Education in professional standards for the ethical practice of ophthalmology is one of the primary goals of the Ethics Committee.

The Bettman Ethics Education Lecture Program, recently renamed in honor of Dr. Bettman, the first chair of the Ethics Committee and the "father of the Academy's ethics program, offers a complimentary ethics lecture designed as a practical educational tool. This lecture program is made possible in part by unrestricted sponsorship from Alcon Laboratories, Inc. The lectures are presented by Ethics Committee members and staff and are designed as interactive courses that focus on topics unique to residency education and the practicing ophthalmologist. The program is easily tailored to meet the needs of the sponsoring organization with respect to topics and time commitment. Topics may include:

• Co-management
• Informed consent
• Gifts to physicians from industry
• Requirements for reporting impaired drivers
• Ramifications of reporting unethical conduct of superior staff
• Ethical implications in HIPAA
• Expert witness testimony

The program is comprised of a Power Point presentation followed by a Q&A period designed to encourage practical problem solving and explore some of the larger ethical concepts in greater detail. 

For more information, or to schedule a lecture program, contact the Academy ethics manager, Mara Pearse Burke at 319.351.0440 or via e-mail at ethics@aao.org.

Jerome W. Bettman, MD Ethics Education Lecture Program
Schedule of Events - 2008

Take advantage of the following part-day ethics presentations provided by the Ethics Committee of the American Academy of Ophthalmology in conjunction with the teaching institution or state/subspecialty society noted.  Often, these ethics presentations will confer hard-to-obtain ethics-specific CME. Please contact the individual program or society noted for more details on each specific presentation (and CME-related questions) or contact Ethics Committee staff for general questions at any time: ethics@aao.org.

Scheduled Lectures (schedule subject to change)

Texas Ophthalmological Society Annual Meeting, San Antonio, TX
May 2, 2008

Vanderbilt University, Dept of Ophthalmology, Nashville
May 14, 2008 

Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
May 15, 2008 

Virginia Society of Ophthalmology Annual Meeting Tysons Corner, VA
June 2, 2008 

Iowa Eye Association Annual Meeting, Iowa City, IA
June 12-13, 2008 

Doheny Days, University of Southern California
June 14-15, 2008 

Florida Society of Ophthalmology Annual Meeting, Palm Beach, FL 
June 20–22, 2008 

Southeast Eye Annual Meeting, Sandestin, FL
July 24-26, 2008 

Washington DC Eye Society, Washington, DC
September 16, 2009

Table Rock Regional Round-up, Branson, MO
September 18-20, 2008

Indiana Academy of Ophthalmology, Annual Meeting, Indianapolis, IN
October 10, 2008

Ohio Ophthalmological Society, Annual Meeting, Columbus, OH
February 21, 2009