David F. Williams, MD, MBA, named ASRS president

Maui, HI-David F. Williams, MD, MBA, has been named president of the American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS). His term began during the organization’s annual meeting here and will last until August 2010. Dr. Williams is an assistant clinical professor of ophthalmology at the University of Minnesota.

In addition to presentation of the awards previously announced, this year’s ASRS annual meeting, Oct. 11 to 15, featured:

• Nine scientific symposia covering age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, retinal vascular disease and retinal detachment, surgical techniques and maneuvers, pharmacology, imaging, ocular oncology, inflammatory and infectious diseases, trauma, pediatric retina and retinopathy of prematurity, complications of anterior segment surgery, macular pucker and macular holes, and instruments and devices.

• Scientific poster sessions.

• 11 instructional courses, including “Retinaws,” attended by a capacity crowd of more than 150 people. The course, which offered a comprehensive review of retina-related surgical challenges, was co-directed by Kourous A. Rezaei, MD, and Kirk H. Packo, MD, of Rush University Medical Center (RUMC), Chicago. Faculty included Mathew W. MacCumber, MD, PhD, and John S. Pollock, MD, also of RUMC; Stanley Chang, MD, of Columbia University, New York; Hugo Quiroz-Mercado, MD, of Hospital Dr. Luis Sanchez Bulnes in Mexico City; and Dr. Williams.

• Guest lectures by David W. Parke II, MD, president of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) and William L. Rich III, MD, AAO medical director of health policy.

• A film festival and related awards.

• A Young Physicians Section luncheon and Women in Retina (WinR) symposium. WinR was launched in 2007.

• A Breakfast with the Masters program.

• A fluorescein angiography and surgical case conference.

• Exhibits.

• Social activities for members and their guests.

Next year’s ASRS annual meeting will be a combined meeting with the Retina Society and the Macula Society called Retina Congress 2009. It will be the first time the groups have held a joint meeting. The meeting will be held Sept. 30 to Oct. 4 in New York City.