POSITIVE IMPACT OF EUROPEAN BOARD OF OPHTHALMOLOGY

As his two-year term of office as president of the European Board of Ophthalmology (EBO) draws to a close, Wagih Aclimandos FRCS, FRCOphth, FEBO describes his time in the hot seat as a challenging but ultimately rewarding and enjoyable experience. “Two years might seem like a long time when you have just been nominated, but it goes very quickly indeed once you actually inhabit the role of president. While there is so much to do, there is no doubt that the most enjoyable part of my tenure as president has been the opportunity to work with a fantastically dedicated, competent and dynamic team on the EBO Executive Board,†he said. Prof Aclimandos also paid tribute to the behind-the-scenes work of individuals such as Danny Mathysen, the EBO’s statistical expert, and the team at Agenda Communications. “Working in that very professional and yet friendly climate makes hard work enjoyable and no doubt increases the whole team productivity, with absolutely no distraction or time wasted,†said Prof Aclimandos. Looking at the evolution of the organisation during his term of office, Prof Aclimandos said that he derives immense satisfaction from the fact that the EBO is becoming increasingly recognised as an educational institution of stature.

“This was very apparent on my recent visits to large institutions in France including the university hospitals of Lille and Amiens and the Fondation Rothschild and the Quinze-Vingts Hospital in Paris. I was interested to hear about the positive impact that the EBO has had on training in France. All residents now aspire to pass the EBO examination. One of the indirect impacts that this has had on their training is that they appreciate the importance of having diverse training that helps them pass the exam rather than concentrate the bulk of their training on one sub-specialty,†he said. The annual EBO examination in Paris also continues to attract an increasing number of candidates from across Europe, said Prof Aclimandos. “The number of candidates sitting the exam continues to grow all the time. The organisation of the exam and its validation process has also continued to improve. I believe that the standard of the exam has gone up and the level of professionalism in terms of how the exam is conducted has certainly evolved significantly,†he said.

Prof Aclimandos said that the achievements of the past few years are down to tireless teamwork from EBO’s dedicated Executive Board members. “I was privileged to have the constant help and support of the secretary general Peter Ringens over the past two years. One of our goals was to consolidate the agreement with the American Academy of Ophthalmology that was started while Prof Howlina was EBO president regarding the co-editing of the AAO series of textbooks. I attended several meetings in Florida last year and I am pleased that this venture is going well,†he said. Prof Aclimandos said that the EBO has also continued its drive towards catering for greater ophthalmic specialisation.

“We have formed several sub-speciality groups, which in addition to co-editing the AAO series of books, have been asked to look at the need and potential format of sub-specialty exams. The process is slow but progressing. The work of the Continuing Medical Education (CME) committee led initially by Gordana Sunaric-Megevand and now by Talin Barisani-Asenbaeur has been a great success – indeed, in some respects the EBO has become a victim of its own success in this field,†Prof Aclimandos said. That success is also seeping into other areas of expertise covered by the EBO such as course accreditation and e-learning, said Prof Aclimandos. “Attitudes are certainly changing across Europe as evidenced by the enormous demand for accreditation of courses by the EBO. Prof Marie-Jose Tassignon has also made huge strides in the e-learning modules provided by the EBO and this too has been a great success. The Residency Exchange Committee that allocates grants for trainees and trainers has also been immensely successful, although we will be sorry to lose Vytautas Jasinskas who has been so instrumental in strengthening this domain for the EBO,†he said. Looking to the future, Prof Aclimandos said that the EBO’s president-elect Catherine Creuzot-Garcher MD, is ideally equipped to continue the next phase of the organisation’s development. “I am gratified that my successor Catherine Creuzot-Garcher is totally committed to seeing the initiatives of the past few years develop further. Catherine has done a great job on the EBO Educational Committee and I am very optimistic that together we will achieve our goals,†he said.