Dr Ravi Goel Previews Session on Innovations and Closing Presentation at AAO

The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) annual meeting will present cutting-edge topics on retinal disease, as well as feature a presentation from historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, said Ravi Goel, MD, spokesperson for AAO and ophthalmologist at Regional Eye Associates in New Jersey.

Transcript

Can you highlight 1 or 2 of the sessions you will be chairing and what attendees can look forward to at them?

I am excited about AAO 2022. After 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic, and then numerous aspects that the academy has gone to, to make the venue safe and a world-class facility, I'm looking forward to meeting with colleagues and exchanging ideas. There are a few sessions that I'm particularly interested in. One of the sessions is on Innovations in Ophthalmology From Around the World. This is cosponsored by the AMA Ophthalmology Section Council, and we will have 4 dynamic speakers, including James Madara, MD, and he's the CEO and executive vice president of the American Medical Association, and he'll be speaking about the future of medicine.

We'll also have cutting-edge topics on retinal disease, and also one of our speakers from Duke travels internationally, mostly to Africa, to deal with indigent and ophthalmic care in third-world countries. We'll also have a featured speaker, Grayson Armstrong, MD, who is a faculty member at Harvard Medical School and Mass Eye and Ear, talking about the future of telemedicine. So, the Innovations in Ophthalmology From Around the World, cosponsored by the AMA Ophthalmology Section Council, is a must-visit event.

As an ophthalmologist, and as a student of history, I am most excited actually about the closing session. Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin is going to be speaking about Leadership in Turbulent Times. I'm not trying to sell her book, but I think she is a fascinating speaker, and she's a fascinating writer. As someone who's read her book, including Team of Rivals, and is a fan of Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy, and she worked for Lyndon Johnson. Her talks are always fascinating. And I would encourage colleagues to show up at the closing session and to hear Doris Kearns Goodwin speak. In addition, Scott Turow is going to be speaking at the opening session. So, I look forward to seeing colleagues there.

What's the importance of having annual meetings with in-person attendance vs only virtual attendance?

One of the hidden benefits in ophthalmology is that there has been an explosion of education, through online sites and educational media, webinars, etc, over the last 2 years. I noticed that when I returned to New Orleans last year, and we were fully vaccinated, and the Academy did a wonderful job of making sure everyone was safe. It was wonderful to get to be in the same room with colleagues, to exchange ideas often in the hallway, you can talk about a challenging case. That's where innovation occurs, not only in the sessions but also in sidebar conversations. And what I love about the Academy's annual meeting now is that we have 75-minute blocks with intermissions, so that attendees and speakers can move more easily between sessions. There is in-person and there is virtual at the annual meeting, and I think that there are some sessions which I’ll attend in person, there are some sessions which may be across the convention center, and available either virtual or on demand, and I'll attend them virtual or on demand. For me, I'm looking forward to seeing colleagues and learning about the future of ophthalmology.