March 2011 - President's Message

In late February, I had the opportunity to attend another very successful meeting of our thriving Young OD Committee in Baltimore. Drs. John Burns and Tom Wong and our Executive Director Jennifer Thornton joined committee chair, Dr. Lauren Gormley, at the event that hosted about 25 young Maryland optometrists and fourth year externs. An evening of networking, dinner and bowling made for a great outing and a wonderful opportunity to educate our newest colleagues on the importance of MOA and AOA membership. View photos from the event on the right. Thanks, Dr. Gormley, for hosting a great event!

In addition to the great CE opportunity here in Maryland, the MOA also continues its new partnership with Vision Expo East this month. The program, which occurs March 16-20 in New York City, will feature the latest products, trends and information on medical eye care, fashion, lens technology and business solutions. As an MOA member, you will be able to take advantage of substantial savings for continuing education as well as other exclusive benefits.

And finally, the spring AOA Congressional Advocacy Conference will once again commence in Washington, D.C. on April 3-5. It is a great opportunity for ODs from around the country to meet on Capitol Hill to help shape the scope and direction of national health care reform. In addition, we will all be meeting with our federal legislators educating them on optometry-specific concerns, including recognition of ODs as Medicaid physicians, ensuring a more comprehensive approach to vision and eye health care for America's children and securing optometry's participation in the National Health Service Corps program once again. Please plan on joining us this spring to lobby with our colleagues on the hill!