With immense gratitude, I accept the nomination to serve on the Academy Board of Trustees as council vice chair. In addition to clinical practice, I have devoted my career to advocating for patients and the profession of ophthalmology and to inspiring residents, fellows and colleagues to become advocates. I strongly believe in the power of our individual and collective voices to guide the future of our profession and safeguard patient care.
I attended medical school at Johns Hopkins University and first became active in the Maryland Society of Eye Physicians and Surgeons (MSEPS) while in residency at the Wilmer Eye Institute. During that time I served as a resident board member and attended my first of many Academy Congressional Advocacy Days. My service to the Academy was galvanized as a participant in the Leadership Development Program in 2012-13. Since then, I have been active in MSEPS leadership, serving as chair of the Annual Scientific Conference, treasurer and ultimately president. This last role challenged me to lead a team of physicians to defeat broad optometric scope expansion and work closely with the Academy Secretariat for State Affairs and MedChi, the Maryland State Medical Society, in our effort to preserve patient safety. I was honored to receive the 2018 Wilmer Distinguished Alumna Award during my term.
As a result of this experience, I joined the Surgical Scope Fund Committee. As its current chair, I find it meaningful to support fundraising efforts and assist other state societies facing similar challenges. This role has also allowed me to build collaborative relationships with other committees across the Academy. In addition, I have been honored to serve the Academy as a councilor from MSEPS, council deputy section leader, state section representative to the Academy Nominating Committee and member of the Academy Membership Task Force.
There are many issues facing ophthalmology and medicine today, not only the devaluation of our expertise, but workforce issues, reimbursement and insurance challenges and ensuring diversity, equity and inclusion within our profession. I would be honored to serve you as council vice chair by bringing the viewpoints of our colleagues from state and subspecialty societies together for meaningful discussion. As a member of the Academy Board of Trustees, I plan to continue to champion the profession of ophthalmology, seek ways to improve access to high quality medical and surgical care for patients and work to ensure that diverse voices from state and subspecialty societies are amplified at the board level.