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Women in Ophthalmology Summer Symposium to focus on scientific innovations, burnout and leadership skills
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The Women in Ophthalmology 2018 Summer Symposium will take place in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, from Aug. 16 to 19 and will focus on scientific innovations, wellness, leadership skills and self-care.
“It is a unique meeting created by women, for women, for the advancement of women,” Regine Pappas, MD, WIO development chair, told Healio.com/OSN. “It provides attendees with an intimate environment where we focus on self-improvement as well as career goals.”
The WIO Summer meeting emphasizes cutting-edge scientific ophthalmic sessions with more than 20 hours of CME, 100 scientific posters, five wet labs and numerous plenary sessions including technology, innovation and international research, according to program chair Laura B. Enyedi, MD. New features this year include a state-of-the-art “Dry Eye Wet Lab” led by Cynthia Matossian, MD, “Battle of the MIGS” led by Regine Pappas, MD, and “Advanced Refractive Phacoemulsification” led by P. Dee Stephenson, MD, and Denise Visco, MD.
A keynote address, titled “For the Love of Medicine: Learning to Love Medicine Again,” will be delivered by oculoplastic surgeon and author Starla Fitch, MD, who wrote the book Remedy for Burnout.
“We are focusing on physician wellness and resilience because burnout is such a huge problem among physicians at this time,” Enyedi said. “We will also have twice-a-day live well sessions including meditation, yoga and fitness, all led by certified fitness professionals with an ophthalmology tie.”
The number of women in leadership positions, research and practice ownership has not caught up to the changing demographics of ophthalmology professionals as a whole, according to WIO President-Elect Lisa M. Nijm, MD, JD.
“We are striving to create opportunities for women ophthalmologists to pursue their desired leadership positions as well as equipping them with the skills to be successful once they attain those positions,” she said. “We recognize there is disproportionate representation in ophthalmology leadership positions, speakers bureaus and research, so the idea is to collaborate and create networking opportunities for women leaders to showcase their talents. But then, it is not enough to open the door — you have to give them the skills to succeed when they walk through that door — and that’s what we are looking to accomplish at the meeting.”
The Summer Symposium is a meeting where women are given the opportunity to network more closely with those in academic, private practice and industry leadership positions — especially women in those positions — and to focus on topics not often touched upon at larger meetings, according to Enyedi.
“It’s a very collaborative, warm, welcoming environment that allows us to get up close and personal with some of the leaders in our field who may be less accessible to us at a bigger meeting,” she said. “If you go to any national meeting, there’s a lack of female presence on the podium, so it’s really nice for us to hear from the women key opinion leaders, the women experts in our field.”
In addition to Fitch, other featured speakers include American Medical Association President Barbara L. McAneny, MD, American Academy of Ophthalmology President Keith D. Carter, MD, FACS, and AAO Immediate Past President Cynthia A. Bradford, MD.
There will also be an exciting hands-on technology workshop that will walk ophthalmologists through various social media platforms to help expand their practices and reach new patients.
“We are just power packed with all kinds of neat and exciting sessions,” Pappas said.
Registration for the meeting is open, and men and women ophthalmologists and executives in any stage of their careers are welcome. More information and registration are available at www.wioonline.org/summer-symposium/. – by Rebecca Forand
- For more information:
- Laura Enyedi, MD, can be reached at Duke Eye Center, Box 3802 DUMC, Durham, NC 27710; email: enyed001@mc.duke.edu.
- Lisa M. Nijm, MD, JD, can be reached at Warrenville EyeCare and LASIK, 2 South 631 Route 59, Suite A, Warrenville, IL 60555; email: lmnijm@uic.edu.
- Regine Pappas, MD, can be reached at Pinnacle Eye Center, 1649 W. Eau Gallie Blvd., Suite 100, Melbourne, FL 32935; email: rmpappas@aol.com.
- Nicole Singleton, MBA, MAC, WIO executive director, can be reached at Women in Ophthalmology, 4600 S. Syracuse St., 9th Floor, Denver, CO 80237; email: info@wioonline.org.
Disclosures: Enyedi, Nijm and Pappas report no relevant financial disclosures.