(You can read this ICO Leader Letter online at www.icoph.org/news/leader0608.html.
For previous Leader Letters, go to: www.icoph.org/news/letters.html.)
The planning group suggested that the ICO do much more to help national ophthalmologic societies develop, that it expand and deepen its historic emphasis on enhancing ophthalmic education and that it make a new commitment to increasing access to eye care and advocacy for prevention of blindness and research. You can read the report on the planning session, which is also a draft partial strategic plan, starting at www.icoph.org/plan/part1.html or download it from www.icoph.org/pdf/ICOdraftplan.pdf. The draft Plan has been circulated to members of the Council and its Advisory Committee for comment, and most have been strongly supportive of the new directions proposed. But there have also been significant concerns expressed, and we have not reached consensus. We have asked members of IFOS to comment on this draft (see www.icoph.org/news/ifos0608.html) and then will take all opinions into consideration. We have scheduled a follow-up planning session in November, with about 15 members of the Council participating, to try to reach consensus on the broad future directions and define more specifically what we want to accomplish and how. I am confident that we will agree on a Plan that will define a bright future for the ICO/IFOS and international ophthalmology. - Bruce Spivey, MD, ICO President 2. Comments Requested on Draft Strategic Plan We would also appreciate comments on the draft strategic plan for ICO/IFOS (www.icoph.org/plan/part1.html) from the leaders of other ophthalmologic societies and residency programs. Please comment in the ICO/IFOS "Forum on the Future" on the ICO Web site so that everyone can read the responses. I have posted these new questions there:
To answer, go to the Forum at www.icoph.org/plan, click on "comments" below each of these questions, and type your answer in the box that's provided. Then select "Other," type in your name, and click "Publish Your Comment." You don't need to register or sign in. You can select "Anonymous " if you prefer, but we would rather know who is submitting the comments. If for some reason you can't access the Forum or contribute there, you are welcome to respond by replying to this e-mail. We will add your comments to the Forum unless you ask us not too. But it would be helpful if you can respond at www.icoph.org/plan. - Bruce Spivey, MD, ICO President 3. Please Ask Your Ministers of Health To Follow-up on WHA Resolution
In May, the World Health Assembly, the policy-making body for WHO, adopted Resolution 59-25, calling for intensified action to halt and reverse the rise in avoidable blindness in the world. The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) coordinated a campaign for passage of the Resolution, and many ophthalmologic societies and individual ophthalmologists asked their Ministers of Health for support (see www.icoph.org/prev/index.html#wha). WHO Regional Committees will meet starting August 22 to set policy and approve programmes of work and budgets for each of the six WHO regions. There are many competing priorities for WHO focus and funding, and it is critical that Ministers of Health speak up for prevention of blindness when the WHO Medium-Term Strategic plan (2008-2013) and work programme are discussed. Please contact your ministers as soon as possible and ask for their support. You can download Resolution 59-25 in English at www.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA59/A59_R25-en.pdf and in other languages from www.who.int/blindness/en. For the dates of the WHO Regional meetings, see: www.who.int/mediacentre/events/2006/regional/en. Thank you for taking this important action to increase support for prevention of blindness and eye care. If you have questions, contact me at advocacy@icoph.org. - Hugh Taylor, MD, ICO Director for Advocacy 4. Nominations Requested for Naumann Award for Leadership
Members of IFOS are requested to submit nominations for the G.O.H. Naumann Award for Leadership in Global Eye Care to supranational ophthalmologic societies no later than November 15. The Council established the Naumann Award in February to recognize both the leadership that Fritz Naumann, MD, provided as ICO President from 1998 to 2006 and the importance that he placed on ophthalmology and ophthalmologists providing leadership for the preservation of vision worldwide. The Award will be given each year to an ophthalmologist who, acting as a leader of a national or supranational ophthalmologic society that is a member of IFOS, has made a significant contribution to global eye care. The emphasis is not on clinical or scientific achievements but on development of educational programs or other initiatives that can serve as models for other societies. Members of the Council and its Advisory Committee are not eligible for the Award. Please send a summary of the achievements of the nominee and his or her CV to leadership@icoph.org. We will forward the nominations to the supranational societies, which will recommend a candidate from their region to the Naumann Award Committee by December 15. The Committee will review nominations, and the Awardee will be announced no later than January 1, 2007. The ICO will pay travel and hotel expenses for the Awardee to attend and participate in the Council meeting the following year. The Awardee will be asked to report to the Council on the initiative that he or she has led, and how it may be implemented by other societies. The presentation will be featured in the ICO Leader Letter and ICO Web site. For more, see: www.icoph.org/ic/naumannaward.html. Thank you for your nominations. - Akef El Maghraby, MD, ICO Vice President 5. Wanted: Young Ophthalmologists To Attend IUSG Course on Inflammatory Disease
New IFOS Member the International Uveitis Study Group (IUSG) is organizing a course on ocular inflammatory disease in Venice, Italy from February 17th to 23rd, 2007 that the ICO is pleased to co-sponsor. The IUSG wants to identify up to 10 young ophthalmologists from developing countries or areas of need to participate in the course. It is offering them housing and a travel stipend of 800 Euros. "We are looking for younger ophthalmologists who would benefit from this experience and who would, upon return to their home country, be in a position to teach and transmit information to students and their own colleagues," said IUSG President Robert Nussenblatt, MD. "We hope to find individuals not older than 35, who have finished or nearly finished residency training and who are likely to practice in a public hospital rather than a private practice," Dr. Nussenblatt said. "Ideally, we will find participants from Latin America, Africa and Eastern Europe." If you know someone who may be qualified and interested, ask them to send in a personal letter of interest, curriculum vitae and another letter supporting their application, including a description of why the person should be selected for the course and how they would benefit from it and share the knowledge. Applications must be submitted by September 30 to DrBob@NEI.NIH.GOV. The applications will be reviewed by a Committee, with selection expected by October 15. You can download the preliminary outline of the course from www.icoph.org/pdf/IUSGCoursePrelim.ppt. We applaud the initiative of the IUSG to include ophthalmologists from developing countries in their course and would be pleased to co-sponsor similar courses with other IFOS members. - Mark Tso, MD, ICO Director for Education 6. Dr. Gabel is New ICO Fellowship Director
The Council is pleased to welcome Veit-Peter Gabel, MD, as the new ICO Fellowship Director, effective immediately. Correspondence about the Fellowships should now be sent to mailto:fellowship@icoph.org. The new address is:
The ICO Fellowships were organized (under the leadership of Professor Balder Gloor, MD) to help promising young ophthalmologists, especially those from developing nations, improve their practical skills and broaden their perspectives of ophthalmology. They are awarded twice a year, and March 31 and September 30 are the deadlines to apply. Fellowships generally last three months, but the program is intended to be flexible to meet the needs of different countries and individuals. Fellows are expected to bring the acquired knowledge and skills back to their country of origin and take part in programs to preserve and restore vision. For more, see www.icoph.org/fellow. - Jean-Jacques DeLaey, MD, ICO Secretary General 7. Next ICO and IFOS Meetings and World Ophthalmology Congress (WOC)
Other future ICO/IFOS Meetings: www.icoph.org/lead/icomeet.html. 8. Coming in the September ICO Leader Letter: 2007 ICO International Assessments on April 12 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 society 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/leader0608.html. For previous issues, go to www.icoph.org/news/letters.html. Copyright © 2006 International Council of Ophthalmology. All rights reserved. |
