Eyeworld

Cornea Society News – published quarterly by the Cornea Society 6 Cornea Society University update C ornea Society University (CSU), the Cornea Society's newest initiative, was first launched at the 2015 Cor- nea Fellows Educational Summit. CSU was developed to help fill in the gaps in our current educational model to provide education, career guidance, and mentorship for cornea fellows and young cornea specialists. Due to the overwhelmingly positive feedback, we decided to make CSU a permanent part of the Cornea Fellows Educational Summit as well as a year- long educational platform for cornea fellows and young cornea special- ists. Through monthly e-newsletters that feature articles addressing both clinical education and career devel- opment, CSU will provide an ongoing education throughout the academic year. The first CSU e-newsletter was launched this past October. In the first issue of the e-newsletter, the clinical education focused on DSAEK techniques, complications, and out- comes with a CSU VideoEd by Anthony Aldave, MD. The career development column concentrated on practice build- ing. Many of us learned about practice building the hard way, through trial by fire. This column offered great prac- tice building pearls from slightly older ophthalmologists (those in practice 5–10 years) related to referring doctors, social media, and patient care. Every practice will be different depending on practice location, practice setting, referral pat- terns, and patient population but these pearls can be applied across a wide range of settings. In the second issue, building upon the first issue's VideoEd focused on DSAEK, we featured a CSU VideoEd by W. Barry Lee, MD, describing the tran- sition from DSAEK to DMEK. The career development content focused on surviv- ing your first solo surgery after fellow- ship. Most of us will struggle through our first solo surgery as a new attending no matter how much we prepare and plan ahead of time. In this column, we offered advice focused on preparation, time management, case selection, and post-analysis, to help smooth the tran- sition. In the third issue, we shifted away from posterior lamellar surgery to focus on DALK, an anterior lamellar kera- toplasty, with a CSU VideoEd by Dr. Aldave. The career development column featured an article on global medicine. According to the World Health Orga- nization (WHO), 285 million people worldwide are visually impaired, with many affected by cataracts and corneal pathology. 1 One of the great benefits of being a cornea, refractive, and anterior segment surgeon is the ability to use our clinical and surgical skills abroad. Rober- to Pineda, MD, Grace Sun, MD, and Dr. Aldave offered new graduates advice on getting involved in global medicine. There are many great opportunities to make a difference abroad, even as a trainee or new graduate. In the fourth issue, the clinical education focused on artificial corneal transplantation with a CSU VideoEd fea- turing Kathryn Colby, MD, discussing the Boston Keratoprosthesis. The career development content featured an article on how to survive your first three years in practice. The first few years on your own can be quite overwhelming. Even though you have spent countless years preparing to practice independently, you may feel like you are being thrown into the deep end before you have learned how to swim on your own. Bradley Gustave, MD, and Zaina Al-Mohtaseb, MD, two of my colleagues who are cur- rently surviving their first three years of practice, offered advice for new gradu- ates. Developing good habits early on is crucial. You are laying the groundwork for a hopefully long and fulfilling career. In the fifth issue, the clinical education shifted away from corneal transplantation to focus on refractive surgery with a CSU VideoEd given by Deepinder Dhaliwal, MD. The career development content focused on work- life balance. Achieving work-life balance can seem like an impossible task with all of our competing priorities. It is a constantly evolving process that needs to be reassessed and readjusted often. A national survey conducted a few years ago evaluated burnout and work-life balance among physicians. Although ophthalmologists fared slightly better than all physicians, there was still a high percentage of ophthalmologists who reported burnout symptoms (43.4%) and dissatisfaction with work-life balance (43.2%). 2 I asked Preeya Gupta, MD, and Dr. Colby, two great physicians who seem to juggle it all, for advice and insight for new graduates. CSU will continue to provide a yearlong education addressing both clin- ical education and career development for cornea fellows and young cornea specialists. We will eventually shift from monthly e-newsletters to a more interac- tive platform where cornea fellows and young cornea specialists can engage in dialogue and interactive educational ac- tivities on a daily basis. I hope that CSU will help fill in the gaps in our current educational model to provide ongoing education, guidance, and mentorship throughout the year. CN 1. www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs282/ en/ 2. Shanafelt, TD, et al. Burnout and satisfaction with work-life balance among US physicians relative to the general population. Arch Intern Med 2012;172(18):1377–1385. Contact information Ciralsky: jessciralsky@gmail.com

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