Declan Costello,
MA, MBBS, FRCS(ORL-HNS),
Editor, ENT & Audiology News;
Consultant Ear, Nose and Throat Surgeon,
Wexham Park Hospital,
Slough, Berkshire, UK.
The year 2020 will go down in history as one of the most traumatic ever seen on the global scale. In differing ways, the coronavirus pandemic will have affected almost every person on the planet. As we begin 2021 with a renewed sense of optimism, there are reasons to be hopeful, particularly with the implementation of vaccination programmes around the world: although it will probably be many months before we return to some semblance of normality, we do at least appear to have a pathway to achieve this.
With the advent of the new year and the prospect of a brighter 12 months ahead of us, now is a good time to look to the future. For Jan/Feb 2021, the focus is ‘New Landscapes in ENT and Audiology’. In a series of articles, we look at the changing landscape and the future of both specialties. Twelve months ago, nobody had even heard of the expression ‘social distancing’, but we now take it for granted that face-to-face interactions should be limited, if at all possible. We all now accept that digital meetings are here to stay – and, in many ways, have significant advantages. Perhaps unsurprisingly, therefore, many of our articles focus on technological changes that have facilitated distanced teaching, consultations and treatment.
As regular readers will know, our Global Ambassadors are our ‘eyes and ears’ around the world, providing us with insights into their own regions. For several years, Harvey Coates (Australia) has been our representative in Australasia. He has been a superb colleague in this role, particularly in his continuing involvement with the scholarships for the Tarabichi-Stammberger Ear and Sinus Institute, which we are very proud to promote. Harvey is stepping down from his role as a Global Ambassador, and we are delighted to welcome Zahoor Ahmad (New Zealand) to take over. Welcome Zahoor – it’s great to have you on board, and we look forward to hearing of news from your region. As ever, please do make contact with our Global Ambassadors (or us) if you have any news you think we should cover.
KJ Lee is a name familiar to otolaryngologists around the world, and a memoir of his life and times is reviewed by our good friend Shahed Quraishi. It sounds like a fascinating read and gives insights into an inspirational life and career.
