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WELCOME TO NANOS SPOTLIGHT - SOCIETY NEWSLETTER
NANOS Spotlight is a Society newsletter that keeps NANOS members informed of what's going on in the Society, highlights member achievements, celebrates member successes and Society accomplishments, features NANOS volunteers and member resources, and much more. Enjoy our June 2021 issue and click here to check out our past issues.
VOLUNTEER CORNER - NANOS HEROES
Meet our June hero and NANOS 2021 Merit Award recipient, Dr. Sophia Chung.
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Sophia Chung, MD
Vice Chair of the
Walsh Committee
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Ophthalmology or Neurology? Ophthalmology
What was the best clinical pearl you learned in fellowship?
We are physicians first, then neuro-ophthalmologists.
What are the top 3 things you’ve learned over the last 5 years?
1) When in doubt, ask the patient! As many colleagues before me have said, listen to the patient; within them lies the answer.
2) Because technology and our access to information is exploding exponentially, what you learn today will change, expand, or be proven wrong; today’s “facts” might be completely erroneous in 5, 10, 20+ years!
3) Recognize what an impact we, as educators, have not only in your patients’ lives but also your trainees’ lives. Be the best person and role model you can be. Pay it forward and you will undoubtedly be rewarded.
Tell us about your involvement with NANOS!
I thank Jack Selhorst MD, my friend, partner for many years, and former NANOS president, for giving me the first opportunities to speak at both the Walsh Society and NANOS meetings. He opened the doors to a rich network of mentors, colleagues, and friends. Joining committees is a wonderful avenue to learn how the organization works, meet people, and to give back. Opportunities are plentiful and I have been abundantly enriched by the many professional relationships and social friendships. Thank you, NANOS, for educating me and providing me so many opportunities for growth and lifelong memories.
What would you say to members who want to be more involved in NANOS?
Step up to the plate and volunteer; it can be intimidating at first but all of us have felt it. But all of our voices are important as NANOS is our organization.
What do you know at this stage in your career that you wish you knew when you first joined NANOS?
Each and every one of us makes a difference in peoples’ lives. The same is true at NANOS; we each can make a difference. It might seem small at first but all of the small changes have led to a large, vibrant, highly educational NANOS and we can each contribute.
SUBMIT YOUR 2022 MERIT AWARD NOMINATION
We invite you to submit your nominations for the NANOS 2022 Merit Award, which now comes with one-year complimentary dues.
Deadline: November 7, 2021
Click here to learn more about the Merit Award.
NANOS COMMITTEE CORNER - NEURO-OPHTHALMOLOGY PIPELINE COMMITTEE
Courtney Francis, MD
 Aimee Szewka, MD
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In the Committee Corner section of the NANOS Spotlight we are highlighting the work NANOS committees are doing and sharing the recent accomplishments or challenges that our volunteers have battled. The June issue features the NANOS Neuro-Ophthalmology Pipeline Committee co-chaired by Courtney Francis (Ophthalmology side) and Aimee Szewka (Neurology side).
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Here's Aimee and Courtney's report:
Committee Purpose? The purpose of the Neuro-Ophthalmology Pipeline Committee is to drive trainee interest towards the field of neuro-ophthalmology and to actively encourage application into our fellowship programs.
Recent Achievements/Updates?
- Solicitation and curation of submissions of interest to residents and medical students for the UPFRONT cases.
- Publication of survey results from ophthalmology residents on motivations to choose or not choose fellowship training in Neuro-Ophthalmology.
Exemplary Committee Member? Ore-Ofe Adesina, MD is passionate about his career as a surgical neuro-ophthalmologist and is always willing to share his enthusiasm for the field and brainstorm ways to improve recruitment. He is a mentor for the AAO Minority Ophthalmology Mentoring program and currently has his first mentee.
Future Goals?
- Further integration with YONO and fellowship committees to broaden social media presence to trainees and medical students, hopefully via a new Instagram platform.
- Surgical symposium at the upcoming NANOS meeting discussing challenging strabismus and orbital cases.
- Increase presence of Neuro-Ophthalmology with SIGN groups through local outreach.
- Establishing a Trainee email list.
- Establish a formal mentorship group to connect residents or medical students with a Neuro-Op mentor for career development advice.
- Create a Mini-Neuro-Op virtual course for medical students separate from the Annual meeting with the purpose of talking about the field of neuro-op and increasing interest and mentorship opportunities for medical students.
Click here to view the roster of the Neuro-Ophthalmology Pipeline Committee (login required).
MEMBER RECOGNITION - AAO EDITORS' CHOICE
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Congratulations to Dr. John Chen and his team for being featured as Editors’ Choice in the AAO Newsletter, Academy Express. In this feature, Dr. John Chen describes the patient harm caused by diagnostic error related to neuro-ophthalmic conditions.
Click here to check out the full study.
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 John Chen, MD, PhD |
ADVOCACY UPDATES
2021 AAO ADVOCACY AMBASSADOR PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS
NANOS sponsored two fellows as Advocacy Ambassadors, Alexis Flowers and Sravanthi Vegunta, to participate in the AAO L.E.A.P. (Leadership, Engagement, Advocacy, and Practice) Forward program. Dr. Flowers was also selected to participate in the AAO Congressional Advocacy Day on May 5th.
Alexis Flowers
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"I enjoyed being educated and having an opportunity to make a difference." |
Sravanthi Vegunta
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"I really enjoyed meeting with my senator’s staffer and discussing the issues such as scope of practice, funding for NEI/NIH/DOD, and prior authorizations." |
Click here to read Drs. Flowers and Vegunta's full reports.
NEUROLOGY ON THE HILL 2021
Our very own neuro-ophthalmology advocates, Drs. Melissa Ko and Aileen Antonio virtually joined over 180 advocates from across the country representing the American Academy of Neurology at the Neurology on the Hill on May 19, 2021. More information can be found here.
Click here to read other important Advocacy Committee updates.
NEW! NOVEL UPDATES
NEURO-OPHTHALMOLOGY AT YOUR FINGERTIPS
Dr. Jonathan Trobe from the University of Michigan has created an amazing educational resource called Neuro-Ophthalmology at Your Fingertips. He has generously donated this to NANOS. Click here to check out this new NOVEL resource.
ANDREW LEE COLLECTION
Recently added to NOVEL and soon to be added to the NANOS Illustrated Curriculum is this video about visual snow. Click here to learn more about this mysterious (though becoming less mysterious) neuro-ophthalmic phenomenon!
JUNE ISSUE OF JNO NOW AVAILABLE
Click here for a direct link to the online edition of the June JNO. Members can also read the journal using the 'JNO Online' link in the members-only area of the NANOS website (login required).
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
I'M NOT ON NANOSNET. HOW DO I GET SUBSCRIBED?
Send an email to Katie at info@nanosweb.org to get subscribed to NANOSNET today.
WHAT ARE THE TERMS AND RULES OF THE NANOSNET EMAIL LIST?
Click here to review NANOSNET Terms and Rules.
I'D LIKE TO PROMOTE A MEETING THAT TARGETS NEURO-OPHTHALMOLOGISTS. CAN I PROMOTE IT ON THE NANOSNET EMAIL LIST?
We can help you with promotion. Please click here to review the NANOS Promotion Request Policy and send your request to the NANOS Executive Office.
ARE THERE ANY NANOS POLICIES I SHOULD BE AWARE OF?
Yes, NANOS has a dedicated policy webpage where we publish policies, guidelines, and opinions. NANOS continually updates this webpage when new policies emerge or when updates are made.
POPULAR ON SOCIAL MEDIA
NEW KNOWLEDGE AND RESEARCH IN NEURO-OPHTHALMOLOGY
Visual assessments in a cohort of European and N. American patients with LHON, done from 1-3 years after onset of vision loss, showed poor visual acuity and low incidence of spontaneous recovery especially with ND4 mutations. — Article • Twitter • Facebook
A recent study showed that eye removal leads to visual hallucinations in the majority of patients with onset, usually within 1 month of surgery. While similar to Charles Bonnet syndrome, it differs because remaining vision is normal, and the best treatment strategy is not known. — Article • Twitter • Facebook
Check out this article by Dr. Joyce Liao and colleagues identifying key en face multimodal imaging features of optic disc drusen! — Article • Twitter • Facebook
FOLLOW NANOS ON SOCIAL MEDIA FOR MORE CONTENT
WIN BOOK CLUB
Be sure to join the WIN Leadership Book Club, 2nd Sundays of the EVEN months at 2pm PST/5pm EST. Selected book will focus on how to improve leadership presence in the workplace, strengthen diplomatic skills, improve negotiations, foster mentorship, and improve relationships.
INTERESTED?
Contact Barbara Yates at docbarb@gmail.com to get involved. Happy reading!
UPFRONT CASES REMINDER
(Unknown Patients for Residents in Ophthalmology or Neurology Training) is a NANOS/JNO joint project aimed at piquing the interest of medical students, as well as ophthalmology and neurology residents before they have made final career plans, in order to expose them to what we do. Selected cases will be in a citable format and presented as a narrated PowerPoint. Please note that these cases should written at a resident level or above.
INTERESTED? Click here to submit a case. If your case is selected, you will be contacted by NANOS and sent further instructions for developing the case presentation. Please note, a NANOS member who is a neuro-ophthalmologist must agree to be an author/mentor for any trainee/non-member submissions. Please contact info@nanosweb.org with any questions.
DEI TASKFORCE REMINDER
Diversity, equity, and inclusion are integral to the NANOS culture and we are committed to creating an equitable and inclusive Society for all. NANOS is now collecting demographic data in the NANOS member profile as part of our strategic plan’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion goals. These questions are optional and your answers will remain confidential and de-identified. Your participation will give us a better picture of who makes up our Society and help us ensure that we are a diverse, equitable, and inclusive group.
HERE IS HOW YOU CAN HELP:
Together we can overcome the challenges of today and build a better tomorrow for everyone.
STAY CONNECTED
SOCIAL MEDIA
Like NANOS on Facebook (@NeuroOphthalmology) and follow us on Twitter (@NANOSTweets).
NEW! NOVEL is now available on social media. Follow @novelnanos on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram!
Click here to download NANOS themed Zoom backgrounds.
DONATE
Consider making a donation to NANOS today.
NANOS is a 501-C3 not-for-profit organization and contributions are deductible to the extent allowed by law.
SAVE THE DATE FOR NANOS 2022
HAVE A QUESTION? CONTACT THE NANOS EXECUTIVE OFFICE TEAM
We are here to support you.
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