AGpO MEMBERSHIP NEWS A Culture of Collaboration and Mentorship It's a great time to be a Tip Edger! It is with great pleasure that I begin my year as president of the Academy of Gp Orthodontics. When I first started thinking about incorporating orthodontics into my practice, I looked everywhere for information about education for the general dentist. There were weekend classes with no hands-on. There were classes that had hands-on, but just with typodonts. I even met with an organization that promised not only to teach me orthodontics, but to also manage that portion of my practice for me. Then I came upon the Academy of Gp Orthodontics. There would not only be lectures by experienced general dentists practicing orthodontics, there would also be hands-on instruction with live patients over a period of two years. I would get practical experience with orthodontic cases from beginning to end. The class being offered in Austin, so close to home, was a bonus. I realized that there were no other options at that point. My journey had begun. I hope to do as well as my predecessor, Dr. Fred Der, in uphold-ing the values of the Academy. Our founder, Dr. Charles Yates, envi-sioned an organization that "Supported the sharing of knowledge and new technological developments in the field of orthodontics through comprehensive orthodontic experiences with direct patient care". Our goal for the Academy is to stay true to that vision. Tip Edge is growing both in the number of users, and in the vari-ety of opportunities to learn the system. In my short time as a member of the Academy, our organization has grown nearly twenty percent in membership. The Academy now offers the 12 Session Hands on course in nine locations with varying start times to accommodate as many students as possible. For the experienced Tip Edger, Dr. Ron Austin offers the Five Session Advanced Tip Edge Class out of his private office in Tishomingo, OK . In 2013, the Academy expanded its course offerings to include a 12 Session Early Treatment course taught by Dr. Keith Wilkerson and hosted by Dr. Bert Vasut. This course has been designed to offer a comprehensive education with direct patient care just like the 12 Session Orthodon-tic Class. As Tip Edgers we are learning to recognize orthodontic problems developing earlier. Now we can head off or mitigate some of the effects of a poor occlusion. The Tip Edge Dental Assistant’ class helps make Kyle McCrea, DDS AGpO President Tip Edge easier to integrate into our prac-tices. My assistant, Jennie, thoroughly enjoyed this program taught by Dr. Charles Young and Dr. Tom Jacobson. She highly recommends that all assistants working with our system attend. The opportunities for advancing our understanding of orthodon-tics and Tip Edge through continuing education with the Academy continue to expand. There are now two major meetings every year with the Annual Meeting and the Spring Refresher. Our recent annual session with the AOS in Chicago is fresh in my memory. There were great presentations from Drs. Thomas Mulligan and Chis Kessling among others. With the fellowship of other Tip Edgers, great food and visits to Navy Pier, who says continuing education can’t be fun? Our Academy has a culture that encourages collaboration and mentorship. I quickly learned that any question asked was going to get an answer. Even if that answer was “I’m not sure, let’s find out together”. When I started cases on my own, the instructors were always available if I needed help. They still are today seven years later. I have never been a part of an organization where the member-ship has been so welcoming. I can honestly say that there are no egos in this group. Everyone’s opinions and ideas are listened to and taken seriously. While planning your continuing education for the coming year give some consideration to the AGpO Spring refresher. This year we’ll be holding it in conjunction with the IAO in Orlando Mar 27th to the 30th. Hope to see you there! Kyle McCrea AGpO Honors 2013 Award Recipients Dr. Sam Gutovitz receiving his membership award in recognition of 20 years of membership in the Academy from AGpO President Dr. Fred Der. Dr. Ron Austin receiving his membership award in recognition of 25 years of membership in the Academy from AGpO President Dr. Fred Der. Dr. Fred Der receiving his Presidential Service Award from incoming President Dr. Kyle McCrea. www.orthodontics.com September/October 2013 41
Journal of the American Orthodontic Society September-October 2013: Page 41
