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WHAT’S HAPPENING

Cathy Grealy Cohen to Receive 2022 Distinguished Service Award

In July, the Academy Board of Trustees voted to award the 2022 Distinguished Service Award (DSA) to Cathy Grealy Cohen, Academy vice president of Governmental Affairs, for her invalu­able service to medicine and ophthal­mology. For nearly 30 years she has been a champion for Academy mem­bers in Washington, D.C.

LEADERSHIP. This year’s Distinguished Service Award recipient, Ms. Cohen (left), has led many successful advocacy campaigns in Washington, D.C. Here, she’s pictured with former Senate Finance Chairman Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah) after the repeal of the Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate in 2015.

The DSA is among the Academy’s highest awards. The DSA honors an individual or organization for ongoing notable service to ophthalmology and the Academy.

Decades of service. Ms. Cohen’s impact includes leading successful advocacy campaigns protecting oph­thalmologist payments under Medi­care, ensuring appropriate eye care for veterans, and passing the first blindness prevention Medicare benefit for detec­tion of glaucoma.

She led the CMS adoption of updated practice expense costs built into physi­cian payments, bringing ophthalmolo­gy hundreds of millions of dollars. She championed the successful passage of legislation making cosmetic contacts a medical device subject to regulation.

Collaborating with state societies and physician leaders, she has worked to support scope battles at the state level and coordinated a successful cam­paign that limited performance of laser eye surgery to ophthalmologists in the Veterans Affairs system.

Respected and recognized for her coalition building, Ms. Cohen initi­ated the Ophthalmology Leadership Advocacy Group, a collaboration between the Academy and subspecial­ty organizations. She also launched Congressional Advocacy Day, an annual event in Washington that has become a forum for ophthalmologists to partic­ipate in educating members of Con­gress in ophthalmology’s priorities and concerns.

Retirement. After almost 30 years at the Academy, Ms. Cohen will be retiring from her position as vice president of Governmental Affairs in November.

Two DSA awards in 2022. Earlier this year, the Academy Board of Trust­ees also voted to award the DSA to the Covid Dream Team: James Chodosh, MD, MPH, Gary N. Holland, MD, Thomas L. Steinemann, MD, Sonal S. Tuli, MD, and Steven Yeh, MD.

Attend the award ceremony. DSA recipients will be honored at the AAO 2022 Opening Session, which takes place in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 30, from 5:00-6:30 p.m.

Ophthalmology’s Impact Factor Rises

Ophthalmology’s impact factor increased to a record high of 14.277 in 2021, up from 12.079 in 2020. The analytics company Clarivate shared this data in its annual “Journal Citation Report,” noting that impact factor “is a measure of the frequency with which the ‘aver­age article’ in a journal has been cited in a particular year or period.”¹ This rise in impact factor is evidence of the journal’s relevance within the field of ophthalmology and success in provid­ing Ophthalmology’s readership with innovative clinical research. Ophthal­mology can attribute its success to its authors, reviewers, and editorial board.

1 https://clarivate.com/webofsciencegroup/essays/impact-factor/.

Ophthalmology Publishes DEI Papers

The Academy Task Force on Disparities in Eye Care is, in part, charged with providing an understanding of current knowledge about visual health and disparities, including gaps in data. The task force has just published its first position paper, “Disparities in Vision Health and Eye Care,” by Angela R. Elam, MD, et al. This paper provides a comprehensive view of the existing disparities, insight into why and how these disparities persist, and a road map for how eye care providers can help to eliminate disparities and achieve equity in eye care.

Four additional papers by the task force’s subcommittees were published simultaneously with it. They include:

• “Improving Access to Eyecare: A Systematic Review of the Literature,” by Sharon D. Solomon, MD, et al.
• “Enhancing Diversity in the Oph­thalmology Workforce,” by César E. Pérez-González, PhD, et al.
• “The Importance of Health Literacy in Addressing Eye Health and Eye Care Disparities,” by Hilda Capó, MD, et al.
• “Data Sources for Evaluating Health Disparities in Ophthalmology: Where We Are and Where We Need to Go,” by Aaron Y. Lee, MD, MSCI, et al.

In addition, an editorial—“Why Ophthalmologists Should Care About Disparities in Vision Health,” by Tamara R. Fountain, MD, et al.—and five commentaries related to the papers were published alongside them. The commentaries include:

• “Disparities in Vision Health and Eye Care—Where Do We Go from Here?,” by Angela R. Elam, MD, et al.
• “Access to Eye Care in the U.S.: Evidence-Informed Decision-Making Is Key to Improving Access for Under­served Populations,” by Ruth Y. Shoge, OD, MPH, et al.
• “Improving Ophthalmic Workforce Diversity: A Call to Action,” by César E. Pérez-González, PhD, et al.
• “Impact of Health Literacy on Eye Health Disparities,” by Hilda Capó, MD, et al.
• “Data Sciences and Vision Health Disparities,” by Gary Legault, MD, et al.

Find all these papers and commen­taries on Ophthalmology’s website at aaojournal.org. In addition to ap­pearing online, the commentaries will be published in print in the October Ophthalmology.

TAKE NOTICE

Ukrainian Ophthalmologist to Join LDP XXIV

Nominated jointly by the Ukrainian Ophthalmological Society and the European Society of Ophthalmology, Olena Hurzhii, MD, is the Acade­my’s international participant in the Leadership Development Program (LPD) XXIV. Dr. Hurzhii will attend AAO 2022 in Chicago to participate in the LDP XXIV Class of 2023 orienta­tion. Then she and the other participants will embark on a yearlong program to learn about leadership, advocacy, and association governance. Each class meets in person four times, twice in con­junction with the Academy annual meeting.

Dr. Hurzhii is a uveitis specialist and was the direc­tor of medical education at the Visium Eye Care Center in Kyiv before the Russian in­vasion. After the invasion, Dr. Hurzhii and her family left the capital city for western Ukraine. Dr. Hurzhii participates in the Academy’s Rotary Program and contributes to EyeWiki and the ONE Network. She was also interviewed for the YO Info article, “3 Ukrainian YOs Share Their War Expe­riences,” which also appeared in EyeNet (Clinical Update, June).

Read the profile at aao.info/ukrainian-yos.

Attend Eyecelerator on Sept. 29

Eyecelerator is a meeting held by the Academy and the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery to showcase and accelerate innovation in eye care. In Chicago, on Thursday, Sept. 29—right before AAO 2022—connect with more than 500 industry leaders, including clinicians, entrepreneurs, investors, and global strategic execu­tives, for an inside look at the emerging business opportunities and advanced innovations disrupting ophthalmology.

Learn more at www.eyecelerator.com.

EyeWiki Contest: Winning Articles Have Been Announced

EyeWiki is the Academy’s collaborative online encyclopedia, where physicians, patients, and the public can view content written by ophthalmologists that covers the spectrum of eye disease, diagnosis, and treatment. Each year EyeWiki hosts two writing contests. One is for U.S. res­idents and fellows; the other is for ophthalmologists outside the United States. Original articles as well as articles with signif­icant revisions are eligible for either contest.

Winners of the 2022 International Contest were re­cently announced:

• Ana Vega Car­reiro de Freitas, MD; University of São Paulo, Bra­zil: “Cataract Surgery Training Around the World” 
• Gunjan Saluja, MD; R.P. Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences, New Delhi, India:“Visual Acuity Assessment in Children”
• Vakorin Grigoriy, MD; Ophthalmo­logical Clinic of Innovative Technolo­gies, Yaroslavl, Russia:“Laser Vitreol­ysis”

Read the articles at www.eyewiki.org/International_Ophthalmologists.

Next contest deadlines. Submit or revise an article at aao.org/eyewiki for the U.S. Residents & Fellows Contest by Dec. 1, 2022, or for the International Ophthalmologists Contest by June 1, 2023.

Volunteer: Promote Ophthalmology to URiM Students

Want to help diversify ophthalmology? You can recruit medical students to be a part of the Minority Ophthalmology Mentoring program. The program was created by the Academy and the Associ­ation of University Professors of Oph­thalmology to provide tools, resources, and mentorship to help underrepre­sented in medicine (URiM) students (Black, Hispanic, Native American) become competitive ophthalmology residency applicants.

Volunteers are needed to help promote the program to interested students at local medical schools and college campuses. You’ll reach out to educational institutions in your area to promote the Minority Ophthalmology Mentoring program. Volunteers are asked to familiarize themselves with the program and utilize PowerPoint pre­sentations, flyers, and short videos from the Academy’s toolkit to speak about the many facets of ophthalmology, share their personal story about oph­thalmology as a rewarding profession, and promote the program as a resource for URiM students. 

Get started at aao.org/volunteering, then choose “Connect.” (This is just one of many Academy volunteer opportunities.)

IRIS Registry: 2022 MIPS Reporting Transition

Has your practice integrated its elec­tronic health record (EHR) system with the IRIS Registry? By now, your prac­tice should have been notified that this integration is being transitioned from the original vendor, FIGmd, to Verana Health. This transition is being rolled out based on the EHR system that each practice uses.

What about MIPS reporting? Verana Health has begun introducing new quality measures dashboards for reporting the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). Practices using EyeMD or Nextech IntelleChart­PRO EHR systems and using a Verana Health quality measures dashboard will complete 2022 MIPS reporting via Verana Health. All other IRIS Registry participants, including manual report­ing practices, will report 2022 MIPS via FIGmd. The remaining IRIS Registry participants using an eligible EHR system will transition to Verana Health for 2023 MIPS reporting.

For an updated list of eligible EHRs and an integration schedule, visit aao.org/iris-registry/ehr-systems.

Urgent MIPS Notice—Get Started on Your 90-Day Performance Periods

Under the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), you will be evaluated on up to four performance categories. Two of these—promoting interoperability and improvement activities—have a performance period that must be at least 90 consecutive days and that must be completed no later than Dec. 31, 2022. (For the other two performance categories—quality and cost—the performance period is the full calendar year.)

Don’t delay. Do not wait until the last moment (Oct. 3) to start per­forming improvement activities and promoting interoperability measures. An earlier start will provide you with some leeway if you run into difficulty with your MIPS procedures. (Note: To see if you qualify for a hardship exception, visit https://qpp.cms.gov/mips/exception-applications.)

Use the Academy’s resources. To access the Academy’s MIPS resources—including road maps, the IRIS Registry Preparation Kit, and EyeNet’s MIPS supplement—visit aao.org/medicare/mips.

OMIC Tip: Clinical and Risk Management Considerations in Medical Decision-Making

OMIC’s Risk Management Hotline often receives questions from oph­thalmologists about whether a certain procedure is appropriate or recom­mended for a patient. Answers to this type of question must address two factors: clinical management and risk management.

Clinical management. OMIC does not provide clinical direction or de­termine the standard of care. For this information, ophthalmologists can consult the relevant Academy Preferred Practice Patterns, such as Cataract in the Adult Eye, Refractive Errors and Re­fractive Surgery, and more. You can find these at aao.org/ppp.

Risk management. A deviation from accepted practice can be problematic from both a patient safety and a profes­sional liability standpoint. Physicians need to clearly document their reason­ing as to why a particular treatment is appropriate and safe for that specific patient, including documenting other treatments—both medical and sur­gical—that have been tried without success. If a patient wants treatment or surgery but is not a good can­didate, the physician needs to communicate that to the patient, explore alternatives, and document that conver­sation.

See OMIC’s Cataract Surgery Recommendations (www.omic.com/cataract-surgery-recommendations) for examples of how to apply this risk management process. In addition, Docu­mentation of Ophthalmic Care (www.omic.com/documentation-of-ophthalmic-care) provides key recommenda­tions on documenting the diagnostic process and more.

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

MEMBERS AT LARGE

FSO Honors Academy Members at Its Annual Business Meeting

At the Florida Society of Ophthalmolo­gy’s (FSO) Annual Business Meeting in Jacksonville, Florida, in June, Academy members were recognized for four different awards. Sarah R. Wellik, MD, an Academy Leadership Development Program (LDP) graduate, received the John R. Brayton Jr., MD, Leadership Award. Daniel J. Briceland, MD, Acad­emy President-elect, received the Shaler Richardson, MD, Service to Medicine Award. Raquel Goldhardt, MD, FACS, received the James W. Clower Jr., MD, Community Service Award. Helayna E. Brown, MD, received the Michael R. Redmond, MD, Outstand­ing Young Ophthalmologist Award.

Dr. McCartney Wins TOA’s Distinguished Service Award

At the Texas Ophthalmolog­ical Association’s (TOA) an­nual meeting in Houston in late April, Academy member David L. McCartney, MD,was awarded the TOA Distin­guished Service Award.

The Distin­guished Service Award is TOA’s highest honor. It celebrates mem­bers who have gone above and beyond to care for their ophthalmol­ogy patients and to advocate for the profession.

Dr. McCartney has been a TOA member since 1988 and has been the chair of the ophthalmol­ogy and visual sciences at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Lubbock since 1994. He has trained countless young ophthalmologists and encourages his residents and fellows to participate in the Academy’s Advocacy Ambassador program each year. He has also hosted Codequest in the Texas Tech facilities for several years.

TOA past president Mark Gallardo, MD, summarized Dr. McCartney’s con­tributions. “For those who have not had the pleasure or fortune to have trained under or worked with Dr. McCartney, I can say he is one of our biggest advo­cates for patient safety,” said Dr. Gallar­do. “I witnessed it every day on every patient encounter through his delivery of unabraded ethical care.”

Watch the Latest From Dr. Osher’s Video Journal

The Video Journal of Cataract, Refrac­tive, and Glaucoma Surgery (VJCRGS), created by ophthalmic surgeon and ed­ucator Robert H. Osher, MD, has been releasing educational cataract, refrac­tive, and glaucoma videos since 1985. The surgical videos are submitted from ophthalmologists around the world and are hand-picked by the VJCRGS edi­torial board. The second issue of 2022 features highlights of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons video symposium, offering a variety of challenging cases, intra­operative complications, and complex problems following cataract surgery.

Watch now at www.vjcrgs.com.

ACADEMY RESOURCES

View the Latest Clinical Guidelines

The Academy Ophthalmic Technology Assessments evaluate new and existing procedures, drugs, and diagnostic and screening tests for safety and clinical effectiveness. Review the most recent assessments: Femtosecond Laser-Assisted Cataract Surgery, Orbital Radiation for Thyroid Eye Disease, and Adjustable Sutures in the Treatment of Strabismus.

Find these and other assessments on the ONE Network at aao.org/guidelines.

Attend This Office-Based Oculoplastic Procedures Webinar

On Oct. 25, 8:30-10:00 p.m. ET, join Moderator Mike Yen, MD, for a webi­nar titled “Office Space: Office-Based Oculoplastic Procedures That Make a Difference” (1.5 CME). This Academy program, which is free to members, will cover topics including:

• intense pulsed light for dry eyes and blepharitis,
• periocular and facial lasers,
• office-based skin care for the eyelids and face,
• facial fillers and management of complications,
• chemical peels for rejuvenating the eyelids and face,
• office-based blepharoplasty, and
• periocular neurotoxins.

Learn more at aao.org/clinical-webinars.

FOR THE RECORD

Life Achievement Honor Award Recipients

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 the Life Achievement Honor Award. This year’s recipients are as follows:

Thomas M. Aaberg, MD, MSPH, FACS

Lloyd P. Aiello, MD, PhD

Gerd U. Auffarth, MD

Donald L. Budenz, MD, MPH

Sean P. Donahue, MD, PhD

Steven J. Gedde, MD

Jeffrey S. Heier, MD

Russell N. Van Gelder, MD, PhD

Senior Achievement Award

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

Lama A. Al-Aswad, MD, MPH

Michael M. Altaweel, MD

Christopher L. Blanton, MD

Frank A. Bucci Jr., MD

Dawn C. Buckingham, MD, FACS

Vikas Chopra, MD

Nicole R. Fram, MD

Dasa Gangadhar, MD

Ricardo G. Glikin, MD

Sanjay D. Goel, MD

Paul B. Griggs, MD

Catherine J. Hwang, MD

John Alexander Irvine, MD

Kathleen A. Lamping, MD

Janice C. Law, MD

Bryan S. Lee, MD, JD

Leonard A. Levin, MD, PhD

Jennifer Y. Li, MD

Michele C. Lim, MD

Frank J. Mares, MD

Timothy J. McCulley, MD

Erik L. Mertens, MD, FRACOphth

Amalia Miranda, MD

Kohji Nishida, MD

Alan Gary Palestine, MD

Nathan M. Radcliffe, MD

Sunita Radhakrishnan, MD

Edwin Hurlbut Ryan Jr., MD

Steven R. Sarkisian, MD

Terry L. Schwartz, MD

Susan H. Senft, MD

Shigeto Shimmura, MD

Erin M. Shriver, MD

Michael D. Straiko, MD

Grace Sun, MD

Marie Jose Tassignon, MD

Constance E. West, MD

Kyung In Woo, MD

Maria A. Woodward, MD, MS

Charles C. Wykoff, MD, PhD

Achievement Award

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

Ebtisam K. Al Alawi, MD

Nagham Al-Zubidi, MD

Amin Ashrafzadeh, MD

Shamik Bafna, MD

Cagri G. Besirli, MD, PhD

Durga S. Borkar, MD

William Z. Bridges Jr., MD

Ninita H. Brown, MD, PhD

Michael Brush, MD

Vatinee Y. Bunya, MD

Jonathan Chang, MD

Roomasa Channa, MD

Ian P. Conner, MD, PhD

Susan M. Culican, MD, PhD

Theodore Curtis, MD

Carl J. Danzig, MD

Brett W. Davies, MD

Alejandra G. de Alba Campomanes, MD

Thuy A. Doan, MD, PhD

Joshua R. Ehrlich, MD

Forrest J. Ellis, MD

Valerie I. Elmalem, MD

Suzanne M. Falkenberry, MD

Asim V. Farooq, MD

Simon Fung, MD, MA, FRCOphth

David J. Gajda, MD

Matthew F. Gardiner, MD

Mithra O. Gonzalez, MD

Amit Gupta, MBBS

Gaurav Gupta, MD

Meron Haile, MD

Nieraj Jain, MD

David R. Jordan, MD

Jeffrey A. Kammer, MD

Christine Nichols Kay, MD

Leo A. Kim, MD

Min Kim, MD

Brad E. Kligman, MD

Courtney L. Kraus, MD

Cecilia S. Lee, MD

Gary L. Legault, MD

Cory M. Lessner, MD

Thellea K. Leveque, MD, MPH

Steven J. Lichtenstein, MD, FACS

Amy Lin, MD

Jennifer L. Lindsey, MD

Peter W. MacIntosh, MD

Alan A. McNab, MBBS

Mario A. Meallet, MD

Mehdi Modarres, MD

Yasha S. Modi, MD

Donald A. Morris, DO

Ann P. Murchison, MD, MPH

Afshan A. Nanji, MD

Priya Narang, MS

Jacquelyn A. O’Banion, MD

Gregory S.H. Ogawa, MD

Yvonne Ou, MD

Augusto Paranhos, MD

Shriji Patel, MD, MBA

Jason H. Peragallo, MD

Nicholas A. Ramey, MD

Anne T. Riddering, PhD

Michael L. Savitt, MD

Richard L. Scawn, FRCOphth, MBBS

Kevin R. Scott, MD

Frank A. Scotti, MD

Ankoor R. Shah, MD

Manjool M. Shah, MD

Paras R. Shah, MD

Roman Shinder, MD

Jasleen K. Singh, MD

Ravi S.J. Singh, MD

Divya Srikumaran, MD

Walter A. Steigleman, MD

Russell J. Swan, MD

Anjali Tannan, MD

Steven B. Thom, MD

Peter J. Timoney, MBBCh

Edmund Tsui, MD

Virginia Miraldi Utz, MD

Keith A. Walter, MD

Brian A. Welcome, MD

Helen M. Wu, MD

Hyeong Gon Yu, MD

Nominees for approval by the Board of Trustees to receive the Academy’s Annual Secretariat Award in 2022

Each Secretary, with approval from their Senior Secretary, may nominate a maximum of five individuals to receive the Secretariat Award. The following nominations were submitted for the 2022 Annual Secretariat Award:

Clinical Education

Christopher J. Rapuano, MD, senior secretary for Clinical Education, Rahul Khurana, MD, secretary for Online Education, J. Timothy Stout, MD, PhD, MBA, secretary for Lifelong Learning and Assessment, and Ruth D. Williams, MD, Chief Medical Editor, EyeNet, nominate:

Ambar Faridi, MD

Davinder S. Grover, MD

Amanda D. Henderson, MD

Arif O. Khan, MD

Stephen J. Kim, MD

Gregg T. Kokame, MD

April Y. Maa, MD

Samuel Masket, MD

Prithvi Mruthyunjaya, MD

Alpa S. Patel, MD

Shriji Patel, MD, MBA

Jamie B. Rosenberg, MD

Sarwat Salim, MD

Lisa S. Schocket, MD

George O. Waring IV, MD

Fasika A. Woreta, MD

Quality of Care

Timothy W. Olsen, MD, sec­retary for Quality of Care, nominates:

Steven P. Dunn, MD

Kevin M. Miller, MD

David C. Musch, PhD, MPH

Thomas A. Oetting, MD

Michael T. Yen, MD

Federal/State Affairs

George A. Williams, MD, senior secretary for Advocacy, John D. Peters, MD, secretary for State Affairs, David B. Glasser, MD, secretary for Federal Affairs, and Michael X. Repka, MD, Medical Director for Governmental Affairs, nominate:

David F. Chang, MD

Courtney E. Francis, MD

Amy A. Gregory, MD

Judy E. Kim, MD

Mark D. Mayle, MD

Mark L. Mazow, MD

Christie L. Morse, MD

David J. Palmer, MD

Paul O. Phelps, MD

Stuart R. Seiff, MD

Ophthalmic Practice

Ravi D. Goel, MD, senior secretary for Ophthalmic Practice, nominates:

Ricky Bass, MBA, MHA

Mary Becka

Sue Vicchrilli, COT, OCD, OCSR

Annual Meeting

Maria M. Aaron, MD, secretary for Annual Meeting, nominates:

Janice C. Law, MD

Florentino E. Palmon, MD

Sharon D. Solomon, MD 

Communications

Dianna L. Seldomridge, MD, MBA, secretary for Communications, nominates:

Usiwoma E. Abugo, MD

Hardeep S. Dhindsa, MD

William E. Flanary, MD

Janice C. Law, MD

Raj K. Maturi, MD

Member Services

Aaron M. Miller, MD, secretary for Member Services, nominates:

Paul P. Lee, MD, JD

Peter A. Quiros, MD

Arvind Saini, MD, MBA

Terri L. Young, MD, MBA

Global Alliances

R.V. Paul Chan, MD, secretary for Global Alliances, nominates:

Soheil Adib-Moghaddam, MD

Eyes on Ukraine

Linda M. Lawrence, MD

Thulasiraj Ravilla, MBA

Ukrainian Alliance of Ophthalmologists

Ophthalmology

Russell N. Van Gelder, MD, PhD, Ophthalmology Editor, nominates: 

Andrew R. Carey, MD

Matthew Timothy Feng, MD

Lorraine M. Provencher, MD

Rajesh C. Rao, MD

Edmund Tsui, MD

Ophthalmology Glaucoma

Henry D. Jampel, MD, MHS, Ophthalmology Glaucoma Editor-In-Chief, nominates:

Philip P. Chen MD

Paula Anne Newman-Casey, MD, MS

Gary D. Novack, PhD

Harry A. Quigley, MD

Alan L. Robin, MD

Ophthalmology Retina

Andrew P. Schachat, MD, Ophthalmology Retina Editor-in-Chief, nominates:

Michael P. Blair MD

Lauren A. Dalvin, MD

Khalil Ghasemi Falavarjani, MD

Rahul N. Khurana, MD

Michael A. Klufas, MD

Annual Business Meeting Is on Friday, Sept. 30

Notice is hereby given that the Annu­al Business Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology will be held Friday, Sept. 30, 2022, in E354 at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago as part of the AAO 2022 Opening Session (from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. CT). Candidates for Academy membership will be approved during this meeting. Following the Annual Business Meeting, election ballots for open board positions and the proposed amendment to the Code of Ethics will be sent to voting fellows and members.

For more information and to see the full program schedule, refer to the Opening Session page of the Mobile Meeting Guide at aao.org/mobile.

Proposed Amendment to the Code of Ethics

The Board of Trustees recommends an amendment to Rule 13 of the Academy’s Code of Ethics for consideration and adoption by members. The amendment will be implemented by a majority vote via the Academy’s election.

To view the proposed Code of Ethics amendment language, visit the Academy’s election page at aao.org/about/governance/elections.

CANDIDATES’ VIEWS

JANE C. EDMOND, MD
Candidate for President-Elect

Career. Pediatric ophthalmology and pediatric neuro-ophthalmology specialist; Wong Family Distinguished University Chair and Professor; Di­rector, Mitchel and Shannon Wong Eye Clinic, The University of Texas at Austin, Dell Medical School. Through­out my career, I have educated over 450 residents and over 60 fellows and have focused on being a strong advocate for providing care to the underserved.

Academy service. Trustee-at-Large, Board of Trustees; Subspecialty Day in Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (planning committee, director); Lifetime Education for the Ophthalmologist committee (chair); Awards com­mittee (chair); Membership Advisory com­mittee (chair); BCSC, Volume 6 (faculty); Communica­tion Advisory Board; EyeNet Editorial Board; Membership Services com­mittee; Board of Trustees Nominating committee; Orbital Gala Planning com­mittee. Past President of AAPOS.

Goal. Advance the Academy’s mis­sion of protecting sight and empower­ing lives; advocate for the best interests for our profession and our members at all times; address impending workforce shortages of ophthalmologists; and champion ophthalmic health equity.

RAVI D. GOEL, MD
Candidate for Senior Secretary for Ophthalmic Practice

Career. Comprehensive Ophthalmolo­gist & Cataract Surgeon, Regional Eye Associates, Cherry Hill, New Jersey. In­structor, Cataract and Primary Eye Care Service, Wills Eye Hospital, Philadelphia.  

Academy service. Cur­rent roles: Se­nior Secretary for Ophthalmic Practice; Amer­ican Academy of Ophthalmic Executives (AAOE) Board of Directors; Member, Communications Secretariat; Acad­emy Delegate to American Medical Association (AMA); and Chair, AMA Ophthalmology Section Council. Past roles: Program Director, Ophthalmolo­gy Business Summit; EyeNet Magazine Editorial Advisory Board; AAO Revital­ization Study Group; Young Ophthal­mologist Committee; and Leadership Development Program (LDP VI).

Goal. Practice management is essential as ophthalmic practices face increasing regulatory, payer-based, and nonclinical challenges post-COVID. The Academy must continue to develop cutting-edge initiatives to help col­leagues educate, research, and innovate across practice settings and subspecial­ties. As Senior Secretary for Ophthal­mic Practice, I look forward to continu­ing to work with fellow trustees, AAOE board members, and colleagues in a shared mission of protecting sight and empowering lives.

BENNIE H. JENG, MD
Candidate for Secretary for Annual Meeting

Career. Medical School at University of Pennsylvania; Residency at Cleveland Clinic; Cornea and external diseases Fellowship at Proctor Foundation/UCSF. Faculty positions at Cleveland Clinic, then UCSF, followed by chair­manships at University of Maryland, and now at University of Pennsylvania. Active cornea clinician, surgeon, and researcher.

Academy service. Annual Meeting Pro­gram Commit­tee (since 2010, now Chair and Associate Sec­retary); Cornea Subspecialty Day Director; Special In­terest Team; Self-Assessment Committee (as Chair); Ophthalmic News and Education Net­work (including as Chair of Cornea); Research, Regulations, and External Affairs Committee; Awards Commit­tee; Council (two terms); and editorial boards of Ophthalmology, Ophthalmol­ogy Science, and EyeNet.

Goal. My main goal is to ensure that the Annual Meeting provides relevant, innovative, and exciting programming that is the very best opportunity for ophthalmologists around the world to update their knowledge and skills in ways that best fit their learning styles.

LISA DIANE KELLY, MD
Candidate for Trustee-at-Large

Career. Harvard Undergraduate and Medical School; Stanford Residency; Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary Fellowship; Master’s degree in Educa­tion, Johns Hopkins. Former Director of Cornea Service Stanford University and Chief of Ophthalmology Palo Alto Veterans Administration. Past Examiner American Board of Oph­thalmology. Currently, Taylor Asbury Professor of Ophthalmology and Director of Ophthalmology Medical Stu­dent Education University of Cincinnati (2013 to pres­ent). Director of University of Cincinnati Outpatient Clinics. Chair, UC College of Medicine DEI task force.

Academy service. Elected to the Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology DMSE Council (member 2019-2021, Secretary 2022), Honor Award Recipient, Minority Ophthalmology Mentoring program metrics subcommittee member (2016 to present), mentor support committee member (2019), and executive commit­tee member (2021 to present).

Goal. To serve and support Acade­my members in their quest to protect vision and deliver outstanding health care. And to actively engage and rep­resent the diverse perspectives of our membership and stakeholders.

To view the candidates’ full state­ments, visit the Academy’s election page at aao.org/about/governance/elections.

D.C. REPORT

The Academy, Ophthalmology Remain Committed to Reducing Drug Waste

There has been a growing outcry from ophthalmologists related to the mountain of medical waste that comes from treating patients with oph­thalmic conditions.

Action plan. Last year, the Academy developed a multistep action plan for addressing surgical drug waste in ophthalmology. It called for engag­ing with federal regulators, accreditation organizations, and ophthalmol­ogists and their staff about eliminating waste. (See the plan at aao.org/advocacy/drug-waste.)

Joint policy statement. This spring the Academy achieved another notable milestone with the release of a joint policy statement with the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS), the American Glaucoma Society (AGS), and the Outpatient Ophthalmic Sur­gery Society (OOSS). In the statement, “Reducing Topical Drug Waste in Ophthalmic Surgery,” the Academy outlined key recommendations that ophthalmologists can use to reduce drug waste in facilities and where they practice. The recommendations include:

• Topical drugs in multidose containers can be used on multiple patients in surgical facilities until the manufacturer’s labeled date of expiration if proper guidelines are followed.
• When applicable, patients should be allowed to bring partially used medication home for postoperative use.

The policy paper has been endorsed by all 50 state ophthalmology societies. (See the statement at aao.org/clinical-statement/reducing-topical-drug-waste-in-ophthalmic-surgery.)

Mid-Year Forum. At April’s Mid-Year Forum, the Academy hosted a drug waste panel, bringing together ophthalmology, industry partners, and the federal government to discuss ways to create a more sustainable practice.

CMS guidance. In June, heeding a request from the Academy and part­nering ophthalmic societies to remove obstacles to reducing drug waste, CMS announced new guidance to ambulatory surgery center (ASC) inspectors, clarifying that the 28-day expiration date related to injected drugs does not apply to multidose eyedrops, a big win for the ophthalmic community. (See the document at www.cms.gov/files/document/qso-22-16-asc.pdf.)

The Academy will continue to call for reducing drug waste in ophthal­mology as an opportunity to make quality eye care delivery financially and environmentally sustainable.