It is a tremendous honor to be nominated for a second term as Secretary of the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. While we have made many improvements in the Annual Meeting, there are always more opportunities to improve.
Education is truly my passion. Over the years, I have thoroughly enjoyed the challenges and rewards of educating residents. As the Associate Dean of Graduate Medical Education, I am responsible for the 106 ACGME residency programs, and the 1300 residents at Emory. On a national level, I served on the ACGME Residency Review Committee for Ophthalmology (2007 to 2012, Vice-Chair 2010-2012), and as an Associate Examiner for the ABO Oral Board Examination since 2005. I received the Straatsma Award for Excellence in Resident Education (2010) which represents the highest distinction for ophthalmology program directors. In 2011, I was awarded the Parker J. Palmer Courage to Teach Award, which honors 10 program directors across all specialties in the country who find innovative ways to teach residents. I believe that my background in education, administration and leadership, have served me well and will continue to assist me in a second term as Secretary of the Annual Meeting.
For the past several years, I have enjoyed working closely with the Academy to educate practicing ophthalmologists of all generations. In 2011, I was invited to work on the Academy’s Special Projects Committee and assumed the role of Associate Secretary of Special Projects in January 2013. For my contributions to the Academy, I received an Achievement Award in 2008 and a Senior Achievement Award in 2015. While I have thoroughly enjoyed my years of service to the Academy, ABO, AUPO, ACGME and others, it has been a tremendous honor to work with the Academy Board of Trustees and Annual Meeting Secretariat to identify new teaching techniques, social experiences and networking opportunities for the Annual Meeting.
As ophthalmologists, we are committed to patient care, learning and discovery. I believe that the Annual Meeting is the premier meeting that meets these needs. During my first term, we incorporated more interactive sessions, and offered educational programs in order to train our speakers to better engage the audience in learning and retaining information. We continue to add, modify, and remove Annual Meeting content in order to better meet the needs of our diverse attendees.
My goals in life have always been simple, to make a contribution to the people around me. I cannot think of a more rewarding way to contribute to ophthalmology than leading the Annual Meeting. With my passion for education, I hope to engage all of our stakeholders to create a winning strategy for the future of the Annual Meeting so that we continue to deliver innovative education and offer attendees opportunities to share best practices, explore new ideas, catch up with old friends and make new ones. I would be honored to serve our members for a second term as the Secretary for the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.