Eyeworld Daily News

4 | EYEWORLD DAILY NEWS | APRIL 24, 2022 ASCRS ANNUAL MEETING DAILY NEWS continued from page 1 Generation Implantable Miniature Tele- scope (SING IMT) with Samsara Vision, the ELIOS system, and the Juvene lens from LensGen. We wouldn't be where we are without Charles Kelman, MD, and his innovative ideas, she added. Another initiative that Dr. Braga- Mele said is close to her heart is the impact we're leaving on the environ- ment. She's been working with Alcon to look at minimizing the carbon footprint companies have with the number of unnecessary ingredients in products. Wrapping up her lecture, Dr. Braga-Mele discussed some things that help her balance her life. She is a cer- tified Canadian basketball coach, and coaching is like mentorship, she said. Balance is important because we forget about needing to keep our- selves in a position of a steady state. Dr. Braga-Mele shared some of the activi- ties she likes to do to maintain balance in her life, including body building. Editors' note: Dr. Braga-Mele has financial interests with a variety of ophthalmic companies. Stephen Lane, MD, who she said has been a mentor with respect to many areas of education and working with industry. The second was I. Howard Fine, MD. "He probably started my speaking career in ophthalmology," Dr. Braga-Mele said. She recounted meeting him on an escalator at an ASCRS Annual Meeting in San Diego many years ago and how that was the start of him supporting her career in ophthalmology. Dr. Braga-Mele values being a mentor and teacher, saying that she's "never not had a resident with me in the OR." "If I teach someone, you never know how many more people in the world that's affecting," she said. There's a cascading influence. She highlighted the "3 As of men- torship": available, analytical, active listener. The first rule of being a good teacher is being a good learner. She said she has always encouraged her residents to ask "why?" She's done more papers with a resident or medical student on papers because of asking "why?" Dr. Braga-Mele then spoke about innovation and technologies she has worked with. When we innovate, we make changes in something estab- lished, especially by introducing new methods, ideas, and products, she said. Innovation is not static; it's dynamic. She shared the research she's worked on, including monitored anesthesia care provided by regis- tered respiratory care practitioners during cataract surgery and bimanual sleeveless phaco. Though the sleeve- less phaco didn't come to fruition, one thing can blossom into others being developed by industry. She also discussed several tech- niques, including the pocket chop, the Braga-Mele Chopper, and the Braga- Mele wiggle technique, as well as a study she did during the COVID-19 pandemic looking at concerns of the spread of respiratory droplets during cataract surgery. Should we innovate with industry? Dr. Braga-Mele said this can also be helpful because sometimes you need funding support or a team to do new things. She mentioned her involvement in work on the Smaller-Incision New A ttendees of the ASCRS ASOA Party for a Purpose on Friday night collectively raised $51,462 and count- ing to benefit the ASCRS Founda- tion's Operation Sight charitable cataract surgery program. The party also included a Celebrity Bartender Competition, a head-to-head team competition where attendees donated to "tip" their celebrity bartender team. Celebrity bartenders stirred up the competition all night long competing for donations, but in the end, only one team could win. The winning team, Team Visionary, included John Berdahl, MD, Sumit "Sam" Garg, MD, Terry Kim, MD, and Francis Mah, MD. Team Catalyst included Hayley Boling, MBA, COE, Thomas Brown, JD, COE, Janna Mullaney, COE, OCS, OSC, and Ben Seals, MBA. Team Eyecon included David F. Chang, MD, Cathleen McCabe, MD, Nathan Radcliffe, MD, and Thomas Samuelson, MD For more information on the ASCRS Foundation, go to www.ascrsfoundation.org. ASCRS ASOA Party for a Purpose raises more than $50,000 ASCRS ASOA

• Cover