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From the WGA Executive Office
Kuldev Singh, MD MPH, Executive Vice President, World Glaucoma Association
It is difficult to believe that we are just weeks away from the World Glaucoma Congress. Despite the global economic downturn, all indicators suggest that this will be our largest Congress to date. Over 600 abstracts have been accepted for presentation either as posters or free papers. The number of submissions was approximately 50% higher than our prior meetings in Vienna (2005) and Singapore (2007). Early registration has far outpaced the Singapore World Congress. Given the expected success of the upcoming Congress, the Program and Organizing Committees have reduced early and standard registration fees for physicians in training to $100 and $150 respectively. This rate also applies to medical students, residents, clinical fellows and postdoctoral research fellows. The idea is to make this Congress as inclusive as possible, showcasing our subspecialty for all to see.
The Local Organizing Committee for the Congress, chaired by Lou Pasquale and David Greenfield, is to be congratulated for recruiting two distinguished keynote speakers for our Opening Session. Dr. Robert S. Langer is an Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and runs the largest biomedical engineering laboratory in the world. Dr. Langer holds more than 600 granted or pending patents. Our other guest speaker is Dr. Robert C. Merton, who along with Myron Scholes, was awarded the 1997 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. Dr. Merton, who is a Professor at the Harvard University Graduate School of Business, is an expert on the value of stock options. Given the economic news of late, he is a most timely speaker. It is noteworthy that the participation of our guest keynote speakers at the World Congress was made possible by the dedicated persistence of the Local Organizing Committee. Besides Drs. Pasquale and Greenfield, this Committee includes Drs. Teresa Chen, Paul Cotran, Tom Hutchinson, Cindie Mattox, Doug Rhee, Brad Shingleton and Martin Wand.
The global glaucoma community is widely recognized not only for outstanding clinical care, research, education and advocacy, but also for the collegiality displayed by individuals devoted to a common cause. The World Glaucoma Congress, in particular, has provided a forum for individuals to meet and share ideas and perspectives from all corners of the world in a relaxed setting. The social aspects of the upcoming Congress are in good hands with our Local Organizing Committee. In particular, the planned July 10, 2009 event at the Boston Library promises to be most memorable. We look forward to seeing you in Boston.
