Eyeworld

32 | EYEWORLD | APRIL 2023 ASCRS NEWS ASCRS ANNUAL MEETING PREVIEW About the physician Douglas Rhee, MD Professor and Chair Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, Ohio which began under my predecessor, Richard Hoffman, MD, was the passage of the new bylaws at the 2022 ASCRS Annual Meeting. The executive leadership of ASCRS has been moving toward updating these bylaws for the last couple of years. The important part of this update involved term limits and the creation of the Nominating Committee, and open calls to the membership for involvement, all in response to the membership's feedback over many years. This Society is much more inclusive, and that is now codified in the bylaws. The updating and passage of these bylaws was a major inflection point for the Society. In addition, there is the success of the Government Relations Department and the grassroots efforts of physicians in overturning the prior authorization put in place for cataract surgery by Aetna. This problematic policy was established by Aetna in July 2021, and after a yearlong effort by ASCRS and others, it was rescinded in July 2022. I think ASCRS has continued to be part of the post-pandemic recovery for the ophthalmic community. It doesn't matter what practice setting you're in, 2022 has been one of the most challenging economic times in the history of modern medicine, combined with the challeng- es the great resignation thrust upon us. In the face of that, ASCRS has always been the pioneer in education and educational formats. In 2020, we were the first major ophthalmic society meeting to be virtual. In 2021, we were the first major society meeting to be in person again. In 2022, even in the face of the most challeng- ing year in medicine, we had a very successful meeting. That helped our ophthalmologists and ASOA members live and create the new normal. There is wonderful educational content throughout the lecture halls, the symposia, the courses, but it's all those interactions that you cannot script, that you do not plan for, that do not naturally occur in a virtual environment but do occur in person in the hallway. There is that informal interaction between the speakers and the learners that cannot be replicated virtually, and that is invaluable to education, skills trans- fer, and professional comradery. Douglas Rhee, MD, reflects on his year as ASCRS president continued on page 34 EyeWorld: What have you gained from your expe- rience being so involved with ASCRS? Dr. Rhee: I am extraordi- narily grateful to ASCRS on a number of levels. From a clinical sense, the field has changed over the last 2.5 decades since I was in my glaucoma fellowship and residency. Our techniques have gotten better, and we've intro- duced a lot of new instrumentation, both in cat- aract and glaucoma. I learned all the new and advanced techniques through my involvement in ASCRS. It has made me a better surgeon and allowed me to take care of my patients better and offer them more options. I've also met people through ASCRS who have socially and academically enriched me, fostering collaboration on the scientific and educational front that I wouldn't have neces- sarily been involved with otherwise. It was also the Society that allowed me the opportunities to speak, which were vital to my educational career. Furthermore, it gave me leadership oppor- tunities. Even when I was a committee member, I had the opportunity to create and lead edu- cational activities. These allowed me to further progress to other leadership roles within the Society, and it was incredibly helpful to my development as an educational leader. There are tremendous role models within ASCRS for me to look up to and do my best to emulate clinically, educationally, and from a leadership perspective. I'm very dedicated to ASCRS because of what it has given to me over the years. What- ever level of service that I have provided to ASCRS, not just as president but throughout my career, pales in comparison to what I have been given and have been able to offer to my patients. EyeWorld: What do you think have been among the biggest accomplishments of the Society this year? Dr. Rhee: It might have slipped under the radar for some, but I think the most prominent thing that happened during my tenure as president,

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