Eyeworld

48 | EYEWORLD | SPRING 2025 ASCRS NEWS Program Committee, designed to address the highest points of attendee interest and need, will be available. Sessions include beginner bootcamp, an advanced masterclass on finance, a session on practice culture, and a panel on customer service and patient access. These sessions, according to Ms. Perlberg, are a little longer (75 minutes) to give extra time to delve into these important topics. Another new-to-2025 feature are ASOA Masterclasses. "Every year, one of the most fre- quent bits of feedback we get is, 'We want more advanced classes.'" The Annual Meeting pro- gram team cultivated these classes with those who have been in practice for 20+ years, cre- ating high-level courses in the areas of finance, negotiations, leadership, and more. "Tiffany has worked to bring our Program Committee and our Education Committee in better alignment, so leading up to the Annual Meeting you'll see reflected in our webinars will be similar topics as those featured in sessions and masterclasses at the Annual Meeting. ASOA is singing the same tune throughout the year; we're building up to it before the Annual Meet- ing, the Annual Meeting will have this terrific programming, then coming out of the Annual Meeting, we will continue those themes," Ms. Gallihugh said. As a final word, Ms. Perlberg said Gretchen Kimble, JD, COE, Program Chair of the ASOA Annual Meeting, thinks the number one thing that sets ASOA apart is the networking and how it brings people together. "We're introduc- ing an attendee meet and greet this year," Ms. Perlberg said. "It will be on Friday right after the Featured Sessions. This will allow people to see who's at the meeting, visit with old friends, or if they're new, hopefully make some new ones who they can get to know throughout the meeting." ASOA Annual Meeting by the numbers Practice Management Courses: 78 Campfire Sessions: 6 Roundtables: 12 Featured Sessions: 4 General Sessions: 3 ASOA Exhibit Hall Exhibiting Partners: 2 continued from page 47 Contact Gatinel: gatinel@gmail.com continued from page 46 high-level computational modeling to real-world clinical challenges, he said. Dr. Gatinel plans to discuss advancements in wavefront analyzing to make it more clinical- ly relevant, as well as new aberration classifica- tions. Advancements in AI in the field also have a mathematical structure underneath, which he is interested in exploring. When he first began working in ophthalmology, biometry and aber- rometry were not so advanced, and he noted research in both of these areas. Dr. Gatinel also mentioned the importance of collaboration in research, particularly work- ing with mathematicians and other non-physi- cians; this often adds a fresh perspective. Beyond technical expertise, a mindset of curiosity and intellectual independence has shaped much of his work. A significant part of his research stems from a willingness to challenge established dogmas and approach problems from an unconventional, sometimes orthogonal perspective. He thinks that fostering a critical and original way of thinking is essen- tial, even if it means questioning long-standing principles. Dr. Gatinel emphasized the value of step- ping outside one's comfort zone, drawing inspiration from John F. Kennedy's famous "We choose to go to the moon" speech: We choose to do some things not because they are easy, but because they are hard. He thinks that pushing the boundaries of knowledge, even in the face of challenges or failures, ultimately leads to progress. Every effort made contributes to per- sonal and scientific growth, and even setbacks offer valuable lessons for the future.

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