Tamara R. Fountain, MD, has served the ophthalmic community in a multitude of ways over the past 25 years, as an Academy president, Academy secretary for member services, at-large member of the Board of Trustees and an editorial member of EyeNet® Magazine.
She is also a dedicated mentor. Throughout her career, Dr. Fountain has selflessly given her time and energy to inspire young ophthalmologists (YOs) to make their voices heard. Countless numbers of YOs have benefited from her extraordinary leadership, mentorship, wisdom, guidance and friendship.
These efforts have earned her the Academy’s EnergEYES Award, honoring an ophthalmologist who demonstrates the best in energizing YOs, serving as a strong role model and motivating others to get involved.
Dr. Fountain spoke with YO Info about her lifetime accomplishments, transitioning from YO to SO as well as some tips for promoting physician well-being.
See a slide show of Tamara Fountain, MD, with her colleagues through the years.
How did winning the EnergEYES Award make you feel?
Dr. Fountain: It’s not often we are truly surprised in life. And it’s almost always overwhelming to be surprised and lauded at the same time. I was lured to the award event under false pretense by a well-coordinated ruse involving both Academy and American Board of Ophthalmology staff. So my initial feeling was one of shock (and a wish that I’d combed my hair and worn something a little more dressy for the day).
It’s taken a while to sink in, but this award means so much because YOs mean so much not just to me, but also to the profession. YOs have become both a powerful force and voice within organized ophthalmology. And the concept of empowering the YO voice continues to be copied and emulated around the world, from state and subspecialty societies in the United States to other countries and supranational societies. To be recognized by this body is the honor of a lifetime.
What do you think your most important accomplishment has been at the Academy?
Dr. Fountain: I’ve had the opportunity to play so many roles over the years. Although being elected president of this 32,000-member organization in 2021 has to be the pinnacle of my Academy journey, I’d wager my greatest impact came during my years as secretary for member services.
The Academy has multiple divisions — advocacy, education, communications, global alliances, practice management, to name a few — but at the end of the day, all divisions align behind a common goal: serving the member.
I was in charge of the YOs, the senior ophthalmologists (SOs) and the membership committee. I also cross-trained with global alliances and interfaced with our international members.
Being secretary for member services reminds me a little of playing catcher on the baseball diamond. You get to see the whole field and are directly or indirectly involved in every play. (Shhh, don't tell my Board of Trustees colleagues both past and present, but secretary for member services is THE best job in the Academy.)
How has the experience been transitioning from the early years on the YO Committee to now working with the SO group?
Dr. Fountain: Oh my goodness. Where does the time go? As a fellow still in training, I was one of the first members of the newly created YO Committee (the brainchild of former Academy CEO H. Dunbar Hoskins Jr., MD) back in the mid ’90s. That was my first Academy assignment — almost 30 years ago — and I obviously enjoyed my service as I’ve had some official role in the organization every year since.
The transition is so gradual that it’s difficult to appreciate in real time, but you realize along the journey that the people you looked to for guidance, reassurance and counsel move on, and slowly but inexorably, you find you are now the person who younger members look to for that guidance, reassurance and counsel. It’s the bittersweet circle of life — both loss and renewal — that plays out for all of us personally in our families as well as professionally. A career arc from YO to SO, what a ride.
What’s the most important trend YOs face in the coming years?
Dr. Fountain: The practice of medicine now evolves at warp speed. How we learn, how we practice and how we get paid would be almost unrecognizable to those who practiced even a short generation ago. YOs are at the forefront of whatever changes are in store in the next few years. And it’s they who will shape the way we integrate powerful, but potentially dangerous, new technology and navigate its ethical and practical challenges as healthcare moves forward.
Are there goals you’d like to see the Academy set in the next five years?
Dr. Fountain: Continue the Global YO Reception! Even though I’m now a SO, I have a lifetime, unlimited pass to attend this highly anticipated and wildly popular annual meeting dance party. I may end up busting a hip instead of busting a move, but as a lifelong YO at heart, I plan to be there as long as they’ll have me.
What’s your holiday tip to promote physician well-being?
Dr. Fountain: Wherever you are, whoever you are with — ask questions, interview elders, tell stories! Learning your family’s history is a priceless opportunity that can inform and reaffirm our own journeys — and maybe even yield some juicy dirt on your brothers and sisters.