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New Orleans 2013

New Orleans set to host AAO meeting

Key lectures will be program highlights.

By Jerry Helzner, Senior Editor

When attendees arrive at the Ernest H. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans for the start of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) annual meeting in mid-November, they will notice that, like New Orleans itself, the Morial Center has undergone significant improvement since the AAO last met in New Orleans in the unsettled post-Katrina environment of 2007.

As a result of a $50 million renovation completed this year, the facility now has a huge Great Hall for major presentations and events, a new 60,000-square-foot ballroom adjacent to the Great Hall and 25,000 additional square-feet of pre-function space. The Center, now the second largest in the South, today contains more than 1 million square feet of contiguous exhibit space, 140 meeting rooms, two ballrooms, and a 4,000 seat auditorium.

But as impressive as these upgrades are, the approximately 25,000 physicians, practice managers, staff and members of the ophthalmology community from around the world who will attend the event will be far more interested in the many lectures, symposia, research presentations and informal discussions that further professional growth.

Among the highlights of the meeting will be a number of major lectures delivered by leaders of the ophthalmic community, seven Subspecialty Days to be held on November 15 and 16, special programs for senior and young ophthalmologists, and an informal “Learning Lounge” for small-group discussions of timely topics of great interest to ophthalmologists. In addition, the AAO meeting offers the largest exhibition of ophthalmic technology, products and services in the world.

MAJOR LECTURES

The Jackson Memorial Lecture

The Jackson Lecture annually serves as the keynote speech for the meeting’s opening session and this year will be given at 10 a.m. Sunday, November 17, in the Great Hall by Mark S. Blumenkranz, MD, chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Blumenkranz, who is also a leading ophthalmic innovator and entrepreneur, will speak on the topic: “The History and Evolution of Lasers in Ophthalmology: A Review of the Interactions Between Physicians, Patients and Photons.”

Whitney G. Sampson Lecture

Also on November 17, at 2 p.m. in meeting room 243, Yaron S. Rabinowitz, MD, of Los Angeles, whose research on keratoconus has been continuously funded by the National Institute of Health since 1993, will speak on “The Genetics of Keratoconus: Implications for Future Treatment.” Dr. Rabinowitz is one of the leading proponents of the epi-off method for corneal collagen crosslinking.

The Charles D. Kelman Lecture

The Kelman Lecture, which annually pays tribute to the inventor of phacoemulsification, will be delivered on Monday, November 18 at 8:15 a.m. by Samuel Masket, MD, of Los Angeles. Dr. Masket, the longtime editor of the popular “Consultation” section of the Journal of Cataract & Refractive Surgery, will reflect on “25 Years of the JCRS Consultation Section.”

The Zimmerman Lecture

At 2:45 p.m. on Monday in the La Nouvelle Room C, pioneering ocular cancer specialist Carol L. Shields, MD, of the Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia will present a lecture on “Ocular Tumors in Children and Adults – Passing the Torch.”

The Barraquer Lecture

At 3:45 on Monday in the La Nouvelle Room A and B, Dimitri T. Azar, MD, of Chicago, will deliver the annual Barraquer Lecture on the topic of “Wound-Healing and Biomechanical Changes after Wavefront-Guided and Q-based Keratorefractive Surgery: Theoretical and Practical Applications.” The lecture honors the late Ignacio Barraquer, the Spanish ophthalmologist who is considered the father of modern cataract surgery.

The Learning Lounge

The Learning Lounge enables ophthalmologists to participate in informal conversations with acknowledged experts who are thought leaders in the ophthalmology community.

Many leading ophthalmologists will be taking part in these sessions and offering their insights. Check the meeting program for the day, time and location of specific Learning Lounge discussion topics and participants.

Catch live music at venues like the Spotted Cat or shop and have lunch at the French Market in the historic French Quarter.

Visitors from the Super Bowl this past February stroll along Bourbon Street; Ferns in hanging baskets on a French Quarter balcony; ACME Fried Oyster Po-Boy; Bourbon Street nightlife; Carriage ride through French Quarter.

Among the noted ophthalmologists who will take part in Learning Lounge are:

• Cataract surgeons Louis “Skip” Nichamin, MD, of Brookville, Pa.; Mark Packer, MD, of Eugene, Ore.; David F. Chang of Los Altos, Calif.; and Douglas D. Koch, MD, of Houston.

• Glaucoma specialists Brian A. Francis, MD, of Orange, Calif.; Richard Lewis, MD, of Sacramento, Calif.; Dale K. Heuer, MD, of Milwaukee; and Mark A. Latina, MD, of Andover, Mass.

• Innovation leaders Emmett T. Cunningham, MD, PhD, MPH, of San Francisco; Gilbert H. Kliman, MD, of Menlo Park, Calif.; William Link, PhD, of Menlo Park; Eugene De Juan, Jr. MD, of Menlo Park; Daniel M. Schwartz, MD, of San Francisco; Richard L. Lindstrom, MD, of Bloomington, Minn.; and Mark S. Blumenkranz, MD, of Palo Alto, Calif.

• Retina specialists Diana V. Do, MD, of Baltimore; and Alan Gary Palestine, MD, of Washington, D.C. In addition, the Learning Lounge will offer conversations with experts in such areas as corneal transplantation, corneal infections, refractive surgery, ocular surface disease, traumatic injuries, regulatory issues, retirement planning and the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

OUTSIDE THE MEETING HALL

Sports events

The New Orleans sports calendar offers up a tasty weekend of first-rate events for those who can tear themselves away from the meeting activities,

On Saturday, November 16, at 7 p.m., the New Orleans Pelicans of the NBA will host the Philadelphia 76ers at the New Orleans Arena.

On Sunday, November 17, at 4:30 p.m., the hometown New Orleans Saints will take on the 2012 NFC Super Bowl representative San Francisco 49ers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

Entertainment

On Sunday, November 17 at 3 p.m., the award-winning rock musical “Hair” will be performed at the La Petit Theatre at 616 St. Peter St. in New Orleans

Preservation Hall at 726 St. Peter St. presents the authentic sounds of New Orleans jazz nightly. Call (504) 522-2841 for information and reservations.

Culture

The New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA), New Orleans’ oldest fine arts institution, is located in City Park. It hosts an impressive permanent collection of almost 40,000 objects. The collection, noted for its strengths in French and American art, photography, glass, and African and Japanese works, continues to expand and grow, making NOMA one of the top art museums in the South.

Ophthalmology Innovation Summit The Ophthalmology Innovation Summit (OIS), in just a short time has proven to be one of the most popular events of the year in introducing the ophthalmology community to new companies and new concepts in the ophthalmic arena. The event is expected to attract more than 800 attendees when it is held November 14 at the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel. COURTESY OPTHALMOLOGY INNOVATION SUMMIT The 2012 Ophthalmology Innovation Summit attracted more than 800 physicians, investors and representatives of ophthalmology-related businesses. Emmett T., Cunningham, MD, PhD, MPH is one of the founders of the OIS and serves as chairman of the event. Gilbert Kliman, MD, of InterWest Partners and William Link, PhD, co-founder of Versant Ventures, are the cochairs. The keynote speech for the OIS this year will be delivered by David E. Pyott, CEO, president and chairman of Allergan, Inc. A number of other prominent innovators from the ophthalmic community will also speak, including David Guyer, MD, CEO of Ophthotech, Laurent Attias, head of Global Commercial Strategy for Alcon, and Eugene de Juan, MD, founder of ForSight Labs.

The five-acre Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden at NOMA is one of the most important sculpture installations in the United States, with more than 60 sculptures situated on a beautifully landscaped site among meandering footpaths, reflecting lagoons, Spanish moss-laden 200-year-old live oaks, mature pines, magnolias, camellias and pedestrian bridges.

NOMA is open every day except Mondays. Call (504) 658-4100 for hours and admission prices. OM