Ophthalmology Times Resident Writer's Awards go to three residents

Key Points

The program was sponsored through an unrestricted educational grant from Advanced Medical Optics (AMO).

Dr. Etter placed first among 14 entries received from participants representing ophthalmic teaching institutions from across the country and, for the first time, a Canadian institution, the University of Toronto. His presentation was titled "Fungal keratitis: enhancing antifungal delivery with femtosecond laser-assisted keratectomy."

Capturing the honorable mention was Karyn Bourke, MD, of the Moran Eye Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City. Her presentation was titled "Granular dystrophy: treatment with PTK/PRK," and her advisers were Sonal Dave, MD, and Mark Mifflin, MD.

Encouraging excellence

The Resident Writer's Awards program is designed to encourage excellence in writing and presentation skills among residents.

"The ability to write and present everything clearly and concisely is a gift that not everyone has," said Peter J. McDonnell, MD, chief medical editor of Ophthalmology Times, in remarks to attendees. "Some people have the gift, and some don't. The residents here tonight have the gift."

Dr. McDonnell, director of the Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, said that as an academician and educator, the event is one of the highlights of the annual meeting for him.

George Neal, senior vice president of global refractive and cataract surgery for AMO, presented the awards to the residents, noting that the company supports the competition because it has a "focus on patients and patient outcomes."

This year's entries were judged by three previous winners, including Jason Halverson, MD (2005), Omesh P. Gupta, MD (2006), and John P. Berdahl, MD (2007). Dr. Etter's winning entry will be featured in a future issue of Ophthalmology Times.