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4 | EYEWORLD DAILY NEWS | JULY 23, 2021 ASCRS ANNUAL MEETING DAILY NEWS in our practices and the future change that might result as tech- nology improves. EyeWorld: What are your thoughts on the Annual Meeting this year? Dr. Kim: A lot of us are eager to gather once again at an in-person meeting. I think people realize how many pearls and benefits they get from actually going to a meeting. I think this meeting is going to be outstanding with many of our members yearning to resume in-person and face-to-face didactic education, skills transfer labs, and networking. EyeWorld: What is the future of ASCRS, and how will you be involved now that you've transi- tioned off as president? Dr. Kim: I plan to continue as an active member as I have been since first joining ASCRS as a resident. I will stay on the Exec- utive Committee for 2 years as immediate past president and past president. In terms of ASCRS' future, I think it's very bright. We're always going to be an organiza- tion focused on the innovation and cutting-edge technology that is showcased in our educational meetings, programs, and publica- tions. ASCRS has been and will continue to be the primary source of clinical information, published research, humanitarian eyecare, and regulatory efforts on behalf of anterior segment surgeons and patients domestically and around the world. EyeWorld: What were the goals you set out to accomplish as president? Dr. Kim: My major goal was to expand our membership, both on a domestic and international level, but it's hard to do that when you're not able to be in front of your colleagues in person. My goal was to show everyone the importance of an organization like ASCRS, why every cataract and refractive surgeon in the U.S. should be a member, and how they can benefit from being a part of something that's going to help not only their day-to-day clinical practice but also their profession as a whole. I do think there are positives that came out of this year. We've worked more closely with AAO than ever before, with a lot of dialogue about tackling the pan- demic in terms of governmental relations and initiatives, as well as communicating timely updates of protocols and safety measures. EyeWorld: What important ASCRS initiatives stand out to you over the past year? Dr. Kim: The 2020 Annual Meet- ing was a huge transition for us, as we were the first major do- mestic ophthalmology meeting to go virtual. I think it was a very effective initiative with CME cred- its, hundreds of hours of excellent educational content, and sessions highlighting the COVID-19 crisis and how to help our members through the recovery process. Our next major initiative was investing in virtual CME programs, like the "20/Happy in 2020" and "Glaucoma Building Blocks" programs, which were extremely successful and involved a host of prominent faculty. We launched three other major programming initiatives: ASCRS Grand Rounds, ASCRS Journal Club, and the Ophthal- mology Quicksand Chronicles podcast. My co-moderator Sumitra Khandelwal, MD, and I work hard to make Grand Rounds an inno- vative means for presenting lively, interactive, case-based discussions around interesting and unique anterior segment cases. With Journal Club, co-moderators Nick Mamalis, MD, and Leela Raju, MD, organize the discussions around hot topics that are pub- lished in the Journal of Cataract & Refractive Surgery. The Ophthalmology Quick- sand Chronicles podcast has been extremely popular. Elizabeth Yeu, MD, and Nicole Fram, MD, host monthly episodes where guest faculty discuss their often hum- bling "quicksand moments" in the OR and the valuable learning that results from it. EyeWorld: What are the biggest challenges facing ophthalmology going forward? Dr. Kim: With the bipartisan push in government to move physicians away from fee-for-service mod- els, one of the major challenges ophthalmology faces is to propose and advocate for new alternative payment models that will protect our members and their practices, especially as we recover from this pandemic. Another challenge will be the role that telehealth plays continued from page 1

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