{ from the editor } by Douglas Wyckoff, DDS • Editor 2020 Reflection, Acknowledgement T
he year 2020 has been, without a doubt, a year for the record books. I am hopeful that in the future we will be able to look back and say, “We made it!” It has presented many hurdles for us to deal with,
not only on a professional level, but our personal lives as well. COVID-19 will win the award for the largest hurdle this year, but the contested presidential election is not far behind in rank. As this tumultuous year winds down, I have taken some extra time to look back at it and some of those hurdles and how we were able to jump over them. It has become quite obvious that you and I haven’t done it alone. Every step of the way, we have had someone or some group help us negotiate this obstacle course.
As I go back to the first of the year and look at what we were facing in the state and national dental associations, the future was looking pretty tough as it relates to membership. A changing dues structure was looming, an ageing membership base was shifting into a different category and the possibility of a decline in membership numbers were posing a threat. Then at the end of February and be- ginning of March, we throw in a worldwide pandemic that shut down the majority of dental offices in the U.S. The ADA and MDA boards could have easily thrown up their arms and let fate take its course, but you know what? They did the exact opposite. They hit the ground running and carved out a huge amount of their personal time to help ensure and guide the future for all dentists, whether or not they were members. Zoom meetings became the norm and the frequency for many was at least weekly if not more. Looking back, I am so thank- ful for all the men and women who devote so much of their precious time to make all of our practices a better place to be.
The ADA and MDA Board of Trustees rely heavily on the next group we need to thank—and that is the men and women who devote countless hour to serving as part of the ADA House of Delegates. I have had the opportunity over my career to serve in that capacity a couple times on the national level and several times on the state level. This year as an alternate delegate for the Sixth District, I was able to see once again how devoted and diligent these individuals are to en- suring the business of the association is handled professionally. They spent the better part of four days in Zoom reference committee meet- ings and House sessions. The final day of the ADA House, your volun- teers spent 10½ hours on a video presentation of the Board—you read that right … in front of their computer, making sure that what was happening would be best for your profession. The MDA House is no different. Even though the amount of business is scaled down on the state level, many spend countless hour working to ensure our associa- tion keeps moving forward.
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Dentist volunteers do the functional part of getting things done. They are able to leave their professional life and step into leadership roles swiftly. The only way this can happen is with endless hours of behind- the-scenes work from the ADA and MDA teams. There is absolutely no way business could get accomplished as efficiently as it does with- out them. During the early part of the year, when there were more questions than answers, those persons absolutely worked their tails off making sure answers were figured out to all the questions. They were able to get the resources we needed to ensure our practices were able to remain viable and that we were able to protect our teams and patients. They were ready at the drop of a hat to answer questions and take on the challenges that came up every day. In most cases this was occurring from their homes as offices were shut down. They gave up valuable personal time to make sure that our associations were providing what the membership needed. They did this without being told to do it. They took the situation and handled it. The same goes for both House of Delegate meetings. Hosting a “virtual” meeting with the amount of people that were involved is a monumental task, working to make sure everything went off without a hitch. Many ku- dos to both association teams, especially our MDA team that shined above all when they were needed. We graciously thank you for all you do and have done to make the MDA what it is today.
What will the New Year hold? I hope and pray we have a much quieter year in which we can get back out and see each other, shake hands, dine together and share the camarade- rie that is such a value to all of us. Have a great rest of the year and God bless you in 2021! f
