Eyeworld

26 | EYEWORLD | DECEMBER 2021 ASCRS NEWS Dr. Al-Mohtaseb first got involved with ASCRS when she was a medical student at Baylor Col- lege of Medicine. "I did my first poster about 15 years ago at [the ASCRS Annual Meeting]," she said. "This continued throughout residency, then Elizabeth Yeu, MD, who was a fellow at Baylor when I was a medical student, got me involved with the Young Eye Surgeons [YES]. It was a great opportunity." Dr. Al-Mohtaseb said when first going to meetings, it can be hard to break the ice. She said getting involved early on in her career with the YES Clinical Committee was an amazing opportunity. "I was able to present in the [YES] symposium, was part of webinars, and I met a lot of committee members and those active in leadership. I think it boosted my career, and it also felt like a great way of giving back on a national scale." While Dr. Al-Mohtaseb does a lot with education at Baylor, she said you only affect a certain number of residents at a time. What she loves about ASCRS and the YES Clinical Committee is the opportunity to educate on a national scale and work with people who are getting started in their careers. She said there's something amazing about working with people who have the same men- tality, who love the field, who want to make a difference in patients' lives, and who are com- mitted to educating peers. For those in their first 5 years of practice after training, Dr. Al-Mohtaseb said she thinks joining the ASCRS YES activities is beneficial. "Just saying you're interested in helping out is a great way to start getting involved," she said. As the YES Clinical Committee chair, Dr. Al-Mohtaseb said she can see how supportive everyone is with ideas. She wants to continue the YES Clinical Committee's prior efforts in clinical and surgical training but would also like to focus on mentorship, networking, working with industry, and other soft skills that aren't always discussed or taught in residency. "It's also important to increase diversity with those on our committee and create op- portunities for them," she said. This includes diversity in gender and ethnicity as well as the type of ophthalmology being practiced and work setting. "This is my favorite committee position, and I'm excited about it. I hope to make a differ- ence, make my previous mentors and people who have gotten me involved proud, and be able to do the same for others," she said. by Ellen Stodola Editorial Co-Director New ASCRS leadership reflects broader diversity in ophthalmology In order to reflect the importance of gender diversity across the field of ophthalmology, ASCRS now has a number of women at the fore- front of the organization, taking on leadership roles in key committees and executive positions. They spoke to EyeWorld about their engage- ment with the society and how others can get involved as well. continued on page 28 E ach year there are changes to the ASCRS Executive Committee and Clinical Committees that reinforce the society's commitment to advanc- ing leadership opportunities. One-year terms on the Executive Committee and regular rotation on Clinical Committees create an at- mosphere where new leadership is fostered and where the changing demographics of the field as a whole are demonstrated. Contact Al-Mohtaseb: zaina1225@gmail.com Farid: mfarid@uci.edu McCabe: cmccabe13@hotmail.com Weng: christina.weng@bcm.edu Yeu: eyeulin@gmail.com Zaina Al-Mohtaseb, MD Chair Young Eye Surgeons (YES) Clinical Committee

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