The Foundation Receives Major Grants: Major Initiatives Begin
News and Notes From the Foundation
Lori Clawges
American Retina Foundation Communications Director
Silent Auction
This year's Silent Auction helped raised over $11,300 for the Foundation, with winning bids on an array of items, including medical instruments, gift certificates, and free weekend resort accommodations. The Foundation would like to thank all donors for their generous contributions to the auction, including Dr. Kirk Packo, who contributed ten of his creative, one of kind posters from "The Retinal Enquirer," and Dr. Brett Foxman, whose website domain name contribution, www.retina.tv, generated $2,000 for the Auction.
New Foundation Board Members
The Foundation would like to welcome the following new additions to the Foundation board. Jerald A. Bovino, MD; G. Philip Matthews, MD; and Johnna M. Seddon, MD were elected to serve at the Foundation Board Meeting during the 2004 ASRS Annual Meeting in San Diego.
2004 Fellows' Forum Travel Award Winner
Congratulations to Roman Prawak, MD, from New York University for winning this year's Travel Award. The American Retina Foundation awards one Fellow a $2,000 travel award to attend the ASRS Annual Meeting each year.
Foundation Name Change
The Foundation board recently elected to officially change its name from the American Retina Foundation to the American Retina Foundation. Board members agreed that the new name more accurately reflects the American Society of Retina Specialists' recent name change, the Foundation's relationship to the ASRS, and overall public understanding regarding the Foundation's mission and goals with educational initiatives.
ASRS Member Visibility and the Foundation
One of the Foundation's major efforts includes the goal of fostering the exchange of information between retinal specialists, their patients and other health care specialists. With this goal in mind, the Foundation invites opportunities for future projects that involve a relationship between the physician, patient and Retina Specialist, including patient awareness campaigns and other educational initiatives. If you are interested in working on a project with the Foundation, contact the office at (904) 998-0356.
Revealing Retina Booklets
Recently, all ASRS members received a sample copy of the retinal disease booklet, The Revealing Retina, with the option to purchase personalized copies for their office, which can be distributed to physicians in their local community. Twenty five percent of the proceeds from booklet sales are retained by the Foundation as a contribution to ongoing Foundation education projects and initiatives. Personalized booklet orders are still available to ASRS members; contact the American Retina Foundation office at (904) 998-0356 for more information.