund you can submit your ASPO Star here.

Current ASPO Superstars
Elton Ashe-Lambert, MD
Karthik Balakrishnan, MD
Josh Bedwell, MD
Emily Boss, MD
Margaretha Casselbrant, MD
Clarice Clemmens, MD
Sam Daniel, MD
Valerie Flanary, MD
Amal Isaiah, MD
Astha Jayardena, MD
Joe Kerschner, MD
Meredith Lind, MD
Carol Liu, MD
Anthony Magit, MD
Mike McCormick, MD
Heather Nardone, MD
Laura Neff, MD
Julina Ongkasuwan, MD
Sanjay Parikh, MD
Reza Rahbar, MD
Uma Ramaswamy, MD
Andrew Redmann, MD
Tara Rosenberg, MD
Gopi Shah, MD
Jonathan Walsh, MD
Julie Wei, MD
Greg Wiet, MD

If you have any additional questions about the My ASPO Superstar Program please contact Liz O'Keefe at [email protected] or 312-585-7001

Dr. James Sidman Endowment Fund

The theme of this endeavor will center on matters related to innovation, collaboration, and mentorship within the spheres of head and neck surgery and facial plastic surgery. We feel strongly that creating such a welcoming space for surgical innovation within the Spring ASPO-HNS meeting has the potential to further elevate the Society. It is our hope that the establishment of such an entity will serve as an affirmation to the ASPO-HNS community, and other otolaryngology societies, that pediatric head and neck surgery and pediatric facial plastic and craniofacial surgery fall squarely within the field of pediatric otolaryngology.

To honor the late Dr. James Sidman’s legacy by establishing a panel or lectureship to be held annually at the ASPO-HNS Spring meeting. In the spirit of collaboration, it is our expectation that panelists and lecturers will often hail from other societies and other fields of surgery, medicine, and oral surgery.

To donate please contact ASPO at [email protected] or at 312-585-7001.

Richard J.H. Smith Young Faculty Award in Pediatric Otolaryngology Endowment Fund

This ASPO endowment fund establishes the annual “Richard J. H. Smith, MD Young Faculty Award” for innovative clinical or basic science research that advances our understanding of pediatric otolaryngology. The awardee will present their research at the spring ASPO meeting each year and receive a commemorative certificate and cash award.

Richard J. H. Smith M.D. is an outstanding contributor to our field of pediatric otolaryngology and the consummate academician. He is a pioneer in the discovery of genetic causes of sensorineural hearing loss. His research laboratory developed OtoSCOPE, the first clinically validated, comprehensive genetic testing panel for any disease; OtoSCOPE has proven to be the single best test to determine the cause of a child’s hearing loss. This work was funded by the NIH. Over the course of his research career, Smith has received $36 million in direct costs to study genetic hearing loss (from the NIDCD) and complement-mediated renal disease (NIDDK), specifically Dense Deposit Disease, a condition that affects one of his daughters. He has authored over 600 peer-reviewed publications and 100 book chapters and served as Editor-in-Chief of the Annals of Otology, Rhinology & Laryngology for 25 years. In addition to being the Residency Director at the University of Iowa for over 20 years, he has mentored 30 pediatric otolaryngology fellows, 22 graduate students and 26 post-doctoral students. Many of us know little of his extensive academic accomplishments but rather know him for his collegiality, dedication, professionalism, sense of humor, and most importantly, his ability to establish a healthy work-life balance in a sea of accomplishments.

To donate please contact ASPO at [email protected] or at 312-585-7001.

ASPO-HNS Legacy Society

The ASPO-HNS Legacy Society is comprised of a group of individuals who provide support to the Association through planned gifts through one or more of the following methods:

• Provision in their will or revocable trust.
• Life income gift (charitable remainder trust or charitable lead trust).Retirement plan beneficiary designation.
• Life insurance policy beneficiary designation.

To become a member of the ASPO-HNS Legacy Society, simply notify the ASPO-HNS Development Committee of your intentions. We can provide sample bequest language for inclusion in your will or trust, or otherwise assist you with a plan that meets your philanthropic and financial goals.

One optional benefit of membership is the listing of your name on the official ASPO-HNS Legacy Society Webpage, which may be published from time to time in connection with special events. If you prefer to remain anonymous, we are happy to honor your wishes. We welcome the opportunity to recognize those who are helping to make the future of ASPO possible.

For more information regarding the Legacy Society, please contact the ASPO Development Committee [email protected] or at 312-585-7001.

Sustaining our Future Campaign Donor List