Eyeworld

88 September 2014 EW MEETING REPORTER She began by asking the audience if they could guess the world's population. The correct answer? There are 7.8 billion people in the world. She also asked the audience to guess how many documented languages are spoken across the globe. The correct number is 2,800. "The significance of this, as we talk about culture and communication, is important," she said. In healthcare, cultural differences are of special importance because of the impact on patient care and staff interaction. She advised the audience to be aware of cultural differences, especially going into the future, for the best communication and results. Leadership panel focuses on 'creating a path to the podium' Ophthalmic Women Leaders (OWL) presented a leadership panel focusing on "Raising Our Voices: Expanding Women's Presence at the Podium in Ophthalmology." Jan Beiting, Raleigh-Durham, N.C., past president of OWL, opened the session by giving an overview of the "Pathway to the Podium Initiative," a collaborative effort between OWL and WIO to investigate women's podium presence in ophthalmology and educate women about how they can become speakers and key opinion leaders in their fields. Linda Christmann, MD, Bradenton, Fla., presented "Women at the Podium Today," an analysis of women's podium presence at ophthalmic society meetings in the last 12 months. The percentage of women speakers varied by meeting and subspecialty, but overall, "women are still underrepresented on the podium and especially at high-profile presentations," she said. Ms. Beiting then presented "Why Podium Diversity Matters," explaining that demographics are shifting—women will soon represent 40% of all ophthalmologists, according to results from the 2014 ASCRS Clinical Survey. As a result, professional societies and industry should pay attention if they want to stay relevant to this changing audience. The session included a panel discussion moderated by Molly Schar, Washington, D.C., executive director of OWL. Panelists Ms. Beiting, Kathryn Colby, MD, PhD, Boston, and Susan Orr, OD, Titusville, N.J., discussed the benefits of having more women at the podium with diverse perspectives. Session highlights charitable eyecare programs at home and abroad Two surgeons shared their personal experiences and pearls for taking part in humanitarian eyecare projects in the U.S. and internationally. Alan Crandall, MD, Salt Lake City, presented "Empowering Women to be Involved and Create Charitable Organizations." He underscored the unique opportunity that ophthalmologists have in ending the cycle of poverty—especially in developing nations. He described efforts to alleviate poverty in areas of sub-Saharan Africa that failed without eyecare providers because 30% of the population was either blind or caring for the blind. "You can't break the cycle without those of us in this room," he said. Dr. Crandall recommended that to start out, ophthalmologists should think about their own capabilities— how much time and energy they can dedicate to a project and whether they can organize it themselves or need outside help. Also in the session, Reena Sethi, MD, New Delhi, India, presented "Reaching the Unreached: The Arunodaya Saga," the story of the Arunodaya Charitable Trust, a program started by Dr. Sethi and her husband to end preventable blindness in New Delhi. The program consists of mobile eye camps and charitable surgeries that are performed at the Arunodaya Deseret Eye Hospital. Reporting from the Women in Ophthalmology 2014 Summer Reporting from the Women in Ophthalmology 2014 Summer Symposium, Leesburg, Va., August 8–10, 2014 T he Women in Ophthalmology (WIO) 2014 Summer Symposium opened with an introduction from Mildred M.G. Olivier, MD, Hoffman Estates, Ill., president of WIO, and Lama Al-Aswad, MD, New York, Summer Symposium chair. Both Drs. Olivier and Al-Aswad welcomed attendees to the 17th annual meeting of Women in Ophthalmology, held in Leesburg, Va. "With this meeting, we provide the opportunity to network nationally and internationally with other key opinion leaders around the world," said Dr. Al-Aswad. Opening session focuses on leadership, conflict, and negotiation Pamela Palanque-North, PhD, New York, led the meeting's opening session, "Negotiation and Conflict Resolution." The workshop engaged attendees in a discussion about leadership, conflict, and negotiation in order to build a repertoire of tools, skills, and techniques for handling conflict and negotiations, both in personal and professional settings. When it comes to conflict and negotiation, the discussion often falls on the qualities of leadership, Dr. Palanque-North said, so she defined 5 practices that exemplary leaders have in common. "Leadership is observable, and leadership is learned," she explained. "We're not born with a big 'L' on our foreheads. It is cultivated, it is sponsored, and it takes time." Dr. Palanque-North discussed different cultural perspectives on conflict and introduced the concept of principled negotiation, highlighting the need to separate people from problems and to focus on the interests that underlie an individual's position. Later in the morning, Dr. Palanque-North presented "Cultural Communications: Patients and Colleagues from Other Cultures," an interactive workshop that encouraged participation from the audience. Supported by Allergan

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