ASCRS News
April 2023
by Liz Hillman
Editorial Co-Director
“Thank you, Dr. Chang, for your guidance, leadership, and endorsement of our new chair. Dr. MacDonald has served on the ASCRS Foundation board for years and has a lifelong history of philanthropic work. Under her leadership, we are looking forward to continuing our legacy of providing the gift of sight to the financially vulnerable around the world.”
Megan Odell, ASCRS Foundation Associate Director
David Chang, MD, has served as chair or co-chair of the ASCRS Foundation Board of Directors for nearly a decade, and now he will pass the torch to Susan MacDonald, MD.
Dr. Chang joined the Board of Directors in 2010 and became co-chair in 2014, overseeing the ASCRS Foundation’s International Division. In 2022, he assumed the sole role of chair of the Board of Directors for the Foundation.
“I’ve long thought that the Foundation’s primary role is two-fold. First is to educate ASCRS members and our industry partners about the global burden of cataract blindness and what the most promising solutions are. Second is to identify the most effective organizations and opportunities for ASCRS members who want to make donations or volunteer their time,” Dr. Chang wrote in an email to EyeWorld. “The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the evolution and refinement of virtual surgical mentorship technology, such as those employed by the Advanced Center for Eyecare (ACE) Global and Orbis Cybersight. I am excited about this nascent opportunity for ASCRS members to help mentor cataract surgeons halfway around the world from their own homes.”
Source: Susan MacDonald, MD
Dr. Chang, reflecting on the Foundation’s accomplishments over the years, said that its Operation Sight program, which launched under the leadership of Stephen Lane, MD, and Kerry Solomon, MD, to provide charitable cataract surgery in the U.S., has provided more than 8,000 charitable surgeries to Americans in need. Internationally, he praised the work of the Foundation to fund and promote innovative new technologies, such as miLOOP (Carl Zeiss Meditec), manual small incision ECCE, telemedicine, and a manual SICS virtual reality simulator in collaboration with Orbis.
“Barbara Erny, MD, our tireless medical liaison for international programs, has worked with Himalayan Cataract Project and other non-profits in Ethiopia to strengthen residency training,” Dr. Chang said. “This includes establishing formal residency directorships at all six training programs in the country. We’ve partnered with Carl Zeiss Meditec on a unique grant program to donate refurbished equipment to international training programs in need.
“I’m most proud of our Young Eye Surgeons International Service Grant program, which I think is unique as a society foundation award program,” Dr. Chang said. “Applicants who are selected receive financial support for a formal international service project. Even more valuable, however, is the coaching and help in arranging their project provided by a team of experienced mentors from the Foundation. We have now selected the fourth class of awardees, and we’ve all been so impressed with these dedicated young individuals. We hope that enabling deserving, early-career ophthalmologists to forge these contacts and experiences will inspire lifelong interest in humanitarian work. I want to take this opportunity to thank the many generous donors and volunteers who have supported the Foundation’s mission over the past decade. We can all take pride in what has been accomplished.”
Dr. MacDonald has been a member of the Foundation Board of Directors for 5 years and has been involved with philanthropic eyecare her whole career. “There is a true sense of purpose and joy in giving people back their sight. That moment when someone can see again is very special. When we give our time to help those in need, it is a very moving experience,” Dr. MacDonald said. “Volunteering can take many different forms; it can be in direct care, and it can also be teaching and mentoring.”
Dr. MacDonald is an associate clinical professor of ophthalmology at Tufts University School of Medicine, where she has taught for more than 25 years. She co-founded Eye Corps Inc., a 501(c)(3) based in Tanzania with the mission of reducing cataract blindness by supporting in-country cataract services, and currently serves as its chief executive officer.
Dr. MacDonald said that she looks forward to continuing the established success of the Foundation while finding more ways for members to get involved, facilitating cross-pollination among different non-profits, and working with industry to explore ways to bring sustainable eyecare to low-resource settings.
“Following in David’s footsteps is a daunting task but an amazing opportunity. I am very lucky to be able to carry on with his vision for the Foundation and will work hard to do him justice as I consider him a dear friend and colleague,” Dr. MacDonald said.
Dr. MacDonald emphasized the benefit volunteer surgeons receive from giving of their time.
“In 2023, we hear a lot about physician burnout,” Dr. MacDonald said. “I think getting involved in volunteerism in the United States or internationally is a way to reconnect to our profession and join with our colleagues to be part of something bigger than ourselves and experience the joy of giving.”
Dr. Chang will continue as a member of the Board of Directors during a transition period and said he will “always support the Foundation and its initiatives.”
“In my experience, many ophthalmologists feel grateful to have received outstanding training in a truly rewarding specialty, and they want to give back. Supporting the ASCRS Foundation is a great way for anterior segment surgeons to do this,” Dr. Chang said.
About the physicians
David F. Chang, MD
Altos Eye Physicians
Los Altos, California
Susan MacDonald, MD
Associate Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology
Tufts University School of Medicine
Boston, Massachusetts
Contact
Chang: dceye@earthlink.net
MacDonald: susan@eyecorps.org
