ASCRS News
July 2023
EyeWorld spoke to Elizabeth Yeu, MD, who officially stepped into her role as ASCRS president at the 2023 Annual Meeting, about her involvement with ASCRS and what’s she looking forward to in leading the Society for the next year.
EyeWorld: How long have you been involved with ASCRS and what first got you involved?
Dr. Yeu: This has been my go-to organization from an education standpoint since I was a resident. It has been reinforced to me in the value of the skills transfer sessions and the Annual Meeting. The first ASCRS Annual Meeting I went to was in 2005.
I was so fortunate in my fellowship that because of my mentors, there were opportunities to do research and present at meetings like the ASCRS Annual Meeting. I received so much that is part of my core and essence that I wanted to also contribute and give back in a way that was valuable through education and research that I did alongside my mentors.
The progression has been wonderful. It was great to be involved in the different arms of ASCRS and be able to contribute by being a poster judge or part of a paper session, then be able to have a poster or paper accepted. That was incredible. The time that I won Best Paper of Session was unreal.
When I was able to transition to be a part of a Clinical Committee, which at the time was called Young Physicians and Residents, it was a relatively unknown committee. It later became the Young Eye Surgeons (YES) Clinical Committee. This was close to 2 decades ago. It was becoming an area where the Executive Committee and leadership realized that we needed to place a greater emphasis.
I remember the curricula that we created, including specific skills transfer sessions that could span all generations, and that was so enlightening to see.
This was before the era where virtual webinars were popular, and it was our committee that began doing the webinars. It’s much more accepted and mainstream now, but it wasn’t that long ago when this was disruptive, and it’s so exciting to see.
I became chair of that committee and later moved to the ASCRS Cornea Clinical Committee, then on to the Executive Committee. It was such an honor that because of my commitment and volunteerism, I was nominated to serve on the Executive Committee.
I think that’s what it’s all about—it doesn’t matter where you come from, if you have a true desire to volunteer or have a passion for philanthropic or government relations involvement, there is an arm within ASCRS. If you want to give back, there is a place within ASCRS.
It can be that there’s a mentor who opens the door to an opportunity, but it’s what you do with that opportunity and how you find a way to contribute and give back.
EyeWorld: Do you have specific goals that you’d like to focus on during your presidency?
Dr. Yeu: I think 1 year is not enough to say that one is going to move and change an organization. All I can do is listen and continue to work with the executive director and the ASCRS staff, as well as work on my continual mission.
I think that ASCRS needs to serve the constituents of: 1) Always make sure that we’re mighty at the level of government relations. For example, we took a stand on the recent FDA draft guidance on LASIK. We are small but mighty, and I love that we will make certain that we can provide guidance, provide the objective information, and provide the direction and any information necessary to help our membership do what they can to also voice their opinion; and 2) we have to make sure we’re listening to every generation and providing education in a format that every generation can find valuable. People love skills transfer and lectures, but the younger generation also likes other options for learning.
This is one of the reasons why, along with Nicole Fram, MD, I wanted to do the [Ophthalmology Quicksand Chronicles] podcast. Some people don’t have time to attend lectures at an annual meeting, and they want to learn on the go. I wanted to make education as fresh as possible and as attainable and attractive as possible. We’ve adapted our approach [to the podcast] multiple times, making shorter segments. It’s a way to let people know that we’ve all been through the tough moments.
There’s nothing like a live meeting for that real soul food. In person, we get to connect with old friends and teachers and also meet with experts we admire. The live approach helps to truly experience and learn new techniques so I can help my patients and also be able to visit the Exhibit Hall to see what else is in the pipeline. Being able to go to the Exhibit Hall, to courses, and to hear from experts is a complete opportunity. You can’t get that in one weekend anywhere else.
EyeWorld: Do you have any additional comments about ASCRS and the direction it’s moving?
Dr. Yeu: What I really like is that ASCRS is always listening and evolving and researching to make sure it’s not stale in its approach. I think the last 5 years demonstrate that. ASCRS is very representative of the membership. The leadership is based on meritocracy, and those who are involved become leaders. I love the diversity of the different offerings. It is a comprehensive offering for all anterior segment surgeons.
We’re also expanding to have education focused on digital topics. It’s exciting to learn about the newest developments and what’s to come. This is going to be an exciting next year that I’m looking forward to!
About the physician
Elizabeth Yeu, MD
Virginia Eye Consultants
Norfolk, Virginia
Contact
Yeu: eyeulin@gmail.com
