As we enter a new year (mercifully, some might say), I am pleased to announce that Scope is also entering an exciting new phase with the appointment of Alfredo A. Sadun, MD, PhD, as editor of Scope, our newsletter for the senior ophthalmologist.
Alfredo A. Sadun, MD, PhD - 2021 Editor, Scope Newsletter
This will be a wonderful shot of new blood for our publication, since Dr. Sadun is truly a Renaissance man, with a breadth and depth of knowledge that I have seen in few people. I am looking forward to the new directions he may take our newsletter, and I wish him the very best in his new role.
It has been a privilege for me to serve as editor of Scope, especially because of all the generous and talented colleagues with whom I was fortunate to work. During my tenure, we introduced several new features, none of which would have been possible without the help of these individuals. Our “Ophthalmic History” series, which is one of the highlights of the newsletter for many of us, has been ably edited by Daniel. M. Albert, MD, MS, who was initially assisted by Donald L. Blanchard, MD, and more recently by Ms. Jane Shull. Dr. Albert also introduced the intriguing feature, “Notable Dates in Ophthalmic History”. I wish to sincerely thank Dan and his colleagues and am pleased to report that he has agreed to continue his contributions to Scope.
Another regular feature that has been well received is our book review series, which has been edited by Thomas S. Harbin, MD, MBA. Tom and I are grateful to our many colleagues who have shared with us their favorite non-ophthalmic books, and I thank Dr. Harbin for this contribution and am delighted that this feature will also continue to appear in our newsletter.
It has been a special pleasure for me to write the “What We Are Doing Today” series, which has revealed how many talented colleagues we have, not only as outstanding ophthalmologists, but also their avocation. Scope has included artists, photographers, world travelers, musicians, a writer of crossword puzzles, cabinet maker, collector of ophthalmic artifacts, documenter of bird life, dog breeder and student of Sanskrit. More recently, we have explored the nonscientific writing talents of our colleagues in the “What We Are Writing” series, and I am grateful to all these individuals who shared aspects of their special talents with us.
I also want to sincerely thank all those who have written articles for Scope, most of whom have been members of the Senior Ophthalmologist Committee of our Academy. A very special thanks to W. Banks Anderson Jr., MD, and the late William S. Tasman, MD, who were associate editors of Scope long before I became editor and who continued for many years to grace us with their wisdom and wit.
And a most sincere thanks to Neeshah Azam and her colleagues at the Academy, including Gail Schmidt, Psyche Pascual, Lourdes Nadon and Jim Frew, without whom I can guarantee you this newsletter would never happen. It has been a joy to work with them, and I know that Dr. Sadun will continue to profit from their talents.
Finally, I wish to thank you our readers for your generous acceptance of Scope. Many of you have provided comments and other content, and I encourage you to continue doing so, since this is our newsletter, to be shared and enjoyed by all senior ophthalmologists. It has been my privilege to be a part of it, and I wish each of you the very best.