TERM-ENDING AAO COUNCILOR: PETER QUIROS, M.D

TERM-ENDING AAO COUNCILOR:  PETER QUIROS, M.D

North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society (NANOS) was Recognized for Participation in the Council of the American Academy of Ophthalmology

Peter A. Quiros, M.D was recognized during AAO 2024 in Chicago for participation on the Council of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Dr. Quiros served on the Academy’s Council for 3 years representing North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society (NANOS).

Representatives to the Academy’s Council are selected by each state, subspecialty and specialized interest society. On Dec. 31st, Dr. Quiros will conclude his term on the Academy Council. Dr. John Chen has been selected by North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society (NANOS) to serve as Councilor and will begin his term on Jan. 1, 2025, and participate at the Spring Council Meeting in conjunction with Mid-Year Forum 2025 (April 2-5) in Washington, D.C.

The Council serves as an advisory body to the Academy’s Board of Trustees. More than 100 Academy members serve on this body as liaisons between their society and the Academy. Councilors bring issues identified by their societies to the attention of the Academy’s Board of Trustees through Council Advisory Recommendations (CARs). CARs are debated annually during the Council’s Spring meeting, and ultimately recommendations are formulated for Academy Board consideration.

One recent CAR focused on improving ophthalmic trauma care and education. The CAR, submitted on behalf of the American Society of Ophthalmic Trauma (ASOT), outlined the effects ophthalmic trauma in visual impairment and monocular vision loss and the impact of this issue on society. ASOT proposed several solutions to address this issue through improvements in ophthalmic trauma care and education and sought to collaborate with the Academy, the Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology (AUPO), the American Board of Ophthalmology (ABO), the American College of Surgeons (ACS), and various state and subspecialty societies.

The Academy has initiated various initiatives to address the CAR 21-01 including:

1.    The Academy Education Division extended an invitation to ASOT to provide a peer review of BCSC Section 7: Oculofacial Plastic and Orbital Surgery. The Academy received the ASOT review of BCSC Section 7, which was delivered to the BCSC Section 7 committee.
 
2.    To assist ASOT’s goal to improve trauma education, the Annual Meeting Program Committee was excited to offer ASOT several options. ASOT and the Academy successfully executed a poster session (Session PT09: Trauma), two On-Demand sessions (819V: Open Globe Trauma: Surgical Management for the On-Call Ophthalmologist and LEC134V: Ophthalmic Trauma: Military Lessons on Management), and a symposium (SYM22: Ophthalmic Trauma: Responsibilities of the Ophthalmologist). Likewise, the topic, Trauma, was added as a searchable keyword that delivers 22 results (e.g., posters, videos, on-demand only sessions, etc.)   At AAO 2024, ASOT co-sponsored SYM28, Lessons Learned from Military-Related Ophthalmic Trauma.

3.    The Council has also recommended that the Academy recognize ophthalmologists for outstanding efforts in the state and/or federal advocacy arenas via a CAR that was considered and ultimately approved by the Academy’s Board. Each year, all societies represented on the Council are solicited for nominees for the Academy’s Outstanding Advocate Award. All nominations are reviewed by the Academy’s Awards Committee, which selects a recipient who is then approved by the Board and recognized each year at the Opening Session of the Academy’s annual meeting. David B. Glasser, MD, past Secretary for Federal Affairs, was honored at the opening session of AAO 2024 in Chicago as the Outstanding Advocate Award recipient. He was nominated by Maryland Society of Eye Physicians and Surgeons.

Retiring Councilors Photo
Peter Quiros, MD pictured with Council Chair, Prem S. Subramanian, MD, PhD.