For 85 years, the Pan-American has had a profound impact on global ophthalmology. Through our international congresses, regional courses, and other training programs, the Pan-American provides education with the objective of standardizing and elevating eye care and decreasing the disparities in the access to eye care services.
We look back at many years with satisfaction and success at PAOF & PAAO. With education as a core mission for the Pan-American, we have kept you updated through webinars, our digital journal PAJO, and e-learning courses to help our members give the gift of sight to their patients. After our resounding success at our Buenos Aires PAAO meeting, we were able to get together during our XXVII Pan-American Regional Course of Ophthalmology, March 15-17, 2024, in San Juan, Puerto Rico! What a meeting! What a success! What a kickoff to our 85th Anniversary!!
In 1939, three ophthalmologists of the Americas, Dr. Harry S. Gradle, Dr. Conrad Berens, both from the United States, and Dr. Moacyr E. Alvaro of Brazil, had a vision to build a Pan-American community. They wanted to build cultural bridges in the Americas, expand educational opportunities, and tackle preventable blindness.
The Pan-American is now celebrating its 85th anniversary. We have grown since that first Congress in 1940, in Cincinnati, Ohio. We now have members in 36 countries around the world.
So why should you support the Pan-American?
As the year is only getting started, we look ahead to many Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology’s (PAAO) exciting activities with the support of the PAOF. With education as a core mission for the Pan-American, we just came back from our PAAO’s Curso de Liderazgo; we joined forces in the meeting with the Academy’s Leadership Development Program (LDP) in San Francisco, CA. It was an extraordinary event!
As the year draws to a close, we look back at a year with satisfaction and success at PAAO. With education as a core mission for the Pan-American, we have kept updated in 2023 through very successful PAAO events including our PAAO Congress in Buenos Aires, Argentina and our collaborations are larger than ever. The new year, will start with our XXVII Pan-American Regional Course of Ophthalmology, March 15-17, 2024 in San Juan, Puerto Rico! Already an organizational success both from the scientific and social point of view!
We just came from the AAO Annual Meeting. San Francisco, CA, and the PAOF celebrated its 12th anniversary of the Circle of Vision program. The Circle of Vision celebrates donors that contribute more than $1,000 a year to the PAOF in support of the Pan-American’s educational programs.
