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Advancing ophthalmology through publication, scientific meetings, leadership development
The Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology is pleased to share that its official journal, the Asia-Pacific Journal of Ophthalmology, was launched on Jan. 23, coinciding with the Chinese New Year. As its Editor-in-Chief, Dennis S.C. Lam, MD, FRCOphth, Associate Editor-in-Chief, Robert Ritch, MD, and Assistant Editors-in-Chief, Christopher K.S. Leung, MD, MB ChB, and Srinivas Rao, MD, aptly put it in their first editorial, “A good journal is not just a collection of papers. It is a thought leader. It inspires and it guides.”
Together with the entire editorial board, Drs. Lam, Ritch, Leung and Rao are committed to building a journal that can “connect the East with the West, push forward into the frontiers of ophthalmology and stretching it to every corner in the Asia-Pacific region.”
The Asia-Pacific Journal of Ophthalmology (APJO) has received enthusiastic support from renowned eye experts globally. It has attracted a prestigious editorial and advisory board, drawn from South Asia, East Asia, Australia, as well as the U.S. and Europe.
“I am grateful that so many leading eye experts do share the view that there is the need of building a pan-Asia-Pacific journal,” Dr. Lam said. “The launch of the APJO is another step forward to advancing ophthalmology in the Asia-Pacific region. Our idea is to feature top-quality research and clinical articles, as well as topical review articles of broad interests, and we hope to attract manuscripts from around the globe and to become a truly internationally recognized comprehensive journal catering to the needs of the various ophthalmological subspecialties. The way to achieve this is to adhere to the highest quality of content from the onset.”
“Nowadays, translational medicine is the hot topic. Nanotechnology, tissue bioengineering, stem cell therapy, gene therapy and boil-based artificial tissues are entering the realm of utility,” Dr. Ritch said. “We predict that the library of the future will consist not of a room of weighty tomes, but entirely in cyberspace. It is, therefore, proper that a journal comparable to the most significant ones, as judged by both readers and impact factor, should be an online journal.”
Because the journal is a bimonthly electronic publication, access to the APJO will not be limited to institutional or individual subscribers. Individual members of APAO’s member societies will enjoy permanent free access, whereas 1 year of free access will be freely available to all. The premier issue of the APJO, which features an editorial and a perspective piece on the introduction and potential future role of femtosecond laser cataract surgery, review articles on ocular surface reconstruction, endophthalmitis after cataract surgery and intravitreal injections for macular diseases, as well as new clinical and basic research studies, is now available at http://www.apaophth.org/eJournal/index.php.
Upcoming meetings
Another means to advancing ophthalmological development and facilitating scientific exchanges in the Asia-Pacific region is by organizing and co-organizing congresses and scientific meetings in the region. The 27th APAO Congress, to be held in Busan, South Korea, on April 13 to April 16, will feature three symposiums organized by the European Society of Ophthalmology.
Image: APAO Secretariat
With the meeting just around the corner, the APAO Congress Committee has exciting news to share. To date, the Congress has attracted more than 3,500 registered delegates with nearly 700 world-renowned invited speakers.
The APAO is also co-organizing a joint meeting with the American Academy of Ophthalmology. The joint AAO-APAO 2012 meeting will be held in McCormick Place in Chicago, U.S.A., on Nov. 11 to Nov. 13. Abstract submission will be open from March 14 to April 10.
What is more, the APAO is pleased to learn that the 8th International Symposium of Ophthalmology–Hong Kong (ISO-HK), which provides a platform for various subspecialty society meetings in the Asia-Pacific region, including the 7th Asia-Pacific Vitreo-retina Society (APVRS) Congress, the 1st Asia-Pacific Strabismus and Paediatric Ophthalmology Society (APSPOS) Congress, the 1st Asia-Pacific Society of Ocular Oncology and Pathology (APSOOP) Congress, the 10th Asia-Pacific Society of Eye Genetics (APSEG) Symposium and the 24th Annual Scientific Meeting Hong Kong Ophthalmological Symposium, is going to be held Dec. 14 to Dec. 16 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
To date, around 50 vitreoretinal experts have expressed their interest in joining the 8th ISO-HK, and it is anticipated that the symposium will attract more than 2,000 delegates and around 300 world-renowned speakers. For more information, please go to http://www.iso-hk.org/2012/.
Leadership development program
Committed to grooming future leaders to continue to serve ophthalmologists in the Asia-Pacific region, the APAO is collaborating with the AAO to develop its leadership development program (LDP). With the unwavering commitment of Michael Brennan, MD, Tjahjono D. Gondhowiardjo, MD, Cathy Green, MD, Frank J. Martin, AM, FRACS, FRANZCO, and Dr. Lam, the LDP is aimed at identifying individuals with the potential to become leaders in ophthalmology and providing them with orientation and training so that they can, in return, promote ophthalmology both locally and in the Asia-Pacific region.
Image: BridgeClimb Sydney
While competence and professional ethics are some of the criteria for LDP participants, it is the sincere hope of the APAO leadership that a spirit of accountability, altruism and collegiality can be fostered. This year, there will be 20 graduates making a presentation on their research projects and another 15 participants who are eager to commit their service. – by Dennis S.C. Lam, MD, FRCOphth, Secretary General of the APAO, and Frank J. Martin, AM, FRACS, FRANZCO, President of the APAO
Reference:
Lam DS, Ritch R, Rao SK, Leung CK. Aspire to inspire: the launch of the Asia-Pacific Journal of Ophthalmology. Asia Pac J Ophthalmol. 2012;1(1):1-2.