Young ophthalmologists reflected on the highlights of AAO 2023, the Academy’s annual meeting in San Francisco. If you didn’t attend in person and haven’t registered for the virtual meeting, you can register until Jan. 31, 2024. Registered attendees for both in-person and virtual have access to the virtual meeting platform until March 1, 2024.
Mary Grace Reeves, MD
Pensacola, Fla.
AAO 2023 in San Francisco was unforgettable! Thanks to the many resources and educational opportunities for ophthalmologists-in-training provided by the Academy’s Young Ophthalmologists (YO) Committee, I left equipped with knowledge about the latest innovations in practice and new friendships with ophthalmologists from around the world. Here are a few of the many highlights from this year’s meeting!
YOs share their photos of their time at AAO 2023.
Day 1
Arriving in SF
I flew into San Francisco on Friday after taking overnight surgical calls at my home institution. In addition to being welcomed by balmy California weather and beautiful views of San Francisco Bay, I was especially struck by the camaraderie characterizing the annual meeting. Where else are you fortunate to find such close friends and mentors in one place at the same time each year?
‘Real World’ Advice
My young ophthalmologist colleagues and I loved attending Real World Ophthalmology (RWO) After Dark. This event—led by incredible RWO founder Lisa Nijm, MD, JD—brought together early career ophthalmologists, esteemed leaders from subspecialty societies, and industry reps demonstrating the latest technology in ophthalmology.
The Westin ballroom displayed breathtaking views of the San Francisco skyline at night. Particularly memorable for me was the chance to catch up with Christina Weng, MD, MBA. Nearly three years ago, when I was an MD/MBA student, Dr. Weng kindly allowed me to interview her for a final paper I wrote for one of my management courses. But we did not meet in person until this year! Her advice about leadership, teamwork and cost effectiveness in ophthalmology has really influenced the way I think about applying my MBA training in my career.
Day 2
Research Discoveries
Lots to see in just one weekend! I was thrilled to be invited to present a talk on my research group’s work in the Poster Theater.
Advised by my mentor Kumar Rao, MD, MBA, we have been using proteomics to correlate vitreous biomarkers with clinical outcomes in retinal diseases, such that these biomarkers may potentially be used in the future to predict a patient's visual outcome and develop therapeutic options. I learned so much from the speakers with whom I was grouped for this moderated session as they presented the latest retina research they are conducting in Minnesota, China, and Italy.
With the rise of semaglutide use for weight loss, I was especially interested in a presentation by Zeeshan Haq, MD. Dr. Haq and his colleagues have studied the risk of worsening diabetic retinopathy in patients with diabetes who are using semaglutide for weight loss. Although only a small fraction of study patients saw worsening of their diabetic retinopathy, such research underscores the importance of investigating the possible ocular side effects of weight loss drugs as their use increases in prevalence.
Career
The YO Lounge was bustling with medical students, residents, fellows, and ophthalmologists in early practice! It was the perfect space to get to know other trainees over a delicious lunch and snacks. Through the YO sessions and YO Lounge Empower Hours, legends in the field generously gave their time to share valuable career tips with young ophthalmologists — including navigating your first contract and negotiating a salary, advocating on ophthalmology scope of practice and utilizing Academy resources to prep for board exams.
Jeffrey Tran, MD, provided a step-by-step walkthrough for considerations in building a solo practice, ranging from credentialing to financing (pro tip: start lean, stay lean!). Nathan Scott, MD, MPP, shared how the concept of “rigid flexibility” allows him to maintain work-life balance and make time for his daily runs. Andrea Tooley, MD, described her process of daily, monthly, one-year and 10-year goal-setting to anchor daily progress in more long-term advancement.
The beauty of the YO Program is that it cares about helping young ophthalmologists develop in their practice, while also acknowledging the importance of personal well-being to success in your career.
Day 3
Just for YOs
The YO Committee works hard year-round to bring outstanding content to young ophthalmologists at the annual meeting. This was certainly reflected by the incredible lineup of the three-part YO Program, featuring wellness tips, advice for building surgical skills, and even a special appearance from social media celebrity Dr. Glaucomflecken!
A Leadership Legend
I felt incredibly lucky to be a winner of the YO raffle for coffee with an Academy Leader. Ruth Williams, MD, is a renowned glaucoma surgeon, chief medical editor for the Academy’s EyeNet® Magazine, past Academy president and president emeritus of the Wheaton Eye Clinic. She shaped her organization’s culture and helped build it into the world-class ophthalmology practice it is today. Her advice for young ophthalmologists planning their careers?
“Your core values affect decision making and create a path forward because when you go back to those values it makes it obvious what you should do,” she said. Throughout her career, Dr. Williams championed a culture where women have a voice and serve in leadership roles (she was the second female Academy president). We spoke about the importance of a mentor (“someone who recognizes something in you that you might not recognize in yourself”) and paying mentorship opportunities forward throughout your career. I left our chat feeling inspired and grateful for the contributions of Dr. Williams and her colleagues to the field of ophthalmology.
AAO 2024
My time at AAO 2023 concluded with The Orbital and the Global YO Reception! What a perfect evening to celebrate the accomplishments of this year’s Academy award winners and make new friends in the field. AAO 2023 was a truly wonderful experience thanks to the many opportunities available to YOs, and I look forward to attending next year in Chicago!
Life and Lessons on Leadership: A Coffee Chat With Tamara R. Fountain, MD
Aaron Goh, MBBS
Singapore
I was fortunate to be given an opportunity to dialogue with Tamara R. Fountain, MD, at AAO 2023.
After buying a ticket to The Orbital, I entered a raffle specifically for young ophthalmologists and was one of three YOs selected to speak with past Academy presidents.
Dr. Fountain candidly shared from her wealth of experience leading various organizations, including the Academy, American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and Ophthalmic Mutual Insurance Co. (OMIC). Here are some pearls I’ve picked up from Dr. Fountain’s life and leadership:
 |
|
Aaron Goh, MD, left stands with former Academy President Tamara R. Fountain, MD.
|
Show Up
Dr. Fountain shared how she had gotten involved with the Academy’s YO committee just as it was beginning to take flight. Soon after, the opportunity to serve on one of OMIC’s committees came up — all of this as a young resident in training! Looking back, the seeds of leadership were planted in Dr. Fountain’s life from an early stage.
For medical students and residents, Dr. Fountain strongly advocates showing up to the annual meeting. It’s a great way to be exposed to the latest ideas, and to connect with others in the field. The cross-pollination you receive from the annual meeting is immense and often launches new connections and opportunities to collaborate with others.
By saying yes and showing up to the opportunities presented to you, these will become stepping stones to greater responsibilities. Dr. Fountain firmly believes that YOs are the future of the profession and that it is never too early to get involved with leadership.
Speak Up
As young leaders, we may falsely assume that we have less to contribute because of our lack of experience or knowledge. Quite the opposite! Dr. Fountain provided some very much needed encouragement — suggesting that our voices as young leaders are valuable because of the unique perspective we bring to the table. Speaking up is not about being the loudest or most dominant in the room; rather, it’s about being an active listener, and learning to ask the right questions.
Speak up, have faith in your opinions, use your voice, and don’t be afraid to ask questions.
Follow-Up
To follow-up is to deliver on the assignments that have been given to you; doing so helps build your professional reputation and credibility. In Dr. Fountain’s words, “one (leadership position) leads to another,” especially if you prove yourself to be reliable and capable of delivering high-quality work every time.
Following up also looks like closing the loop with a simple thank you. It’s a recognition of the effort that someone has taken to advocate for you and will make you memorable in that person’s mind. A small act of gratitude can go a long way.
I walked away from that conversation feeling thoroughly inspired, with a newfound perspective on what it means to live and lead well. And I’m sure all of us would benefit from remembering to “Show up, speak up, and follow-up!”
A Young Ophthalmologist’s Guide to the Best Conference of the Year
Aaishwariya A. Gulani, MD
Memphis, Tenn.
As a first-time attendee, there was so much I wanted to do, from the conference events, exhibits, and socials every night. The days were long (I’m talking 8 a.m. to 2 a.m.) but I left San Francisco feeling so inspired by the future of the field!
As a conference lover, I was naturally excited to attend AAO 2023 for the first time. I had heard about how amazing the events and speakers were and could not wait to go. That being said, the annual meeting is the biggest conference that attracts all ophthalmology subspecialties, ages and industry, so it can be very overwhelming to try to navigate.
Advance Planning
My first tip is to plan it out in advance. Sit down with the Academy’s meeting program and highlight all the events you want to go to. The mobile meeting app was so easy to narrow down events relevant to me and my interests. Then plan your meetups and coffee chats. After all, this is a conference, so networking is the name of the game.
Plan your lunches and dinners and use them as an excuse to explore the city as well! Lastly, when making your plans include locations as the conference center is usually large. This helped me tremendously, even though I was still five minutes late to everything, it made the day way smoother.
In terms of what to go to, here are my top highlights and don’t-miss events next year:
Events Just for YOs
Where do I even begin? If I wanted to, I could have just gone to these events and been occupied the entire conference. The YO committee had incredible programming every day of the conference that was geared towards students, residents and recently in practice ophthalmologists.
One of my favorite YO Learning Lounge sessions had to be the one on global ophthalmology, which had an incredible panel of speakers discussing about their experiences and how to get involved in global ophthalmology.
Advocacy
A cool opportunity is the Academy’s Advocacy Ambassador Program, which sends YOs to Mid-Year Forum every year. During the annual meeting, this group had a meet-and-greet social hour to learn more about the program and meet current ambassadors.
Meeting People
One of the reasons I initially got into ophthalmology was for the people. Everyone was so passionate about the field and about mentoring the new generation. So naturally, my favorite part of conferences is meeting mentors and colleagues.
Getting to meet people who went through applications and interviews with me was so surreal especially as we all were interns now. Seeing so many virtual mentors in person for the first time was also one of the benefits of attending.
Learning
This conference is filled with trailblazers of the field. Hearing their talks and new innovations of what’s coming down the pipeline as a resident is inspiring. Although I still need to learn how to perform cataract surgery, it was exciting to learn about different techniques, instruments or breakthrough treatments that could be available in the near future.
Going With My Co-Residents
Going as a resident for the first time was definitely daunting but getting to go with my program faculty and co-residents made it so much better. We were able to attend events and hear each others’ presentations together and meet alumni from the program.
Seeing Dr. Glaucomflecken
Not much needs to be said here. Dr. Glaucomflecken has consistently used humor to make our lives in medicine bearable through every stage, and it was great to hear from him how his path has been influenced by comedy and side hustles on top of being a practicing ophthalmologist.
Global YO Reception
Have you ever danced the night away with your idols? This was the Global YO reception. A whole venue booked out for YOs to meet, mingle, and celebrate a successful weekend together at AAO 2023. A perfect end to a hectic but fulfilling weekend.
About the authors: Mary-Grace Reeves, MD, MBA, is a second-year ophthalmology resident at Washington University in St. Louis. She earned her undergraduate degree from Harvard College and graduated with MD and MBA degrees from Stanford University as an Arjay Miller Scholar.
Aaron Goh, MBBS, is a PGY-3 junior doctor from Singapore. He graduated from the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Outside of work, he enjoys a good catch-up with family and friends and long hikes through nature.
Aaishwariya A. Gulani, MD, is a PGY 1 at the Hamilton Eye Institute in Memphis, Tenn.
YOs at AAO 2023