IFOS Notes:
Pan-American Congress in Cancun

Dear IFOS Members and Friends,

I have just returned from a most successful 27th Pan-American Congress of Ophthalmology, which brought 3250 attendees from 40 countries together in Cancun.

Founded in 1939, the Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology (PAAO) is the oldest “supranational” ophthalmologic society and a model for the others. In addition to annual Congresses, the PAAO offers regional courses and a variety of programs for members, with consistently excellent leadership supported by professional staff.

1. PAAO Leadership

At the opening ceremonies of the Congress, I recognized Ben Boyd, MD, for his exceptional support of the Pan-American over the years, including 25 as Executive Vice President. Ben is a lifetime member of the International Council of Ophthalmology (ICO).

PAAO President Enrique Graue, MD, of Mexico, hosted the Congress with warmth and grace and then turned the reins over to new President Rich Abbott, MD, of the US. Peruvian Antonio Roca, MD, is the new Executive Vice President.

Cristian Luco, MD, of Chile, will take over as PAAO President in 2009 after the Pan-American celebrates its 70th anniversary in a joint meeting with the American Academy of Ophthalmology in San Francisco in October.

Drs. Luco, Spivey, Abbott and Roca (left to right)

The ICO looks forward to continuing to work closely with the new leadership for the Pan-American.

2. Priorities and Programs

At the opening ceremonies, Rich Abbott outlined three priorities for his PAAO presidency:

• Recognize that the Pan-American is part of a global community by reaching out and partnering with other supranational, national and international societies to learn and share new ideas and concepts.
  
  
• Take advantage of the talent and commitment of younger colleagues by bringing them into important roles within the organization.
  
  
• Enhance prevention of blindness through a new “Buy Vision In Latin America” fund raising campaign, improved systems for making cataract surgery available to the poor and alliances with international organizations.

The PAAO is forming an ethics committee that will work with the American Academy of Ophthalmology Ethics Committee to help national societies define their own ethics programs.

One of the highlights of the Congress was a spectacular gala dinner, with all the proceeds dedicated to supporting the educational, research and community service programs of the Pan-American Ophthalmological Foundation.

3. PAAO Medal and Awards

Among those honored at the Pan-American Congress:

• Guest of Honor: Alfredo Gomez Leal, MD
  
  
• A. Edward Maumenee Medal for Distinguished Service: Francisco Contreras, MD
  
  
• Gradle Medal for Good Teaching: Bradley R. Straatsma, MD, JD
  
  
• Benjamin F. Boyd Humanitarian Award: David E. I. Pyott, of Allergan
  
  
• Carl Kupfer Award for Prevention of Blindness: Felipe Antonio Chiriboga Acosta, MD
  
  
• Troutman-Veronneau Award: Vanessa Macedo Batista Fiorelli, MD

4. Inspiration from Courses for Residency Program Directors

For me, one of the most gratifying events at the Pan-American Congress was the ICO symposium on “Educating the Educator,” where several speakers described impressive nationwide initiatives to enhance residency training inspired by the ICO Courses for Residency Program Directors held in Latin America.

One of those speakers was Enrique Graue, MD, who organized the first course, in Mexico City in 2004, which served as a model and inspiration for the others. Additional courses are scheduled July 16 – 17 in Buenos Aires, for residency directors from Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, and September 1 - 2, 2007 in Brasilia.

Because of the demands on the faculty, we are only able to offer the course two or three times a year. We are planning courses in Sub-Saharan Africa and possibly in China in 2008.

5. VISION 2020 for Latin America

The Executive Committee of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) for VISION 2020 Latin America met during the Pan-American Congress under the able leadership of Rainald Duerksen, MD, IAPB Regional Chairperson for Latin America and Van Lansingh, MD, PhD, IAPB/VISION 2020 Coordinator for the region.

Maria Eugenia Nano, BA, reported that, among 21 countries in the Americas, all have participated in a VISION 2020 workshop, 17 have formed a National VISION 2020 Committee, and 14 have defined a national plan. The Executive Committee discussed the importance of advocacy for support of prevention of blindness at the national level, with some encouraging progress within the region.

For more on VISION 2020 Latin America and some excellent resources, visit the Web site at www.v2020la.org, which is available in Spanish, Portuguese and English.

I look forward to seeing those of you who will be at the European Society of Ophthalmology Congress later this week in Vienna.

With warm regards,

Bruce Spivey, MD
ICO President

945 Green Street
San Francisco, CA, 94133, USA
(1-415) 409-8410
Fax: (1-415) 409-8403
spivey@icoph.org
www.icoph.org