Eyeworld

EW NEWS & OPINION 16 June 2016 were good, some bad, and that's OK. It was the sharing of information, it was the collegiality, it was people who work together to advocate for their patients. That's what started it. ASCRS has grown and been hugely successful, and I think we can be even more successful if we get more people involved. Examples would be getting involved in advo- cacy or with educational initiatives. The ASCRS Foundation is another area where people can get involved with either domestic initiatives, such as Operation Sight, or with interna- tional initiatives. Dr. Donnenfeld: Dr. Al-Mohtaseb, as a young ophthalmologist yourself, what do you think young oph- thalmologists are looking for in an organization? Dr. Al-Mohtaseb: I think young ophthalmologists look for mentor- ship and the ability to learn from people who have done this for years and have innovated in the field, and also being able to talk within them- selves as young ophthalmologists. They appreciate someone who has tried, for example, the new devices that are out there. I have noticed that with ASCRS and with the Young Eye Surgeons Clinical Committee, there's a significant interest in the wet lab sessions and the roundtable discussions where young surgeons can talk to the people who are on the podium face-to-face and ask questions. I also think one of the things that's been changing over time is the importance of digital resources and social media. Dr. Solomon: To that point, we're increasing the ways we can commu- nicate, modernizing. We released a new app. Did you check out the app at the meeting? Dr. Al-Mohtaseb: I did, and the YES Connect Lounge, too. That's going to be phenomenal to have that much access. Dr. Donnenfeld: What's the name of the new app? Dr. Solomon: The ASCRS•ASOA 365 App. It's going to be a means of communicating all year long. Then we have a new online Learning Center for all information from us about some of the initiatives that you feel will be important while you are the president of ASCRS. Dr. Solomon: I think that it's im- portant for the membership to get more involved in the society. The society formed when progressive in- dividuals got together to share ideas, often ideas that were out-of-the-box and new, way before they would ever [become] peer-reviewed. Some Carolina; Chair of the Young Eye Surgeons (YES) Clinical Committee Elizabeth Yeu, MD, Norfolk, Virginia; and YES Clinical Committee member Zaina Al-Mohtaseb, MD, Houston. The following is a transcript of their conversation. It has been edited to fit in the space available. Dr. Donnenfeld: First of all, thank you for coming. I'm going to start with Dr. Solomon. Dr. Solomon, tell E yeWorld's chief medical editor, Eric Donnenfeld, MD, Rockville Centre, New York, sat down with a few mem- bers of ASCRS at the recent ASCRS•ASOA Symposium & Congress in New Orleans to talk about getting in- volved with the society, the importance of young eye surgeons, and the meeting. This small roundtable discussion included ASCRS President Kerry Solomon, MD, Charleston South, Chief medical editor's corner of the world Discussion with the editor: Young surgeons, ASCRS, and more Dr. Al-Mohtaseb discusses issues important to young eye surgeons. Dr. Yeu shares some of the recent initiatives of the Young Eye Surgeons Clinical Committee.

• Cover