Eyeworld

10 | EYEWORLD | MAY 2019 ASCRS NEWS YES CONNECT Contact information Brissette: asb9040@med.cornell.edu Donnenfeld: ericdonnenfeld@gmail.com Perez-Straziota: straziotamd@gmail.com Solomon: kds@cepmd.com by Liz Hillman EyeWorld Senior Staff Writer (YES) programing. I followed the YES track in the program and attended didactic sessions, roundtables, and networking sessions. I learned more practical surgical and clinical pearls than I had at any other meeting by that point," she said. "Now, as an attending ophthalmologist, I encourage all of our residents and fellows to at- tend because I think it's a valuable experience." "This is the society for anterior segment surgeons, so if you want to be an anterior segment surgeon and further your career, this is the society for you," said Kerry Solomon, MD, a former ASCRS president who was passion- ate about getting young eye surgeons involved during his tenure. "The Annual Meeting is key, but throughout the year there are huge oppor- tunities and value adds for members. One, for example, is the peer-to-peer group that is part of EyeConnect. There are also opportunities to network and get together for satellite meetings." Eric Donnenfeld, MD, said the society is always looking for "dedicated individuals who want to make our organization better so that ASCRS can be a resource not just for people who want to become better surgeons, but also to be an avenue to make a difference in oph- thalmology and leave a mark on our profession. For ophthalmologists who are dedicated to improving quality of surgery, there is no better organization than ASCRS." W hen Claudia Perez-Straziota, MD, first attended the ASCRS ASOA Annual Meeting 11 years ago, she was not even a resident. She got hooked on the experi- ence of presenting research and almost every year since she has shared at least one paper. Once Dr. Perez-Straziota was in residency, she knew she wanted to focus on the anterior segment, making ASCRS a good fit. Of the fellows who took the 2018 ASCRS Clinical Survey, 63% said they joined ASCRS while in residency. Similarly, 67% of members who were within their first 5 years of practice joined during residency. Ashley Brissette, MD, joined ASCRS in her second year of residency. "I decided to become a member after attending my first meeting and was complete- ly blown away with the Young Eye Surgeons Young ophthalmologists on why they joined ASCRS About the doctors Ashley Brissette, MD Assistant professor of ophthalmology Weill Cornell Medicine New York Presbyterian Hospital New York Eric Donnenfeld, MD Clinical professor of ophthalmology New York University Ophthalmic Consultants of Long Island Garden City, New York Kerry Solomon, MD Carolina Eyecare Mount Pleasant, South Carolina Claudia Perez-Straziota, MD Clinical assistant professor of ophthalmology University of Southern California Shammas Eye Medical Center Los Angeles Financial interests Brissette: None Donnenfeld: None Perez-Straziota: Cole Eye Institute Solomon: None In this month's YES Connect column, Ashley Brissette, MD, Eric Donnenfeld, MD, Kerry Solomon, MD, and Claudia Perez-Straziota, MD, discuss the importance of involvement with ASCRS and how to be involved. According to the 2018 ASCRS Clinical Survey, most YES members joined during their residency train- ing. All of the discussants mentioned the importance of networking opportunities at the ASCRS ASOA Annual Meeting. Dr. Brissette discusses the YES track of courses geared toward members in training and those in their first 5 years of practice. Dr. Perez-Straziota points out the progression of learning that happens through attending the meetings over several years as she was training and is now in practice. The meeting also gives young surgeons exposure to experiences and approaches that they may not see at their own institu- tion. It is important to see how well-established surgeons continue to evolve and improve their own approaches —David Crandall, MD, YES Connect Co-Editor continued on page 12 "There are so many conferences in ophthalmology, but ASCRS stands out to me for the programming, networking, and Skills Transfer Labs." —Ashley Brissette, MD

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