The ASCRS Annual Meeting officially kicked off on the ASCRS Main Stage on Friday afternoon.
ASCRS Annual Meeting Program Chair Thomas Samuelson, MD, began the session by thanking everyone for attending this year’s Annual Meeting. He thanked the city of Los Angeles for hosting, despite recent hardships.
Dr. Samuelson shared some of the highlights of the meeting, emphasizing the Exhibit Hall and ASCRS Tap Room. He added that industry collaboration is a vitally important driver of the Annual Meeting. ASCRS was founded on the notion that patients benefit and the field advances with surgeon and industry collaboration, he said.
ASCRS Outgoing President Vance Thompson, MD, shared that his favorite part of his year as president has been experiencing the culture of the Society, including the members, industry, and international colleagues who support ASCRS. To see all this come together and have a front-row seat to it has been an “absolute honor,” he said.
Source: ASCRS
ASCRS Incoming President Francis Mah, MD, described his journey to ophthalmology and how he got involved with ASCRS. He noted how some of his earliest memories of the ASCRS Annual Meeting was attending with friends and colleagues, splitting up sessions to attend during the days, and getting together in the evenings to discuss what had been learned in the sessions. This helps you get passionate about ophthalmology, what you’re doing, and why you chose this specialty, he said.
Offering advice to Dr. Mah, Dr. Thompson noted that one of the important things about the presidency is contemplating the needs of members. It’s important to respect what’s been done but also to bring something that’s fresh and new to the Society, he said.
Source: ASCRS
Dr. Mah said he has many objectives for his year as president, mentioning the ASCRS Foundation and Government Relations and the value they bring to the Society.
Also during the session, the Chang-Crandall Humanitarian Award was given to Elena Barraquer, MD. ASCRS Foundation Chair Susan MacDonald, MD, presented the award to Dr. Barraquer.
Dr. Barraquer thanked David F. Chang, MD, ASCRS, and Dr. MacDonald for the honor. “I always said the best reward is the smile of our patients when you uncover the operated eye and they realize they can see again; this comes very close to it,” she said.
Dr. Barraquer also thanked her team in Barcelona who organizes the cataract camps and other volunteers because without them, “I wouldn’t have received this award because I couldn’t do the 25,000 cataracts we have done since we started the project in 2017.” Finally, she thanked her father and grandfather who taught her ophthalmology as well as to treat not only the people who can pay but also those who can’t because they are the ones who need help the most.
The session also featured this ASCRS Hall of Fame ceremony. This year’s inductee was Richard L. Lindstrom, MD, a longtime ASCRS member. Dr. Lindstrom has been involved with ASCRS for 47 years, having served in numerous leadership roles over the years, including as past president, ASCRS Foundation chair, and more.
In his introduction of Dr. Lindstrom, Edward Holland, MD, said he could think of “no one more worthy than this year’s Hall of Fame inductee.” He has made contributions in so many areas of ophthalmology, Dr. Holland said, adding that Dr. Lindstrom has profoundly affected a generation of ophthalmologists across specialties.
Source: ASCRS
Dr. Lindstrom has had extraordinary academic achievements and presented numerous named lectures. He also has a number of patents and has developed IOLs, drugs, and devices that are still used daily in clinical practice. Dr. Lindstrom changed the paradigm for industry and clinician interaction, breaking the long-held opinion that this activity was somehow biased, and he showed us the way for meaningful collaboration between clinicians and companies, Dr. Holland said.
Dr. Holland also noted Dr. Lindstrom’s contributions to teaching and mentoring others in ophthalmology. He has trained more than 80 fellows.
Dr. Samuelson shared this thoughts, having been his practice partner for 34 years and first practice partner. He said he’s long viewed Dr. Lindstrom as a “colossus in ophthalmology.”
“I love ASCRS,” Dr. Lindstrom said, upon receiving his award. He added that, for the past 47 years, ASCRS has been his guiding light in practice management and patient care and collaboration with industry. He said it’s also been an amazing source of extraordinary friendships.
