gayle davies

David Stern
NBA Commissioner 1984 – 2014

“one and done”

The origin of the term “one and done” is unclear but it may have arisen among the myriad conversations of David Stern, the NBA Commissioner from 1984 to 2014. “One and done” refers to the controversial rule which Stern introduced in 2006 that required recruits spend at least one year playing college basketball, or overseas, before achieving eligibility to enter the NBA draft. Prior to that, top recruits could enroll in the NBA draft directly out of high school. Since 2006, the meaning of “one and done” has expanded to describe tournament performance, i.e. losing out on the first round, as well as other non-athletic applications. Nowadays, the term is used to describe everything from disposable tissues to an option for family planning.

“One and done” can also describe the monolithic donation pattern of some of our wonderful donors who have previously contributed – maybe several years ago – but not since. Please remember that the AACMFS is and will always be a small organization. If we are to achieve our lofty goal of fully funding the Ramon Ruiz Traveling Scholarship we need the involvement of the entire membership on an ongoing basis. When you make your donation via https://aacmfsf.wildapricot.org/Login please consider the monthly automatic withdrawal pledge option which is easy on the budget yet makes a significant impact on our fund.

Thanks in advance for your donation and I look forward to seeing you in Halifax!

Donation by credit card or monthly pledge: https://aacmfs.net/foundation

Send Checks to:
AACMFS Foundation
4850 Golden Parkway, Suite B-417
Buford, GA 30518

Dear Friends 

“Facial Dysmorphia: A Global Solution” was the lofty theme assigned to me by the 2014 BAOMS President, Llanko Llankovan, for my address as his Presidential Lecturer.  Llanko is an internationally recognized expert on this topic. I am not. Llanko also has a well-honed sense of humor, as he knew that my interests lay elsewhere. Far elsewhere. 

As a Bovie-saw-and flap-em guy I had no idea where to start…

I called Ramon Ruiz

Ramon accurately predicted Mr. Llankovan’s desire for an outside-the-box presentation and he gave me some great pointers. The lecture proved to be a resounding success.

Nine years later, I still think of Ramon every time I look at the plaque on my wall that he made possible.

Present and future recipients of the Ramon Ruiz Traveling Scholarship may similarly reflect on their experience, as well as on the career opportunities that the Scholarship opened for them. In its 1st year, the Scholarship is already highly competitive. At $10,000, this stipend doubles the awards that I have found among the various scholarships available through the ACS and from ENT sources. This opens the door more widely to those outstanding potential candidates who are already saddled with considerable educational debt and who simply could not afford a partially funded experience that does not cover all, or almost all of the costs.

Already the RAMON RUIZ TRAVELING SCHOLARSHIP is a great success thanks to the generosity of many of you. We need to make it an even greater success by involving ALL of you. Please join me in taking the Scholarship to the NEXT LEVEL which will entail enlarging the corpus to make the Scholarship SELF-SUSTANING. A relatively painless way to do this is to pledge a monthly fixed withdrawal/donation over a period of several years – whatever you’re comfortable with. Melissa can set that up if you just give her a call at 770–271–0453.

A completely painless mechanism that would enable you to make a sizeable donation is to set up a Planned Gift in your Will. We plan to roll this out along with other options at the Halifax meeting.

Ramon’s widow, Laura, recently sent the following email to Hank Holderfield, the President of PAMI which is the firm that manages AACMFS:

Thank you, Hank for sending us an update on the fund for Ramon. Our children are so appreciative that you all started this scholarship so quickly and that the response is so strong. I have been supported by so many of Ramon’s colleagues and friends. I cannot begin to imagine going through this alone. Thank you all for helping us manage this insurmountable loss. Take care, Laura

You take care too, Laura. Your strength has been an inspiration to us all. Please be ever cognizant of the fact that the fund in Ramon’s name will ensure the immortality of his legacy.

Send a check to:
AACMFS Foundation
4850 Golden Parkway, Suite B-417
Buford, GA 30518

To pay by credit card you can click this link:
https://aacmfs.wildapricot.org/Donation

‘In Memoriam Of’ or ‘In Honor Of’ donations can be noted in the comment section of the donation form.

AACMFS Foundation is a 501 (c)3 organization. Tax ID 84-4131666.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of Osteo Science Foundation, we would like to invite the members of the AACMFS to attend our 2024 Bone Symposium, which will be held at the Silverado Resort and Conference Center in Napa, CA, this February 15-17.

We are delighted to offer AACMFS members $100 off the cost of full registration, which is $750 ($650 with the discount). We also offer discounted rates for residents ($150) and military ($295). Simply use the code AACMFS when you register to receive the discounted rate.

To learn more about the Symposium, or to register, please visit:
https://www.osteoscience.org/education/educational-events/bone-symposium

Dr. Dan Spagnoli, our Conference Chair, and the Planning Committee have developed a multidisciplinary faculty from basic and clinical sciences who will review contemporary concepts of bone anatomy, physiology, and development as it applies to bone healing and regeneration. All aspects of the tissue engineering triad will be addressed including contemporary and future treatments using cells, cytokines and constructs. We have also added lectures on what we term the fourth dimension of bone regeneration: medical optimization of the surgical patient. The presentations will feature a variety of aspects of bone, all of which are relevant to our OMS practice. But what makes this symposium truly unique is the integration of clinical cases, carefully selected and presented by our OMS colleagues to highlight exactly the issues and challenges that will be presented during the lectures. We look forward to an entire day of clinical cases and an active panel discussion during which all speakers will participate.

As you know, advancing regenerative medicine in hard and soft tissues is the mission of Osteo Science Foundation. This truly unique meeting has the potential to challenge currently held ideas about bone, push the boundaries of what is currently accepted and understood as optimal patient care, and ultimately leave participants with a genuine desire to advance the field of bone science as we know it.

Many thanks,
Andrea Ancheta
Executive Director

Download pdf

It is with sadness that I write to inform you of the death of Ramon L. Ruiz, DDS, MD, 9th President of the AACMFS and a founding member, as well as a founding member contributor to the AACMFS Foundation. Dr. Ruiz’s career is nothing short of remarkable.

Cuban born; he lived in Spain with his family for a brief period before emigrating to the U.S. Miami was his home where he was educated before pursuing a baccalaureate degree at Florida State University, Dental School at the University of Alabama, Medical School and OMFS residency at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, fellowship training in Pediatric Craniomaxillofacial Surgery at the Posnick Center for Craniofacial Surgery at Georgetown University Medical Center. Dr. Ruiz spent time at several craniofacial units in England before he joined the faculty at the University of North Carolina in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery where he honed his skills in cleft and craniofacial surgery. He was named Chairman of the Division of Pediatric Craniomaxillofacial Surgery at the University of Central Florida and at the Arnold Palmer Children’s Hospital in Orlando in 2008. He served as Chairman of the Department of Surgery at the Arnold Palmer Children’s Medical Center, and he developed the first fellowship in pediatric craniomaxillofacial surgery for oral and maxillofacial surgeons in 2009. Since then, he has trained 14 “next generation” craniomaxillofacial surgeons.

Dr. Ruiz was very affable, humorous, and dedicated to his patients and trainees, as well as his interest in pediatric craniomaxillofacial surgery. During his tenure on the Board of the AACMFS, he raised interest and pursued establishing a relationship with the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery which came to fruition this past year. He also developed and promoted a central application process for oral and maxillofacial surgery residents wishing to purse fellowship training.

We will all remember his easy smile and the warmth in his greetings. The kindness in his encouragement and wisdom of the advice he offered so freely.

He will be remembered as a gentle giant in his field, superb surgeon and educator who embodied all of the traits of excellence. A dedicated husband and father, he leaves behind his wife of more than 30 years, Laura, and 3 daughters, Julia, Maia, and Josephine, as well as his mother, Aurora, and a brother, Javier.

To memorialize Dr. Ruiz and his contributions to our profession, the Board of AACMFS unanimously agreed to name the traveling scholars award after Dr. Ruiz. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Dr. Ramon L. Ruiz Traveling Scholars Award at the AACMFS Foundation.

If you are an AACMFS Member, the system may ask for you to log in. Your user name is your email address and the password is Bluebird2023!

Sean Edwards, MD, DDS
President, AACMFS

The Midcareer Conference – Tremendous Success
The AACMFS sponsored Midcareer Conference was held last weekend in Atlanta. By all measures, the event was a tremendous success thanks to the efforts of Dr. Rui Fernandez who chaired the program. The small group of attendees (26) enabled a very interactive program allowing for lively discussions and time for networking. The invited speakers included Drs. Rui Fernandez, Brent Ward, John Caccamese, Tim Turvey, Mark Wong, Tirbod Fattahi, Jaz Dillion, Bonnie Padwa, Kevin Arce, Steve Roser, and Likith Reddy. The meeting targeted young and mid-career surgeons working in academic and hospital centers. The topics included career development tips; identifying opportunities; interviewing; dealing with dental school, medical school, and hospital administrations; navigating through the complexities of leadership roles; negotiating; and building a team in craniomaxillofacial surgery. Special thanks to Hank Holderfield and Melissa Connor for organizing the venue, arranging meals, coffee breaks and post meeting reception.

Annual Meeting Registration Coming Soon
The registration for the Annual Meeting will start shortly. The meeting will take place in Chapel Hill, North Carolina on April 14 – 16, 2023 with a Pre-conference Workshop on Pediatric Craniomaxillofacial Surgery beginning on Thursday from 1-5 pm, April 13, 2023. Dr. Ramon Ruiz will chair the session. Our Annual Meeting will be in the same format as past AACMFS meetings with keynote speakers and abstracts presentations followed by discussion. As with all other AACMFS meetings, lively discussions are encouraged following each presentation. We have received a record number of abstracts and expected attendance will be similar. This should be a gorgeous time of year in North Carolina and if you are planning to spend pre- or post-conference leisure time, book your plans early.

The AACMFS Foundation
The AACMFS Foundation is off to a great start thanks to the efforts of Foundation Chairman, Dr. Eric Dierks. The Foundation will award $10,000 for a traveling fellowship for 2023. Please see the application and instruction at https://aacmfs.net/foundation. The deadline for applications is March 1, 2023. The winner of the award will be announced at the Annual Meeting and the selected AACMFS member is expected to present a summary of the experience at the 2024 annual meeting.

If you haven’t already donated or pledged to the Foundation, please do. The goal is to reach a self-sustainable level of $250,000.00.

Thank you again for allowing me to be President of this esteemed organization. We continue to make progress with our educational commitments.

Sincerely,

Timothy A. Turvey, DDS, FACS
Professor

Dear AACMFS MEMBER

Examine the cover of the latest Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons publication (January, 2023) and you will observe the AACMFS logo just below the AAOMS logo, and above the logo of the CAOMS. Look closer and you will see that the JOMS lists AACMFS among the organizations that consider them to be their official Journal. AAOMS president, Dr. Paul Schwartz lists the benefits of this association in the January 2023 newsletter that is in your email.

This recognition is a wonderful compliment to AACMFS and its members. We are a small, but very meaningful group. Congratulations to all, especially to Past President Dr. Rui Fernandez and Executive Director Dr. Brent Ward for their assistance in making this happen. The Journal has agreed to electronically publish the abstracts of our annual meeting and has invited us to contribute formal manuscripts and to be represented at their Editorial Board meetings.

I look forward to greeting you in Chapel Hill April 13-16 for the annual meeting. Remember that abstracts are due Friday, January 20, 2023.

Happy New Year and Best Wishes.

Tim