Dear colleagues, 

First, a warm welcome to all OAS members. I am honored to lead the Society in the coming year. My hope is that my tenure will promote greater interaction between members creating an environment fertile for constructive discussion, resulting in improved care and outcomes for our surgical population.

Our 2018 Annual Meeting was undoubtedly a resounding success. The comments received in response to our post-meeting survey indicate that delegates appreciated the admixture of didactic lectures, pro-con debates, focus groups and workshops. A special word of thanks to my meeting co-chairs, Tina Tran and Chris Bender for the time and effort they devoted in preparing for this memorable event. CME certificates for the 2018 Annual Meeting will be distributed shortly. I thank you for your patience in accepting the delay in their release.

The vitality of an organization can be measured by growth in its membership. In this respect, our Society has been ailing of late because our annual renewals have been waning. A primary goal of my tenure is to grow our membership. My introductory appeal this year is for each and every one of you to please make a concerted effort in promoting our organization among your ophthalmic surgery colleagues, no matter the discipline. Essentially, OAS is a collaborative venture between anesthesiologists, nurse anesthetists, ophthalmologists and allied professionals involved in the care of eye surgery patients. And, annual membership renewal notices will be distributed early in the new year, so kindly replenish your subscription in a timely fashion.

Aside from routine rotation of the Executive, the composition of the Board is soon to be transformed such that we will include the Head of the Scientific Panel and an at-large position, reserved for a member from no specified discipline. In anticipation of accepted ratification to our Articles of Association, I am delighted to welcome Drs. George Dumas, Derek Sakata and Jefferson Doyle to the reconstituted Board. In addition, Sue Wolf will join the Board in the at-large portfolio.

Plans for the 2019 Annual Meeting scheduled to be held in Chicago from September 13-15 are already under way. The organizing committee comprises myself, Zhuan Fang and Chris Bender. For this meeting we hope to attract more international speakers in order to create an interactive learning experience to broaden our ideas and perspectives on ophthalmic anesthesia techniques and case management. Suggestions about changes in the meeting format are welcome and can be forwarded to any member of the organizing committee. The Annual Meeting is our single opportunity to maximize the benefit of national inter-collegial interaction so diarize now and let’s make it a resounding success!

Finally, thank you for your continued and loyal membership. I am always available via email (hpalte@miami.edu) to accept ideas or address inquiries, so don’t remain a stranger!

Best regards,

Howard Howard, MD