The University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s Hamilton Eye Institute (HEI) will host a continuing medical education symposium called Vision 2020 at HEI on Friday, October 9, and Saturday, October 10. The symposium is the first major event under the leadership of Penny Asbell, MD, FACS, MBA, FARVO, chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and director of HEI.
The symposium was originally scheduled to take place in person last April, but was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Now, it has been retooled to take place virtually on Zoom.
“HEI is committed to continuous learning to provide the very best in eye care and support for innovation in research and education,” Dr. Asbell said. “Vision 2020 brings together renowned speakers and experts on the cutting edge of eye care today.”
Participants will include physicians, optometrists, researchers, and other health care providers from across the United States. On Friday, the program will focus on basic and translational vision research, artificial intelligence, and drug development/research with special presentations from Wiley Chambers, MD, supervisory medical officer in the Office of New Drugs, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Malvina Eydelman, MD, PhD, director of the Office of Ophthalmic Anesthesia, Respiratory, ENT and Dental Devices at the FDA. Gerrit R. J. Melles, MD, PhD, director of the Netherlands Institute for Innovative Ocular Surgery (NIIOS), will also be speaking. On Saturday, speakers will focus on innovation in clinical care and COVID-19.
Dr. Asbell will be chairing the meeting with Nawajes Mandal, PhD, an associate professor in research at HEI, and Mary Ellen Hoehn, MD, a professor of pediatrics at HEI. Invited Distinguished Visiting Professors are: Dimitri Azar, MD, MBA, University of Illinois College of Medicine; Steven Fliesler, PhD, FARVO, State University of New York Buffalo, past president of ARVO; Herbert Kaufman, MD, MBA, Professor Emeritus, Louisiana State University College of Medicine; Linda A. Lam, MD, MBA, University of Southern California School of Medicine; Maureen G. Maguire, PhD, University of Pennsylvania; Gerrit R. J. Melles, MD, PhD, Netherlands Institute for Innovative Ocular Surgery; and Steve Thomas, CRA, Heidelberg Engineering, Inc. Faculty from UTHSC include: Sandra Arnold, MD; Roger Beuerman, PhD; Monica Jablonski, PhD, FARVO; Natalie Kerr, MD, FACS; Jared Matthews, MD; Robert Williams, PhD; Matthew Wilson, MD, FACS; and Siamak Yousefi, PhD.
The speakers will address topics, including the role of artificial intelligence in ophthalmology, glaucoma, corneal infections, digital health in the field of ophthalmology, the role of genetics in vision loss, regulatory issues for drug and device development, Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty (corneal transplant surgery), macular degeneration, evaluating new ophthalmic innovations, presbyopia, and vision changes during space travel.
“Attendees at this event will have access to cutting-edge information on the forefront of eye research and clinical care,” Dr. Asbell said. “We plan to make this a yearly event that continues to further HEI’s purpose — improving sight, empowering lives.”
To register for Vision 2020 at HEI and see the full schedule, please visit https://utconferences.eventsair.com/vision-2020/ . Once registered, the Zoom Link and password will be emailed to each participant closer to the meeting date.