This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
APAO Secretariat news
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
The Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology (APAO) Secretariat bade farewell to Deputy Administrative Director Ms. Florence Chung on June 6. Florence had worked at APAO since February 2011, but will now move on to new exciting opportunities at the United Nations. APAO’s CEO and Secretary-General Prof. Clement Tham said that Florence would be greatly missed, and he wished her great success in all her future endeavors.
As of June 1, Ms. Cynthia Wong joined the secretariat team as Congress Manager. For more details about the Secretariat team, please visit http://www.apaophth.org/staff-members/.
Changes to the APAO Awards
For the past several years, the Academy has given out 8 named awards and lectures at each annual Congress. These are the Jose Rizal Medal, Jose Rizal International Medal, ICO Mark Tso Golden Apple Award, De Ocampo Lecture, Holmes Lecture, Susruta Lecture, Nakajima Award and Arthur Lim Award. These honors recognize ophthalmologists from the Asia-Pacific region and around the world for their contributions while paying tribute to previous members of the Academy and other important figures.
Now, the APAO Council has voted to create 2 sets of 4 awards each, which will be presented biannually. This change is designed to maintain the prestige of these respected honors and to allow more flexibility for the potential creation of additional awards in the future. Beginning at the APAO Congress in 2017, the following awards will be presented in odd years: Jose Rizal Medal, ICO Mark Tso Golden Apple Award, Holmes Lecture and Nakajima Award. These remaining awards will be conferred at Congresses held in even-numbered years: Jose Rizal International Medal, De Ocampo Lecture, Susruta Lecture and Arthur Lim Award.
To ensure that the APAO named awards are presented in an equitable manner, current office bearers on the APAO Council and members of the Awards Standing Committee will not be eligible as recipients. Individuals who receive a named award cannot be nominated for another named award for 2 years, so that other qualified candidates can be recognized.
Additionally, the APAO Distinguished Service Awards, which are presented to ophthalmologists from member nations for their service in their home countries, will now be awarded to one individual from each national member society every year. The APAO Outstanding Service in Prevention of Blindness Awards and Achievement Awards will be distributed in the same manner as in the past.
Introduction of APAO Associate Membership
The APAO Council has approved a new category of society membership: associate membership. Societies that join APAO as associate members will enjoy the benefits of APAO membership, such as educational programs and journal subscription, but they will not be eligible to vote or host the APAO Congress. Associate members will also pay a reduced annual membership fee.
By creating this new type of membership, APAO hopes to accommodate those societies that do not yet completely fulfil the criteria for national or subspecialty society membership. This will allow for greater participation and inclusion of the Asia-Pacific ophthalmic community. For more information about membership in APAO, please visit http://www.apaophth.org/members/.
The APAO Gateway Project
The Gateway Project was first conceived by Prof. Rajvardhan Azad, APAO’s immediate past president, as a way for more developed nations in the Asia-Pacific region to help their neighbors in need. Now under the leadership of Prof. Kanxing Zhao and Dr. Nitin Verma, the APAO Gateway Project committee has begun its first initiative: Strengthening Eye Health Care Services in Lao PDR 2016, or the Laos Project.
Throughout the Laos Project, the Academy’s main role will be to facilitate and oversee the different organizations and aspects involved. Dr. James Muecke and Sight For All from Australia have partnered with APAO to serve as the project coordinator. Additional organizations from Laos, Australia and elsewhere will also participate, including the Asia Pacific Council of Optometry, Fred Hollows Foundation and APAO national member Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists (RANZCO).
The Laos Project will involve many different elements, which together will serve to improve eye health care in the country. Education of eye health professionals, general practitioners and members of the community will raise overall awareness of eye health. Refraction training and curriculum development, particularly for ophthalmic subspecialties, will result in providers who are better equipped to serve their patients.
Although the Laos Project is the first program organized by the Gateway Project committee, it will not be the last. The committee has already begun to consider which country in the Asia-Pacific region could best be served next.