Message from the PAOF Chair

Dear Colleagues:

As I write this President’s Message, I realize that we are entering into a new reality. COVID-19 has changed many things: how we communicate and how we collaborate. It is important to adapt to this new reality. This will be a year of new challenges as a new normal is unfolding.

The world has changed, and we must change with it. We have learned to use the internet and social media much more. And now “Zoom” almost has become a verb, similar to “Google.”

Through the Pan-American network, we can encourage each other; we can support each other. I believe the pandemic has made us more sympathetic to the needs of others. We must be patient as the vaccination campaigns are different in each country.

We see ourselves as a learning community in which each member contributes to the enrichment of it. New competencies have been acquired that are very useful.

Let’s continue to move forward, to adapt to the new normal, and to continue to help each other out.

Sincerely,

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