The beauty of San Francisco will be on display during the 2011 AAO-HNSF Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO, September 11-14 at the Moscone Center.

The AAO-HNSF 2011 Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO will be in San Francisco, one of the truly international cities in the U.S., so the meeting will have a worldly and inclusive flavor, but also a touch of the American West for the thousands of international visitors attending.

The Annual Meeting, September 11-14 at the Moscone Center, will feature a special Western American theme, international events, and, of course, the latest research and education opportunities in otolaryngology—head and neck surgery.

"We are trying to make this an inclusive meeting," said AAO-HNS President J. Regan Thomas, MD. "We typically have a large number of people attending from around world. This year, our venue is in San Francisco, and we are emphasizing the inclusive collegiality of otolaryngology. We are hoping to have several thousand international people attending."

Five "guest" countries —Australia, France, Germany, Japan, and Switzerland — will be recognized for the professional efforts of their members in the specialty, and numerous physicians from Mexico, Central America, and South America will also attend, he said.

"We are highlighting a number of international activities in parts of our program — socially and in educational aspects. We will have a specific session devoted to presentations from our counterparts," Dr. Thomas said, adding that the International Reception the night of September 13 will honor ENTs from around the world.

The Opening Ceremony will add the country American flavor at 8:30 a.m. September 11 when Carin Mari & Pony Express provides the entertainment. Mari was the North America Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year in 2009 for traditional country music.

J. Regan Thomas, MD

"It is just for fun, and it will show the rest of world something that is very American," Dr. Thomas said. "She is a very good singer with songs on the charts. We are lucky to have her to help set a Western tone, which I think will be memorable for our international attendees."

The Opening Ceremony will also feature a non-traditional tone in a traditional meeting highlight, the John Conley Lectureship on Medical Ethics. Hearing-impaired actress Marlee Matlin will deliver the address. Matlin, who won a Best Actress Oscar for her film debut in Children of a Lesser God, has starred in many movies and on television.

"She will speak on issues of being deaf in America, how she has interacted as a deaf individual with the otolaryngology world," Dr. Thomas said.

The days that follow the Opening Ceremony will feature numerous lectures and education sessions that will address many of the hot topics in the specialty, he said. Highlights will include four other Honorary Guest Lectures, scientific oral presentations, miniseminars, scientific posters, and instruction courses.

"We are covering all aspects of the specialty and no one is being overlooked," he said. "We made a point to have the best and the brightest, including a number of international people making presentations. This is a meeting where everything is being covered extensively, both in terms of overt presentations along with instructional courses."

The learning experience extends to the exhibits, where 300 vendors will participate in the OTO EXPO from September 11 through September 14.

"The exhibitors range from pharmaceutical companies to surgical instrumentation, but also include companies with services useful to our physicians, such as electronic medical records. One of the educational highlights is to see what is available," Dr. Thomas said.

Topping it all is the location of the 2011 Annual Meeting — San Francisco.

"There is not a better place in the world than San Francisco for convention and hotel facilities," Dr. Thomas said. "Moscone Center is a top-notch meeting area with more than 25 hotels in the area. San Francisco is famous for its restaurants, museums, and tourist activities. It's a fun place to be, and it's going to be a great place for the meeting."