(For previous issues of the ICO Leader Letter, see: www.icoph.org/news/letters.html.)
WORD evolved from the ICO Course for Residency Program Directors, which we have now offered in eight locations around the world, with future Courses scheduled in Sub-Saharan Africa in December and China and Indonesia next year. Two Course participants in Buenos Aires last year, Eduardo Mayorga, MD, and Gabriela Palis, MD, suggested creating an online resource center focused on residency training for the graduates of the ICO Courses and others around the world. The ICO reacted enthusiastically, and Drs. Mayorga and Palis have created a framework for those involved with residency training to "meet" and work together. WORD will focus on:
WORD is currently available in English and Spanish, and there is a monthly e-mail newsletter that highlights resources for teaching residents. Please visit WORD at www.icoword.org. To participate, you will need to obtain a user name and password, but it is an easy process. The success of this program will depend on the extent to which those involved in residency training participate. I encourage you to join WORD and consider how you might contribute. - Bruce Spivey, MD, ICO President 2. ICO Will Co-sponsor MEACO Congress in March in Bahrain 
The ICO is co-sponsoring the upcoming 10th International Congress of the Middle East Africa Council of Ophthalmology (MEACO), March 26-30 in Manama, Bahrain. MEACO's Congresses are the largest ophthalmic meetings in the Middle East and Africa, and the ICO is happy to participate and encourage registration from ophthalmologists around the world. We are organizing several symposia and a half-dozen other international organizations will also contribute to the scientific program. The ICO Board and Advisory Committee and the ICO/MEACO Advisory Leadership Group for Sub-Saharan Africa will also meet in Bahrain, as will the Board of Trustees of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB). Online Registration, housing and visa application for the MEACO Congress will be open soon. For more, see www.meaco.org. The ICO decided in 2007 to co-sponsor international congresses with supranational, national or subspecialty societies in years when there is no World Ophthalmology Congress® (i.e., 2009, 2011, etc.). We will also co-sponsor the 2011 Asia Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology Congress, which will be March 21 - 24, 2011 in Sydney. - Jean-Jacques De Laey, MD, ICO Secretary General 3. ICO and American Academy Collaborate on Education In Developing Countries The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) and ICO are working together to make the Academy's Ophthalmic News and Education (O.N.E.) Network available to ophthalmologists in developing countries at no cost, starting in January 2009.O.N.E. is a Web-based education and information resource for ophthalmologists, with a wide range of clinical content and educational tools (one.aao.org). The Academy and ICO have formed an International Advisory Panel to provide advice on adapting O.N.E. for use around the world. Academy Executive Vice President H. Dunbar Hoskins, Jr., MD, reported on the feedback received from the Panel so far at the ICO's World Ophthalmology Roundtable on Leadership Development (WORLD) meeting in Hong Kong. Members of the Advisory Panel from developing countries are invited to an update on O.N.E. at the upcoming Academy meeting in Atlanta. It will be from 11:30 to 12:30 on Tuesday, Nov 11 in Room A-401 of the Convention Center. Earlier this year, the Academy and ICO worked together to send the 2008 edition of the Academy's Basic and Clinical Science Course (BCSC) to 200 ophthalmology residency training programs in 61 developing countries, at no cost to the programs. We are planning to do the same in 2009, and look forward to further collaboration with the American Academy and other ICO members. - Bruce Spivey, MD, ICO President 4. ICO Report and Statement on Functional Vision
The report makes the distinction between "Visual Functions," which describe how the eye functions and "Functional Vision," which describes how the person functions in vision-related activities. It aims at expanding awareness of the functional consequences of vision loss among all those involved with eye care. The Report can be downloaded from www.icoph.org/pdf/ICOFunctionalVision.pdf and Dr. Colenbrander's presentation of the report at the 2008 World Ophthalmology Congress in Hong Kong is at ico.scientificabstracts.org/epswoc2008.cfm?id=186. (You will need to advance the slides in sync with the audio.) The ICO subsequently adopted the following statement on functional vision: "Recognizing the importance of visual functioning for quality of life, the International Council of Ophthalmology states that:
These principles should feature prominently in ophthalmic training, ophthalmic practice and in health care policy decisions." - Tero Kivelä, MD, ICO Director for Standards 5. ICO Stresses Research Ethics
The medical world has taken new interest in insisting that all clinical research be undertaken in the most ethical ways, and the ICO shares this interest, as it is the right thing to do. We want to be sure our Members are aware of the importance of this perspective and ask that ophthalmologic societies and training programs incorporate ethical considerations into their research programs and encourage others to do the same. At its June 2008 meeting in Hong Kong, the ICO reviewed a report on "Regulations and Ethical Considerations Related to Research, Particularly When Investigations Involve Human Subjects" prepared for it by Professor Nancy Kass, ScD, of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in the U.S. Dr. Kass's report, which recounts the history of regulation of research and offers links to many key documents, is on the ICO Web site at www.icoph.org/research/regsandethics.html and can be downloaded as a PDF file from www.icoph.org/pdf/ICOResearchEthics.pdf (132 KB). We encourage ophthalmologic societies to distribute the report widely and hope that the principles will be integrated into all research programs. On a more practical note, failure to adhere to ethical principles can preclude the publication of potentially important research discoveries. - Al Sommer, MD, ICO Director for Research 6. Applications Invited for Champalimaud Vision Award
The Champalimaud Foundation in Portugal is inviting nominations and applications for the 2009 António Champalimaud Vision Award. The award of €1,000,000 will be presented to groups with outstanding contributions to the prevention and alleviation of blindness and visual impairment, primarily in developing countries. Candidates will be considered by an international jury for the quality and distinction of their initiative; their achievements and measurable impact of their pursuit; and enduring amplifying effects of their activities. The award may be used in any way that furthers the work of the recipients. The Award is designed to recognize high impact achievement within a given context, whether on a local, national, regional or international scale. The Foundation specifically encourages applications from smaller organizations. You can download the call for applications and nominations from www.icoph.org/pdf/Champalimaud.pdf and applications can be submitted at www.fchampalimaud.org. The deadline is December 31. - Yasuo Tano, MD, ICO Treasurer 7. Next ICO Meetings and World Ophthalmology Congress (WOC)
Other future ICO/IFOS Meetings: www.icoph.org/lead/icomeet.html. 8. Coming in the Next ICO Leader Letter: Regional Ophthalmic Training Centers 9. More News For more news of the ICO and international ophthalmology and resources for ophthalmologic leaders, see the ICO's Eye Site at www.icoph.org. 10. Request for Other News and Resources Do you have other news of international ophthalmology or know resources (particularly on the Web) that would be valuable to ophthalmologic leaders? Please let us know at leader@icoph.org. 11. Comments, Change of Address, Privacy Policy, Subscribe and Unsubscribe Send comments and suggestions for the Leader Letter to leader@icoph.org. You are subscribed as [contact-Email]. Change your address by sending e-mail to: leader@icoph.org. We do not share e-mail addresses with anyone else. Check our privacy policy at: www.icoph.org/ic/privacy.html. To subscribe to the Leader Letter, visit www.icoph.org/news/subscribe.html. To unsubscribe, reply to this e-mail and type "unsubscribe" (without the quotes) as the subject, click on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of this page, or send an e-mail to leader@icoph.org. You can read this ICO Leader Letter online at www.icoph.org/news/leader0811.html. For previous issues, go to www.icoph.org/news/letters.html. Copyright © 2008 International Council of Ophthalmology. All rights reserved. |
