News, Tips, Resources

Download PDF

WHAT’S HAPPENING

All Issues of Ophthalmology Retina Are Now Indexed in PubMed

As of June, all Ophthalmology Retina articles have been indexed in Medline/PubMed. Full indexing means that the journal’s articles and authors will gain more visibility due to the database’s high traffic.

Back in March, after a rigorous review process, the National Library of Medicine accepted Ophthalmology Retina for inclusion in Medline/PubMed, the preeminent global database for biomedical literature. Ophthalmolo­gy Retina is the first monthly print U.S. ophthalmology journal that has been accepted in 12 years.

Just two years ago, the Academy launched Ophthalmology Retina in response to the growing volume of high-quality research within the subspecialty of retina. The new journal provides an additional channel through which retina studies can be published, help­ing to expedite dissemination of retina research.

“Now that Ophthalmology Retina is indexed in Medline/PubMed, all ar­ticles are discoverable through PubMed searches. Indexing in Medline/PubMed is a very nice milestone for us. Thank you to all who helped the journal get here,” said Andrew P. Schachat, MD, Editor-in-Chief.

Learn more about the journal and subscribe to new issues at www.ophthalmologyretina.org.

Academy’s Instagram Sur­passes 10,000 Followers

Aaoeye, the Academy’s Instagram ac­count, has surpassed the 10,000-follow­er mark since its launch last September. Conceived to bring ophthalmic knowl­edge to the public, the account has both physician and nonphysician followers, and each group has shown high levels of engagement.

Content. The account features a variety of content that is reviewed by a commit­tee of ophthalmologists to ensure posts are accurate and understandable for the public. Content includes:

• video clips from interviews with Academy members;
• advisories about common injuries and eye health issues;
• spotlights on various condi­tions and how to reduce risk, if possible;
• case reports and patient success stories; and
• lifestyle tips to promote eye health, addressing such topics as the effects of using digital devices and the impor­tance of sleep.

Engagement. An aaoeye post from April 28 set the account’s record for engagement, with more than 2,100 likes and 39 comments at time of press. This post, showing a 3-D image of an optic nerve damaged by glaucoma, got the public talking and ophthalmologists responding about their own imaging methods and equipment.

Follow the Academy’s Instagram account by searching aaoeye in the Instagram app, and encourage your patients to do so as well.

FOR THE RECORD

Annual Business Meeting

Notice is hereby given that the Annu­al Business Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology will be held Sunday, Oct. 13, in West 3002 at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, California, from 8:30-10:30 a.m.

Board Nominees

In accordance with Academy bylaws, notice is hereby given of the nomina­tions for elected board positions on the 2020 board. The nominees are:

President-Elect

Tamara R. Fountain, MD

Senior Secretary for Ophthalmic Practice

Ravi Goel, MD

Secretary for Annual Meeting

Maria M. Aaron, MD

Trustees-at-Large (two)

Mary Louise Z. Collins, MD

Ron W. Pelton, MD, PhD

Council Chair

Sarwat Salim, MD, FACS

Council Vice Chair

Thomas Graul, MD

These nominations were made by the Academy Board of Trustees in June. If elected, the individuals will begin their terms on Jan. 1, 2020.

Elections to fill the seven open posi­tions on the 2020 Board of Trustees will take place by ballot after the Oct. 13 Annual Business Meeting.

Additional nominations. To nomi­nate a candidate by petition, submit a written petition to the Academy’s CEO no later than Aug. 14. The petition must be signed by at least 50 voting Academy members and fellows.

To suggest a nominee for the 2021 board, watch for the call for nomina­tions that will be published in January’s EyeNet Magazine.

Read the rules in full at aao.org/about/governance/bylaws/article5.

TAKE NOTICE

Support the New Museum

Construction of the Truhlsen-Marmor Museum of the Eye has begun, and the exhibition crew is busy building visual and interactive displays and models. Help bring the science of sight to the world by making a donation at aao.org/museumcampaign.

Get Credit for MIPS and MOC

If you have an electronic health record (EHR) system and have integrated it with the IRIS Registry, you can use data from your IRIS Registry dashboard to design and implement an improve­ment project that can earn you credit for both Maintenance of Certification (MOC) and the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). For the 2019 MIPS performance year, this project would count as a medium-weighted improvement activity.

Submit your plan to the ABO no lat­er than Aug. 31. Using the IRIS Registry dashboard, select one or two quality measures in which to improve your performance. Then, set goals for those measures, make a plan for achieving those goals, and submit that plan to the American Board of Ophthalmology (ABO). Note that two registry-based improvement projects have been pre­approved by the ABO. One involves in­creased tobacco counseling for patients with age-related macular degeneration and the other involves closing the referral loop.

If the ABO approves your plan, implement it for 90-120 days. Use the IRIS Registry dashboard to track your progress, and fine-tune your processes as needed. Once the project is com­plete, review its effectiveness and send a summary to the ABO.

Learn more at aao.org/iris-registry/maintenance-of-certification and https://abop.org/IRIS.

Follow @AAOjournal for the Latest Articles

Stay up-to-date on new research from Ophthalmology, Ophthalmology Retina, and Ophthalmology Glaucoma on Twitter. Content is posted daily and includes articles in press, “Pictures & Perspectives,” editorials, and new issue alerts.

Follow @AAOjournal by visiting https://twitter.com/AAOjournal.

Advice From OMIC: Service Animals

Do you know the two questions that you are allowed to ask about a service animal?*

One ophthalmologist learned the hard way when he did not allow his patient to bring her service animal into the exam room. The patient filed a complaint with both the U.S. Depart­ment of Justice (DOJ) and the state medical board. The DOJ required that the practice draft and submit for ap­proval their service animal policy, post a sign informing patients that service animals are welcome, and pay $1,000.

Be prepared. Familiarize yourself with the requirements and explore helpful resources, including sample office policies, at www.omic.com/do-you-have-a-service-animal-policy/.

*Answer: Is this animal required because of a disability? What tasks has the animal been trained to perform?

OMIC offers professional liability insurance exclusively to Academy members, their employees, and their practices.

MEMBERS AT LARGE

Keynote Lecture for SOE

On June 14, J. Sebag, MD, FACS, FRCOphth, FARVO, delivered theinaugural Robert Machemer keynote lecture at the European Society of Ophthalmology (SOE) congress. His speech, “Vitrectomy for Vision Degrad­ing Myodesopsia,” highlighted advances in the understanding of how vitreous can negatively impact vision, and the role Dr. Machemer’s invention, vitrec­tomy, has played in curing the con­dition. Dr. Sebag is Senior Voluntary Research Scientist at the Doheny Eye Institute and Volunteer Clinical Profes­sor of Ophthalmology at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Ellis Island Medal of Honor

Lawrence V. Najarian, MD, a comprehensive ophthalmologist based in Bedmin­ster, N.J., is part of a select group of individuals who received the 2019 Ellis Island Medal of Honor on May 11. The award, sponsored by the Ellis Island Honors Society, recognizes American citizens who exemplify a life dedicated to community service and extraordinary accomplishments in their field. Past Ellis Island Medalists include seven U.S. presidents, three world lead­ers, and several Nobel Prize winners.

Dr. Najarian said, “I am deeply grate­ful to accept this award on behalf of so many people, especially my grandparents, who came from Armenia through Ellis Island with the hope of creating a new life for their family and community.”

ACADEMY RESOURCES

Attend Upcoming Webinars

In September, the Academy is offering two webinars, both of which are free for Academy members. The first, “The 2019 Update on Retina for Non-special­ists,” will be held Sept. 12. The second, “Expert Insights Into Thyroid Eye Disease (TED): Viewpoints From an Endocrinologist and Oculoplastic Sur­geon,” will be held Sept. 26. Additional updates at aao.org/clinical-webinars.

Simplify the Hiring Process

Through the Academy’s Ophthalmol­ogy Job Center, you can find top talent by posting a job online, managing applications, searching resumes, and even having your job posting emailed to relevant job seekers.

Learn more at aao.org/jobcenter.

Get the Academy’s App

The new AAO Ophthalmic Education App provides access to EyeWiki and features material from three areas of the ONE Network: News, 1-Minute Videos, and Diagnose This. The app offers alerts and a feed customizable by subspecialty.

Download the app on your Android or iOS device at aao.org/education-app.

Benchmarking Tools

Academy and AAOE members can access two key benchmarking tools for the practice.

First, the Academy/AAOE Acade­Metrics benchmarking tool compares your financial data to that of similar practices to help you assess staffing levels, optimal number of satellite offices, and more.

Second, the AcadeMetrics Ophthalmic Salary Survey tracks specific benchmarks related to optometrist, mid-level provider, and staff salary data to help you benchmark compensation and benefits packages.

Access the tools at aao.org/practice-management/analytics.

D.C. REPORT

Congress’ August Recess Is Here: How to Advocate at Home

During August recess, federal lawmakers return to their districts to meet with constituents in order to set priorities for the fall legislative agenda.

Make your voice heard by scheduling a meeting at your congressperson’s district office or by inviting them to visit your practice, clinic, or ambulatory surgery center. You will be helping elected officials reconnect with their constituents to better understand voters’ primary concerns. It also establishes you as an important resource for health care issues, en­abling you to better advocate for ophthalmology’s key policy interests.

Academy staff is here to support you. Ready to advocate at home? Simply share a few dates and times that work for you and Academy staff will schedule the meeting, handle logistics, and prepare an agenda, talking points, and documents to share with your lawmaker. Here’s how to get started:

• Indicate your interest by filling out the form on aao.org/local.
• Read aao.org/advocacy/action/best-practices for a step-by-step guide on how to have a successful meeting.
• Watch for “Washington Report Express,” which will provide addition­al resources and information on key issues to help inform your talking points.

If you have questions about scheduling, contact Megan Tweed, the Academy’s grassroots coordinator, at 202-737-6662 or mtweed@aao.org.

2019 AWARDS

Life Achievement Honor Award

Individuals who have cumulatively earned 60 points and have made signif­icant contributions to ophthalmology, as determined by the Academy’s Awards Committee, were nominated to receive this award.

Cynthia Ann Bradford, MD                                                                          

Fabrizio I. Camesasca, MD                                                                                           

William J. Fishkind, MD, FACS                                                                    

Evangelos S. Gragoudas, MD                                                      

Sadeer B. Hannush, MD                                                                                

Santosh G. Honavar, MD                                                                                                              

Douglas A. Jabs, MD, MBA                                                                           

A. John Kanellopoulos, MD                                                                         

Don O. Kikkawa, MD                                                                                      

Thomas Kohnen, MD, PhD, FEBO                                                                              

Daniel F. Martin, MD                                                                                     

Timothy G. Murray, MD MBA                                                                     

Ingrid U. Scott, MD, MPH                                                                             

R. Michael Siatkowski, MD                                                          

Arun D. Singh, MD                                                                                          

Kerry D. Solomon, MD                                                                                   

Mark A. Terry, MD                                                                                       

Elias I. Traboulsi, MD     

Senior Achievement Award

Individuals who have cumulatively earned 30 points were nominated to receive this award.

Thomas M. Aaberg Jr., MD

Thomas A. Albini, MD

Sanjay G. Asrani, MD

Brock K. Bakewell, MD

John P. Berdahl, MD

Gregg J. Berdy, MD

Eric L. Berman, MD

Arup Chakrabarti, MS, MBBS

R.V. Paul Chan, MD

John So-Min Chang, MD

Roy S. Chuck, MD, PhD

Karl G. Csaky, MD

Taraprasad Das, MD

Richard S. Davidson, MD

Hardeep S. Dhindsa, MD

Michael Easterbrook, MD

George S. Ellis Jr., MD, FACS

K. David Epley, MD

Brian E. Flowers, MD

Dilraj Singh Grewal, MD

Pedram Hamrah, MD

Luis Izquierdo Jr., MD

Vishal Jhanji, MD

Moncef Khairallah, MD

Rahul Khurana, MD

Bobby S. Korn, MD, PhD, FACS

Simon K. Law, MD

Ahmad M. Mansour, MD

Curtis E. Margo, MD, MPH

Todd P. Margolis, MD, PhD

Jeffrey L. Marx, MD

Miguel A. Materin, MD

John D. McCann, MD, PhD

Prithvi Mruthyunjaya, MD, MHS

Bruce D. Nichols, MD

Victor L. Perez, MD

Christopher D. Riemann, MD

Karolinne M. Rocha, MD

Roni M. Shtein, MD

Arthur J. Sit, MD

Alfred M. Solish, MD

Julie H. Tsai, MD

Deborah K. VanderVeen, MD

Steven D. Vold, MD

Keith A. Warren, MD

Robert J. Weinstock, MD

John A. Wells III, MD

Robert E. Wiggins, MD, MHA

Achievement Award

Individuals who have cumulatively earned 10 points were nominated to receive this award.

Khaled Ahmed Abdelrahman, MBBS

Dupe S. Ademola-Popoola, MBBS

Armin R. Afshar, MD, MBA

Aniruddha K. Agarwal, MBBS

Makoto Aihara, MD, PhD

Asim Ali, MD

Samar Ayed Al-Swailem, MD

Guillermo Amescua, MD

Marcus Ang, MBBS

Carlos Eduardo L. Arieta, MD

Mary E. Aronow, MD

Huban Atilla, MD

Olufemi E. Babalola, MBChB

Soham Basak, MBBS

Lance K. Bergstrom, MD

Jesse L. Berry, MD

Neelakshi Bhagat, MD

Mark D. Bona, MD

Alessandro A. Castellarin, MD

Meenakshi Chaku, MD

Royce W. Chen, MD

Steven M. Christiansen, MD

Edward L. Colloton, MD

Robin Cook, MD

Geoffrey Guy Cooper, MD, FACS

Christine Curcio, PhD

Ebenezer Daniel, MBBS

Cecile Delcourt, PhD

Andrew D. Dick, MD

Jiaxi Ding, MD

Mark Alan DiPillo, MD

Serge Doan, MD

Geoffrey G. Emerson, MD, PhD

Kazuyuki Emi, MD

Matthew Timothy Feng, MD

Susan H. Forster, MD

Jorge A. Fortun, MD

Denise C. Fridl, OCS, COT, COE

Sebastien Gagne, MD

Roberto Gallego-Pinazo, MD

Parag D. Gandhi, MD

Adrian Glasser, PhD

Mitchell Goff, MD

Birsen Gokyigit, MD

Damien Goldberg, MD

John A. Gonzales, MD

Michael B. Gorin, MD, PhD

Steven J. Grosser, MD

Luxme Hariharan, MD

Aravind Haripriya, MBBS

Robert W. Hered, MD

Osamu Hieda, MD

William Hodge, MD

David Hollander, MD

Deeba Husain, MD

David Khoramian Isaacs, MD

Andrew Charles James, PhD

Elena M. Jimenez, MD

Jeremy K. Jones, MD

Anna K. Junk, MD

Humeyra Karacal, MD

Peter Karth, MD

Manpreet Kaur, MD

Jeremy D. Keenan, MD, MPH

Richard Galen Kemp, MD

Sumitra S. Khandelwal, MD

Ramin Khoramnia, MD

Young Kook Kim, MD

Stephen R. Klapper, MD

Hideki Koizumi, MD

Andrea N. Kossler, MD

Atul Kumar, MD

Anthony N. Kuo, MD

Yasuo Kurimoto, MD, PhD

Fook Chang Lam, MBChB

Paul J. Lama, MD

Ecosse Lamoureux, PhD

Wen-Hsiang Lee, MD, PhD

Kgaogelo Edward Legodi, MD

Charles C. Lin, MD

John T. Lind, MD

Ann-Marie Lobo, MD

April Y. Maa, MD

John Mandeville, MD, PhD

Joanne Mansour, OCSR

Steven L. Maskin, MD, FACS

Anurag Mathur, MBBS

Yuri McKee, MD

J. Kevin McKinney, MD

Mark D. Mifflin, MD

Ian Morgan, PhD

Akshay Gopinathan Nair, MD

T. Hunter Newsom, MD

Toshihiko Ohta, MD

Scott C. Oliver, MD

Carolyn K. Pan, MD

Joseph F. Panarelli, MD

Anjali K. Pathak, MD

Larry E. Patterson, MD

John F. Payne, MD

S. Grace Prakalapakorn, MD, MPH

Ehsan Rahimy, MD

Harsha BL Rao, MD

Jennifer R. Rose-Nussbaumer, MD

Ygal Rotenstreich, MD

Tina Rutar, MD

Jose A. Sahel, MD

Konstantinos Samaras, MD

Luis Sarrazin, MD

Julie M. Schallhorn, MD

Hendrik P. Scholl, MD

Linda A. Schumacher-Feero, MD

Tetsuju Sekiryu, MD

Shakeel R. Shareef, MD

Arsham Sheybani, MD

Jane T. Shuman, COE, COT, MSM, OCS

David Smadja, MD

Oluwatosin U. Smith, MD

Nathan C. Steinle, MD

Nasrin N. Tehrani, MBBCh

Joshua C. Teichman, MD, MPH

Jaime Tejedor, MD

Stephen C. Teoh, MBBS, FRCS

Savak Teymoorian, MD

Motokazu Tsujikawa, MD

Ilknur Tugal-Tutkun, MD

Brian L. VanderBeek, MD, MPH

Luis Felipe Vejarano, MD

Riccardo Vinciguerra, MD

Vanee V. Virasch, MD

Molly Walsh, MD, MPH

Christina Y. Weng, MD, MBA

Sheila W. West, PhD

Craig L. Wilkerson, MD

Jeremy Wolfe, MD

Shin Yamane, MD

Kimberly G. Yen, MD

Glenn C. Yiu, MD

Stephanie M. Young, MD

Xingtao Zhou, MD, PhD

Andrea Zin, MD

Secretariat Award Program

The Secretariat Awards program rec­ognizes individuals for contributions outside the scope of the Achievement Award program. Each of the Acade­my’s secretaries and senior secretaries can submit nominees to the Acade­my’s Awards Committee.

Nominated by the Secretaries for Cur­riculum Development, Lifelong Learn­ing and Assessment, Online Education, Editor ONE Network, Chief Medical Editor EyeNet, and Senior Secretary for Clinical Education:

Richard C. Allen, MD, PhD

Ahmad A. Aref, MD

Penny A. Asbell, MD, FACS

Evan H. Black, MD

Vikram S. Brar, MD

Scott E. Brodie, MD, PhD

Cat Burkat, MD, FACS

William J. Dupps, MD, PhD

Justin Gottlieb, MD

Sohail J. Hasan, MD, PhD

Robert W. Hered, MD

Bennie H. Jeng, MD

Daniel W. Knoch, MD

Bobby S. Korn, MD, PhD, FACS

Kevin E. Lai, MD

Leah Levi, MD

Lylas G. Mogk, MD

Kanwal K. Nischal, MBBS

Rahul T. Pandit, MD

David A. Plager, MD

Russell W. Read, MD, PhD

Hatice N. Sen, MD

Chirag P. Shah, MD, MPH

Nominated by the Secretary for Quali­ty of Care:

Raymond Kraker, MSPH

Louise A. Mawn, MD

Kouros Nouri-Mahdavi, MD

Roni M. Shtein, MD

Jennifer E. Thorne, MD

Nominated by the Secretaries for State Affairs and Federal Affairs, AAO Medical Director for Governmental Affairs, and Senior Secretary for Ad­vocacy:

Scott Friedman, MD

G. Baker Hubbard, MD

Aaron L. Lee, MD

Mary Gerard Lynch, MD

April Y. Maa, MD

Robert A. Mazzoli, MD

John T. McAllister, MD

Anne E. Miller, MD

Darby D. Miller, MD

Michael E. Sulewski, MD

Nominated by the Senior Secretary for Ophthalmic Practice:

Kristin Carter, MD

Anthony Pruett Johnson, MD

Natalie M. Loyacano, COMT, OCS

Donna Marks, CPC, OCS

Sandra Schnable, CPC, CCS-P, OCS, OCSR, CEMA

Nominated by the Secretary for the Annual Meeting:

Bonnie An Henderson, MD

Michael S. Lee, MD

Francis S. Mah, MD

Mitchell P. Weikert, MD

Tammy L. Yanovitch, MD

Nominated by the Secretary for Com­munications:

Elena M. Jimenez, MD

Stephen G. Schwartz, MD

Thomas L. Steinemann, MD

Nominated by the Editor of Ophthal­mology:

Mary F. Cotch, PhD

Steven M. Kymes, PhD

Aaron Y. Lee, MD

Maureen G. Maguire, PhD

Srinivas R. Sadda, MD

Nominated by the Editor of Ophthal­mology Retina:

Kunal K. Dansingani, MBBS

Monika Fleckenstein, MD

Sotaro Ooto, MD

Dante Pieramici, MD

John T. Thompson, MD

Nominated by the Editor of Ophthal­mology Glaucoma:

Philip P. Chen, MD

Rachel Kuchtey, MD, PhD

Simon K. Law, MD

Carla J. Siegfried, MD

Angelo Tanna, MD

Nominated by the Secretary for Mem­ber Services:

Jesse L. Berry, MD

Andrew M. Prince, MD

Marie Louise Roed Rasmussen, MD, PhD

Jason D. Rupp, MD

Prithvi S. Sankar, MD

Nominated by the Secretary for Global Alliance:

Anas A. Anbari, MD, PhD, FACS

John So-Min Chang, MD

Burkhard Dick, MD

William J. Knauer III, MD