2024 ASCRS Leadership and Award Honorees

ASCRS Incoming Secretary: Cathleen McCabe, MD 

Dr. McCabe was nominated by ASCRS members, considered by the ASCRS Nominating Committee, and voted by the Executive Committee to the position of 2024 ASCRS Secretary. This position has succession responsibilities, including Treasurer, Vice President/President Elect, and ultimately 2027 President. Dr. McCabe has been a member of ASCRS since 1999 and has held several leadership roles within the Society, including chair of the Refractive Surgery Clinical Committee and member of the Cataract Clinical Committee. She has been involved extensively in meeting planning and education development throughout her tenure with the Society.

“It has been a great honor and pleasure of mine to participate in so many aspects of ASCRS as an instructor, leader, organizer, and moderator­. I have learned a tremendous amount from past leaders, speakers, panelists, and my colleagues who brainstorm how to continually improve upon an already amazing organization. I’m deeply appreciative of the richness of the relationships that I have developed as a result of my participation in these activities, and I have learned an immeasurable amount of information that has benefited my patients and my practice over the years. In short, I am a huge fan of this organization and can’t say enough about the effect my participation has had on my career and those I care for. I am thrilled to continue helping shape the future of ASCRS with so many colleagues that I admire so greatly and am grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the leadership team.” —Cathleen McCabe, MD

Annual Meeting Program Chair: Thomas Samuelson, MD

Dr. Samuelson has been a member of ASCRS since 1998 and is a past president of ASCRS. He is an attending surgeon and founding partner of Minnesota Eye Consultants. He is also Adjunct Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Minnesota. The ASCRS Annual Meeting Program Chair, a position on the Executive Committee, works in conjunction with the ASCRS Leadership Committee to provide the best possible member experience for the Annual Meeting program. The Program Chair provides recommendations on Annual Meeting abstract and course submissions, reviews all symposia topics, and leads the development of the Opening Main Stage session.

Refractive Surgery Clinical Committee Chair: Daniel Chang, MD

Dr. Chang, MD, is the Managing Partner and Medical Director at Empire Eye & Laser Center. Dr. Chang, an ASCRS member since 2001, has been on the Refractive Surgery Clinical Committee since 2015. In his career, he has participated in clinical trials, given lectures at academic meetings, and published in peer-reviewed journals. He is also a volunteer surgeon, founding member, and President of the Board of Directors for Advanced Center for Eyecare, a nonprofit clinic providing medical and surgical care to underserved patients in California. The ASCRS Refractive Surgery Clinical Committee Chair leads development of ASCRS Refractive Day, multiple Annual Meeting symposia, a refractive-focused webinar series, and provides recommendations on white paper submissions. 

 Digital Clinical Committee Chair: John Hovanesian, MD 

Dr. Hovanesian, in private practice at Harvard Eye Associates, has been an ASCRS member since 1995. He is an innovator and has researched and published widely in the areas of cataract, cornea, refractive, and pterygium surgery. Dr. Hovanesian has been involved with artificial intelligence applications in the healthcare space and with organizations and events educating on the digital aspects of ophthalmology.

The newly formed ASCRS Digital Clinical Committee will focus on education in the digital space that impacts various ophthalmic specialties, including technological advancements such as artificial intelligence, digital visualization, precision medicine, telehealth, surgical guidance, and more.

ASCRS Cornelius D. Binkhorst, MD, Medal Lecture: Mitchell Weikert, MD

Dr. Weikert is a Professor of Ophthalmology and Residency Program Director at the Cullen Eye Institute at Baylor College of Medicine. In his career, Dr. Weikert has published dozens of peer-reviewed papers and has been actively involved in clinical research and teaching. Dr. Weikert has been an ASCRS member since 2001. He currently serves ASCRS as the Cataract Editor of EyeWorld magazine, is the ASCRS Skills Transfer Subcommittee Chair, and was recognized by his peers with the ASCRS Educator Award in 2022.

Learn more about the Cornelius Binkhorst, MD, Medal Lecture.

 

ASCRS Charles D. Kelman, MD, Innovator’s Lecture: David Chang, MD

Dr. Chang has contributed, pioneered, and taught many cataract surgical strategies for complex cases and complications. He identified intraoperative floppy iris syndrome and the need to manage it differently from other causes of small pupils. Dr. Chang has been a clinical investigator or advisory board member for numerous cataract surgical technologies, ranging from refractive IOLs and sustained release drug delivery to automated and robotic surgical systems and an artificial capsular bag. He has been a proponent of IOL adjustability and was the first to implant the light adjustable IOL in the U.S. Through his roles as past Chief Medical Editor of EyeWorld and Cataract and Refractive Surgery Today, and past chair of the AAO Annual Meeting Program Committee, Dr. Chang has introduced innovative formats to cataract surgical education as well. Finally, he has championed the need for innovative solutions to global cataract blindness and for advancing sustainability in ophthalmology.

Learn more about the Charles D. Kelman, MD, Innovator’s Lecture.

Dr. Ambrosio is an internationally recognized refractive surgeon-scientist. He has a well-established legacy of refractive surgery innovation in Brazil. Dr. Ambrosio has authored hundreds of scientific publications and has research interests focused on artificial intelligence and imaging for diagnostic purposes. Surgically, his areas of expertise are laser vision correction, refractive cataract surgery, and keratoconus.

Learn more about the Richard L. Lindstrom, MD, Medal Lecture.

Dr. Shoham-Hazon is a glaucoma and advanced anterior segment surgeon who currently, in addition to private practice, serves as Assistant Professor on the Faculty of Medicine, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, at Dalhousie University—Miramichi Campus and Clinical Assistant Professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland. In nominations submitted for Dr. Shoham-Hazon for the ASCRS Educator Award, he was described as “a golden mentor” and an individual who “excels at bringing people together,” who “encourages collaboration and emphasizes that we can all learn from each other.”  

Learn more about the ASCRS Educator Award.