Plans are well underway for Academy 2008 Anaheim! This year's meeting will take place Wednesday through Saturday, October 22-25, and promises to be another great meeting.
Our Plenary session will be held on Wednesday, October 22 and will feature Ed Barlow, a well known futurist. As you may know, Mr. Barlow helped shepherd the AOA through a multi-year project culminating in the report, Optometry 2020: the Future of the Profession. Opening this year's session, Mr. Barlow will look into his crystal ball to predict possible outcomes in the future of health and eye care. Many themes emerged from his work with the AOA, including generational changes, the importance of nanotechnology and other advances in science, and health care delivery.
For optometrists and other vision scientists, it is essential that work be done collaboratively in a context of evidence-based medicine. Kay Dickersin, PhD, will join us at the Plenary to share the results of the Cochrane Project (an international, not-for-profit organization that produces and disseminates systematic reviews of healthcare information and promotes the search for evidence in the form of clinical trials and other studies) and how practitioners can not only reap the benefits of research results, but also contribute to its data collection.
Next, Don Mutti, OD, PhD, FAAO, will use the myopia control literature as a specific example of how the Cochrane Project can help bring today's research to tomorrow's practice.
We hope that you will be able to attend for this year's Plenary for a glimpse into how the future affects our profession today!
As we look to the future - do you know a practitioner, vision scientist or colleague who would benefit from our community? Is there someone in your practice or on your faculty who would be a great Fellow? If so, let them know about the distinction that Academy membership will bring not only on a personal level, but also the tremendous network of support they will gain!
For more specific information about Academy Fellowship, interested colleagues can visit http://www.aaopt.org/becoming/efellowship/index.asp at the Academy's website. Included is more specific information on the point system, application process, and timetable for gaining Fellowship.
Be sure to mark your calendar for Academy 2008 Anaheim, October 22-25, 2008! Join us in experiencing the most cutting-edge optometric continuing education as we enjoy the fellowship in sunny California!
Hotel and meeting registration is now open. For more information, visit www.aaopt.org.
Stay tuned for additional details.
Sincerely,
Richard E. Weisbarth, OD, FAAO
President
