A Message From Our President

Karl L. Hoffman, DDS

Dear IAG Members,

It is a genuine honor to write to you for the first time as your president. My own IAG story began in 1995, at the Hotel del Coronado, where I presented my first table clinic alongside my study club colleagues — and I have not missed a Congress since. Over the years since, I have presented four table clinics, had the privilege of serving as your program chair three times and co-chair three times, and the honor of addressing the academy from the podium twice. But the titles were never the point. For more than thirty years this academy has been my dental home — the place where I have learned the most, and where my closest friendships in dentistry were made. I am grateful for your trust, and I will do my best to earn it over the next two years.

THANK YOU
First, my thanks to all of you who worked very hard to make our 2026 Congress at Cedarbrook Lodge a success. I want to extend a special thanks to Eric McRory and Yves Smith, who went way above and beyond their assigned duties to ensure the success of the congress. This is a success we are going to build upon.

THE TEAM WORKING FOR YOU
I also want you to know the team you have working for you, because I could not be more pleased with them. Tim Hess, our president-elect, has been a star on the program committee for several congresses and continues to be one — and he is already deep in the work. Eric McRory keeps our finances straight as secretary-treasurer. Dana Fuhrmann chairs the Scientific Program Committee, and she is already building an all-star cast for the 2028 program. Frank Calvo, a newcomer to academy leadership, chairs Local Arrangements, and he is going to do a fantastic job — his committee is every member of the Pacific Northwest Gnathologic Study Club based in Seattle. Neil Griseto serves as scientific co-chair, and Yves Smith keeps our website running. Heath Balch serves as a director and chairs our Membership Committee — which, in my opinion, is the most important committee in this academy. And Dave Cagna, who has worn just about every hat this academy owns, serves as director emeritus. I must also mention Dr. Antonella Botto, who serves this academy three ways at once — as our JPD liaison, and as a member of both the Program Committee and the Membership Committee. Every one of these officers is enthusiastic, every one of them is pulling in the same direction, and it is a pleasure to work with them. This academy runs on volunteers, and right now your volunteers are working in harmony.

TWO JOBS FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS
That harmony matters, because we have set ourselves two clear jobs for the next two years: run this academy efficiently, and grow our membership. On efficiency: nobody at the IAG draws a salary, so every dollar of dues and every hour of volunteer time should go where members can see it — into the congress, into education, and into each other. We are doing our board business by Zoom so decisions do not wait for the next meeting. We have put named people on named jobs, with committees small enough to actually get things done. And we are simplifying wherever we can, starting with how dues are structured and billed. On membership: our goal is 60 to 65 active members by September 2028, and 50 paid attendees at the 2028 Congress. Those are deliberately reachable numbers, and here is how we get there. Heath Balch's Membership Committee — Heath, Antonella Botto, Neil Griseto, and Alan Brodine, with the officers serving ex officio — is reaching out personally to former members whose participation we have missed, to invite them back. Not a mass mailing: a personal call or text from someone who knows them. If you have been away from the academy for a while, consider this my personal invitation as well. The door is open, and we would be glad to see you.

THE IAG SPIRIT
And I want to single out two men whose enthusiasm for this work has been an inspiration to me: Dr. Alan Brodine and Dr. Jim Metz. Alan serves on the Membership Committee, and Jim has personally written welcome letters to each of our newest members, telling them in his own words what this academy has meant in his life. When senior members step forward like that — not because they were asked to fill a seat, but because they believe in this place — the rest of us cannot help but be energized. That is the IAG spirit at its best. Why does this matter so much? Because what has always separated our academy from all the others is the close friendships. Any organization can offer lectures. We offer one another: mentors who shaped us, colleagues who challenge us, and friends who are still in our corner thirty years later. When you walk into an IAG congress, you are walking into a room full of friends. That is worth protecting — and it is worth growing, so that another generation of dentists can find here what we have found.

WELCOME TO OUR NEWEST MEMBERS
I am delighted to welcome the six newest members of the academy: Dr. Seth Atkins, Dr. Larysa Filippenkova, Dr. Pelin Inan Kurugol, Dr. Julie Mitchell, Dr. Ruhi Patel, and Dr. Chaksom Kanchanachongkol. Several of them presented at the 2026 Congress — Seth and Julie both gave presentations — and Dr. Kanchanachongkol received this year's William McHorris Award. Please join me in welcoming them when you see them, and in thanking the senior members who have written to them personally. FROM THE BOARD I am also pleased to report that the board has elected Dr. Antonella Botto to fill the open seat on the Board of Directors. Antonella already serves the academy as our JPD liaison and on the Membership Committee, and we are fortunate to have her. CONGRESS XXXIII — SEPTEMBER 15–17, 2028 And now the main event we are all working toward. The 2028 Congress will be held September 15–17, 2028, at Cedarbrook Lodge, and we have reshaped the weekend with working dentists in mind: the IAG Masters Symposium — a Friday program of our own member speakers — on Friday, the congress itself on Saturday and Sunday, our cocktail party Friday evening, and the gala ball on Saturday night. The main congress now falls on a weekend, so attending costs you no days away from your practice. Dana and her committee are assembling a program worthy of this academy, and I hope every one of you is already planning to be there. The academy will also be taking its story to our colleagues in operative dentistry: look for the IAG exhibit table at the Academy of Operative Dentistry meeting in Chicago this February.

NEW THIS YEAR
And those are not the only new things coming. We have all kinds of exciting new ideas in motion for this academy. One starts soon, and it is free: beginning with the November 13 study-club lecture, selected lectures are being broadcast on Zoom for IAG members. It is a small way of saying that membership should bring you something all year long, not just on congress weekend — and it is only the beginning.

A WORD ABOUT DUES
And one more piece of news — one I believe will shape this academy's future. For 2026, we already lowered dues by a thousand dollars, because this board believes the academy should be within reach of every dentist who wants to belong. The new dues structure carries that work forward, and I believe it simply makes sense: it will make our academy more prosperous in every way that counts — stronger membership, fuller congresses, and a healthier bank account — so that the IAG we love stands strong for the next generation. You will find the details in a separate article in this issue. And we have made it a genuine no-brainer for our retired members to return to the congress: dues of just $50 a year, and congress tuition of only $450. If you have been away, we have made it easy to come home. If you have ideas for the academy — a speaker you would like to hear, a colleague we should invite, a way we could do anything better — my door is open, and so is my inbox. This academy has always been at its best when its members take part. Thank you for the privilege of serving as your president. I look forward to the next two years, and to seeing you at Cedarbrook in 2028. Best wishes! Karl Hoffman President, International Academy of Gnathology

Best wishes!
Karl Hoffman
President, International Academy of Gnathology