ASCRS YES Connect Newsletter March 2025

Get to Know Your YES Clinical Committee Member:

Yvonne Wang, MD
Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut

Why did you go into ophthalmology? My first experience with ophthalmology was when I volunteered at an eye hospital in rural India for 3 weeks the summer before I started medical school. Even though I didn’t have much medical knowledge at that time, I could appreciate the profound impact that restoring vision had on patients. A month after I returned from my trip, I started medical school, and I reached out to the ophthalmology residency program director to learn more about this field. I quickly realized it was a perfect fit. As a visual learner, I liked that many diagnoses could be made based on what you see at the slit lamp. There’s also a wonderful mix of patients, from quick fixes to life-long relationships. The variety keeps every day interesting.

If you weren’t an ophthalmologist or even a doctor, what career would you like to try? If I wasn’t a doctor, I would have tried doing something artistic. Growing up, I did a lot of drawing and painting as a hobby, and I still love working with my hands. I’ve always wanted to try pottery and ceramics as well. I don’t know if I could have “made it” as an artist, but I would have had a lot of fun trying!

What do you look forward to most at the ASCRS Annual Meeting? Every year I look forward to going to the ASCRS Annual Meeting and catching up with friends and colleagues. We make so many friends throughout our years of medical training, it’s great to be able to see everyone in one place each spring. As someone who is still in my early career years, I really appreciate the opportunity to see my mentors from residency and fellowship. I continue to learn so much from them. The YES program is also a favorite. I benefited a lot from the YES wet labs and symposia as a trainee. Now as a committee member, I get to teach the aspiring anterior segment surgeons of today.

What place is on your travel wish list? There are still so many places in the world I would love to visit. Greece has been on my bucket list for a long time now. The history, architecture, and food look amazing. Still waiting for my chance to see that romantic Santorini sunset!

What’s your go-to movie theater snack? Buttered popcorn is a classic. It was always a special treat reserved for the movie theater when I was a child. Now as an adult, it’s nostalgic and a must for the experience to be complete!

Register for the Annual Meeting
Skills Transfer Lab Seats Are Filling Up Fast

Register for the 2025 ASCRS Annual Meeting, April 25–28 in Los Angeles, California, now and be sure, while registering, to add a hands-on Skills Transfer Lab.

All YES Skills Transfer Labs will take place Friday, April 25. Lab areas cover phaco, MIGS, DALK, DMEK/DSAEK, Yamane, and (new) refractive. In addition to YES-specific labs, ASCRS also offers dedicated programming on Saturday, April 26 for young eye surgeons.

Registration for the meeting is complimentary for residents and U.S. fellows and is discounted for surgeons in their first 5 years of practice.

Ahead of Friday's Skills Transfer Labs, plan to attend the Y oungMD Connect Breakfast Mentoring Event at ASCRS: April 5, 7:00–8:15 a.m. Registration is required for this breakfast event. This event is offsite from the convention center and is hosted by YoungMD Connect.

Save the Date for the ASCRS ASOA Party for a Purpose

Kick off the 2025 Annual Meeting at the ASCRS ASOA Party for a Purpose April 25, 8:00–11:00 p.m., in Los Angeles.

This year’s theme draws upon Hollywood glamour, so prepare to be starstruck!

Cheer on teams showcasing iconic movie moments while socializing with your friends and raising money to cure preventable blindness as part of the work of the ASCRS Foundation. Come as you are or dress like Old Hollywood or a modern-day celebrity ready to walk the red carpet.

Location: The NOVO at L.A. Live. All proceeds benefit the ASCRS Foundation.

ASCRS Live! Coming to a City Near You

ASCRS Live!, an educational dinner and networking program for ophthalmologists, is back on the road. The first event of 2025 held March 6 in Miami was a success with 45+ ophthalmologists attending.

This evening CME program is targeted for a smaller audience, with discussion focusing on refractive cataract surgery. In addition to complimentary dinner and CME education, there will be ample time for open discussion and networking.

Next stop: Find the full 2025 city lineup here.

According to surveys, 100% of attendees who responded said they learned something new in the program and would recommend attending ASCRS Live! to their colleagues.

Take Advantage of These Educational Opportunities with ASCRS

YES Connect Webinars: In the latest YES Connect Webinar—How to Get Involved in Ophthalmology Research and Development—Malik Kahook, MD, Barbara Wirostko, MD, Robert Chang (CEO of Myra Vision Inc.), and Austin Nakatsuka, MD, discuss how to navigate the research and development landscape.
Ophthalmology Quicksand Chronicles—Eureka Moments Podcast: Hosts Nicole Fram, MD, and Elizabeth Yeu, MD, welcomed guest Mitch Shultz, MD, in this episode of their popular ASCRS podcast. Watch the episode.
ASCRS Grand Rounds: The latest episode of Grand Rounds covers cataract surgery in a patient with keratoconus and a case involving cosmetic iris implants.
Optical Coherence Tomography: A Comprehensive Review: From the Retina Clinical Committee, go in-depth on optical coherence tomography (OCT) in this webinar, covering its historical evolution, foundational principles, and advancements in technology.
ASCRS Live! Modules: Find all three ASCRS Live! online modules, covering ODS/lid margin disease, refractive surgery, and MIGS, and an additional roundtable here.
EyeWorld: Have you read this? The latest issue of EyeWorld (a bonus!) focuses exclusively on the topic of interventional glaucoma. Flip through the issue.

Helpful Links and Resources

Remember you can always find additional information and resources on our website.

Want to get involved with YES activities? Send us an e-mail and let us know!