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Physician education a recurring theme at world congress
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SAO PAULO, Brazil — Physician education is vital to saving vision throughout the developing world, leading ophthalmologists from around the world said here at the World Ophthalmology Congress.
Speaking at the opening session of the meeting, WOC President Rubens Belfort, MD, PhD, sounded the theme of patient education. He said “education, education, education” is needed to foster the advancement of modern medicine.
“We want more than just the advance of ophthalmology,” Dr. Belfort said. “We want modern medicine advancing everywhere.”
Gottfried Naumann, MD, president of the International Council of Ophthalmology, echoed the theme, calling for better global educational efforts to combat the “intolerable disparity” in vision care between rich and poor countries.
By gathering ophthalmologists from many countries at one international meeting, Dr. Naumann said, the WOC underscores the global disparities in access to quality care. One reason for highlighting those discrepancies, he said, is to spark physicians’ interest in “creating a world without avoidable blindness.”
During the opening session of the 6-day WOC, heads of the world’s foremost ophthalmology associations took their places on the stage alongside local dignitaries. They wore the traditional garb of the opening academic procession: long, black robes with green or yellow sashes.
Following introductory speeches, Dr. Naumann presented the Gonin Medal on behalf of the ICO to Alfred Sommer, MD. He also presented the International Duke-Elder Medal to Bradley Straatsma, MD, and the Jules Francois Golden Medal to Bruce Spivey, MD. Mark Tso, MD, presented the Ophthalmic Pathology Award to Thaddeus Dryja, MD.
On behalf of the Academia Ophthalmologica Internationalis, Koichi Shimizu, MD, presented the Bernardo Streiff Gold Medal to Dr. Naumann.
A number of awards were presented on behalf of the Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology: The A. Edward Maumenee Medal for Distinguished Services to Juan Verdaguer, MD; the Gradle Medal for Good Teaching to Miguel Burnier, MD; and the Benjamin F. Boyd Humanitarian Award to Tim Sear, MBA, former chairman, president and chief executive officer of Alcon. The Boyd award was presented by Dr. Boyd’s son, Samuel Boyd, MD.
On behalf of the Brazilian Council of Ophthalmology, the association’s president, Harley Biccas, MD, presented Ruth Cardoso, PhD, with a medal for her work with the group called Communitas, which seeks to combat poverty and social isolation in Brazil.
Meeting organizers announced that the WOC, formerly held every 4 years, will now be held biennially, with the next one planned for Hong Kong in 2008.
The meeting, which runs through Friday, February 24, has drawn 12,000 ophthalmologists from 117 countries to São Paulo, according to organizers. Regional and international subspecialty associations are represented, as are supranational organizations, such as the ICO, and numerous nongovernmental organizations.