Message from the PAOF Chair

Dear Colleagues:

This year is rapidly coming to a close.  Soon the first Virtual Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology will be upon us.  Looking back over the year, I have been analyzing what positive things have come from the COVID-19 pandemic.

I believe the pandemic has pushed forward the creation of new technologies by five to ten years.  As the saying goes: “Necessity of the Mother of Invention.”  I have seen, as Dean of the National School of Medicine & Technology in Monterrey, Mexico, that we have had to adapt and use existing and new technologies.  My opinion is that these technologies have improved the efficacy of our professional lives and operations. 

Learning is an integral part of the Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology (PAAO).  Since its beginning in 1939, the PAAO has been characterized by its commitment to provide high quality continuing medical education.  The top professors and teachers in ophthalmology have been pillars of the Pan-American throughout the years.  The pandemic has forced us to learn new things.  Continuous professional development is an integral part of our professional duties.    

Our efforts in the Pan-American Ophthalmological Foundation (PAOF) also point in that direction. The Pan-American Foundation supports the PAAO and provides resources that offer Ophthalmologists around the world  lifelong learning opportunities.

Many of our young ophthalmologists have been beneficiaries of such activities, which have led them to be our most generous donors.  We hope that this creates a chain reaction of “paying it forward” that will persevere over time.

In the Pan-American, we see ourselves as a learning community in which each member contributes to the enrichment of it.  Your support adds value to our academic activities which ultimately results in better patient care.

I wish you all well.  Take care and stay connected

Sincerely,

Jorge E. Valdez MD PhD
President, Pan-American Ophthalmological Foundation (PAOF)