Eyeworld

24 | EYEWORLD | JUNE 2022 ASCRS NEWS Contact Rhee: Douglas.Rhee@UHhospitals.org has been a leader in advocating for the benefit of our patients and our practitioners. Furthermore, the domestic and interna- tional branches of the ASCRS Foundation have directly benefited thousands of patients within the U.S. and tens of thousands both directly and indirectly internationally through our numerous endeavors over the years. EyeWorld: What do you hope to focus your time on as president? Dr. Rhee: I think that our field continues to face both the direct effect of the global pan- demic and some of the secondary effects, which include a nationwide labor shortage affecting ophthalmology along with numerous sectors within our economy. In addition, we have had changes to reimbursement and regulation that impact our ability to provide the best and high- est level of care in an efficient and safe manner. I'm hoping that during my tenure as president, we will be able to bring to fruition the culmina- tion of some initiatives that have been ongoing for several years, in particular those utilizing science and evidence to improve the care of patients, improve accessibility to the best treatments, and provide the best value for our patients. We also hope to increase consciousness of the environmental impact the practice of ophthalmology has and positively improve that footprint. There are two initiatives that I hope will come to fruition: our continued progress in de- veloping a standard of care for endophthalmitis prophylaxis following cataract surgery and pro- viding evidence to study the safety and necessi- ty of our need to reduce unnecessary waste. We will continue to work with the various state and federal legislative bodies to optimize equitable access to the best level of eyecare for all our patients. EyeWorld: What do you see as the future of ASCRS? Dr. Rhee: Since our founding in 1974, the organization has been at the leading edge of cataract education and has made a commitment to educating practicing ophthalmologists with Interview with new ASCRS President Douglas Rhee, MD D ouglas Rhee, MD, became president of ASCRS at the 2022 ASCRS Annual Meeting. He spoke with EyeWorld about his thoughts on the current and future state of the society and his insights on ophthalmology as a whole. EyeWorld: How and when did you first become involved with ASCRS? Dr. Rhee: I first started coming to the ASCRS Annual Meeting in 1999. I was a senior resident. It happened to be in Philadelphia, and that's where I was doing my residency, so I decided to check it out. I became involved with the organi- zation itself when I was invited by Reay Brown, MD, to serve on the Glaucoma Clinical Commit- tee in 2006. EyeWorld: Over this time, what drove your continued engagement with ASCRS? Dr. Rhee: Number one, it was the people. I felt that the organization valued my contributions and participation. Second, the ethos of ASCRS and the educational content that we provide is very cutting edge and practical. It hits the but- ton of innovation, but ASCRS is also incredibly practical. It's information that I can take home immediately after returning from the meeting and apply to the benefit of my patients and my practice. Many of the techniques that I routinely use were learned from my colleagues at ASCRS. EyeWorld: What have been some of ASCRS' highlight initiatives in recent years? Dr. Rhee: Our first mission is always to educate, and we have had great success with providing practical and cutting-edge information. I think that we do a great job with hands-on, skills transfer courses. ASCRS has also provided multiple venues at the national and regional level and at times in collaboration with international, like-minded societies to provide a collegial and convivial atmosphere in order to exchange information. In terms of advocacy, we need to have the infrastructure and support in order to deliver the best practice medical care. I think ASCRS Douglas Rhee, MD

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