EyeWorld is the official news magazine of the American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery.
Issue link: https://digital.eyeworld.org/i/137624
12 EW NEWS & OPINION June 2013 ASCRS president lays out Society's 'noble goals' Outgoing ASCRS president David F. Chang, MD, welcomes incoming president Eric D. Donnenfeld, MD, at the 2013 ASCRS Opening General Session. Source: EyeWorld Editors' note: This is a reprint of Dr. Donnenfeld's speech as he took the helm of ASCRS at the 2013 annual meeting. I would like to begin by acknowledging the remarkable contributions David F. Chang, MD, has made to ASCRS as president. At ASCRS there is a long lineage of legendary ophthalmologists who have been pioneers in our field. It is my privilege and honor to acknowledge Dr. Chang among these exceptional individuals. The world of medicine continues to evolve. In many ways, to paraphrase Dickens, this is the best of times and the worst of times. Substantial changes in healthcare delivery, access to patients, and monitoring are impacting the daily lives of every ophthalmologist and, most importantly, the patients we care for. These are complex and confusing times in medicine. As practic- ing ophthalmologists, we must require our national societies to step forward, represent our needs, voice our opinions, and demonstrate leadership based on what is in the best interest of our patients. We need our societies to educate the ophthalmologists of today and tomorrow. In fact, this is exactly what ASCRS has been doing and what we will continue to do. We understand your concerns and recognize your challenges. Government intervention, electronic medical records, and everincreasing patient expectations coupled with declining reimbursement are issues we all face. ASCRS advocates for our patients and for access to the innovation that will directly benefit them. When the FDA called for a panel to evaluate LASIK, ASCRS provided the leadership that resulted in the FDA reaffirming its endorsement of this procedure. When the first presbyopic IOLs became available, ASCRS was the one society that signed the petition supporting the premium IOL pathway. As ophthalmologists, we commit our daily lives to the advancement of our field, and ASCRS is committed to us. There is extraordinary greatness in our profession. Cataract and refractive surgery have never been safer or more effective. The face of ophthalmology is also changing. Women now represent 50% of all ophthalmology residency graduates. ASCRS embraces the diversity of the personal choices of today's ophthalmologists, including flexible hours, part-time employment, and leaves of absence. To recent graduates and those of you in training, we welcome you to ASCRS. Here we will help you find the answers you seek as you begin a remarkable journey. In a recent ASCRS Young Physicians and Residents Committee publication, 60% of residents had not implanted a toric IOL and more than 75% had not implanted a presbyopia-correcting IOL, nor had they performed LASIK or PRK. To address this situation and augment your training, a new residents' mentor program has been created under the leadership of Edward Holland, MD, and Bonnie An Henderson, MD. ASCRS is here to provide value with state-of-the-art education by the best in our field to help you enhance your skills. The manner in which ASCRS interacts with its members is changing. We asked you in a recent membership survey to tell us the issues you find most challenging. Your responses are our blueprint as we move forward. You want more information about electronic medical records, so we have provided courses and symposia that address EMR. You told us that surgical management in glaucoma and cornea is an exciting new area of interest, and ASCRS is taking the lead in educating you about new technologies. The Glaucoma and Cornea Clinical Committees along with the Cornea Society have turned Glaucoma Day and Cornea Day into two of the largest and best specialty meetings in the world. We are the leaders in teaching femtosecond cataract and minimally invasive glaucoma surgery. The ASCRS Advisory Panel is being launched to help identify industry trends, provide direction for educational programming, and serve as a voice for all anterior segment eye surgeons. We are also renovating the ASCRS website and embarking on exciting new initiatives that will bring video content, news, and information directly to you. As the new president of ASCRS, I am committed to preserving and enhancing the ASCRS legacy of excellence, innovation, compassion, and patient care. We face challenging times, fast-paced change, and amazing opportunities, and ASCRS is poised to listen to your concerns, respond to your questions, and act on your behalf. We are all bound by the passion to advance surgery, to improve the vision and quality of life of our patients, to abolish all forms of blindness. With dedication and perseverance, together we can accomplish these noble goals. EW Contact information Donnenfeld: ericdonnenfeld@gmail.com