ASCRS Prepares to Honor 2023 Award Recipients
Deserving Individuals Demonstrate Merit and Significant Contributions to Ophthalmology
Fairfax, Va. – February 6, 2023 – The American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) is pleased to announce the individuals who will be honored at the upcoming ASCRS Annual Meeting, May 5–8 in San Diego, California.
As the society dedicated to anterior segment surgeons, ASCRS takes great pride in recognizing those who have significantly impacted the profession of ophthalmology. Their innovations, research, pioneering spirit, and philanthropic approach have transformed surgical eyecare and the lives of the patients who have benefited from their contributions. ASCRS celebrates these individuals every day but looks forward to honoring them annually at the Annual Meeting.
“The ASCRS Annual Meeting is a time to learn, collaborate, and celebrate,” said Doug Rhee, MD, ASCRS President. “Each year, ASCRS recognizes individuals who have made and continue to make formative changes in the field and in the lives of their patients. This year’s award recipients are truly inspiring and deserving of this recognition.”
2023 ASCRS Cornelius Binkhorst, MD, Lecture and Medal: Eric Donnenfeld, MD
Eric Donnenfeld, MD, Garden City, New York, is the founding partner of Ophthalmic Consultants of Long Island and Connecticut, a trustee of Dartmouth Medical School, and a clinical professor of ophthalmology at New York University. He served as the chief medical editor of ASCRS’ EyeWorld magazine (2015–2022) and has written more than 225 peer-reviewed papers in the areas of cornea, external disease, cataract, and refractive surgery, in addition to authoring 60 book chapters and three books. Dr. Donnenfeld has participated in more than 60 FDA clinical trials.
The ASCRS Binkhorst Lecture and Medal was established in 1975 in honor of Cornelius D. Binkhorst, MD (1912–1995). Each year this award recognizes an individual who has followed in Dr. Binkhorst’s footsteps with outstanding contributions to the understanding and practice of anterior segment surgery. Dr. Donnenfeld will deliver the Binkhorst Lecture on the ASCRS Main Stage, Saturday, May 6, at the ASCRS Annual Meeting.
ASCRS Richard L. Lindstrom, MD, Lecture and Medal: Marlene Moster, MD
Marlene Moster, MD, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is an attending glaucoma surgeon at Wills Eye Hospital and a professor of ophthalmology at the Sydney Kimmel Medical School of Thomas Jefferson University. Dr. Moster’s research focus has been in pharmacologic advancements and surgical interventions for the treatment of glaucoma. She has authored more than 120 peer-reviewed publications, been invited to deliver several named lectures at medical conferences, and has trained hundreds of residents and glaucoma fellows. Dr. Moster has served on the ASCRS Glaucoma Clinical Committee since 2011.
The Richard L. Lindstrom, MD, Lecture and Medal, established in 2021, honors individuals who have made significant contributions to one of the areas of Dr. Lindstrom’s ophthalmic interests, which have included cataract, cornea, refractive, and glaucoma. Dr. Lindstrom also fostered and promoted industry collaboration with ASCRS. Dr. Moster will deliver the Lindstrom Lecture on the ASCRS Main Stage, Sunday, May 7, at the ASCRS Annual Meeting.
ASCRS Charles D. Kelman, MD, Innovator’s Lecture and Medal: William J. Link, PhD
William J. Link, PhD, Irvine, California, is a founder and managing partner of Flying L Partners and a founder and managing director of Versant Ventures. Dr. Link specializes in early-stage investing in medical devices. Prior to co-founding Versant Ventures, Dr. Link was a general partner at Brentwood Venture Capital and has more than 2 decades of operations experience in the healthcare industry. Before entering the healthcare industry, he was an assistant professor in the Department of Surgery at the Indiana University School of Medicine. Dr. Link currently serves on the board of several private companies and three public companies.
The Charles D. Kelman, MD, Innovator's Lecture and Medal honors the work of individuals whose creativity has benefited ophthalmologists and their patients, in the spirit of the pioneering work of Charles D. Kelman, MD (1930–2004). Dr. Link will deliver the Innovator’s Lecture on the ASCRS Main Stage, Monday, May 8, at the ASCRS Annual Meeting.
ASCRS Educator Award: Emmett Carpel, MD
Emmett Carpel, MD, St. Paul, Minnesota, served as the chief of the Division of Ophthalmology at the Minneapolis Veterans Administration Health Care System from 2014–2020, and most recently severed as a cornea and glaucoma consultant for the Minneapolis Veterans Administration Health Care System in 2021. Prior to that, during his time at the Phillips Eye Institute, Dr. Carpel served as department chair and chief of staff and medical director. Before entering private practice, Dr. Carpel was the chief medical officer for the Yakima Training Center in the U.S. Army from 1969–1975. He has authored dozens of peer-reviewed papers and has received numerous recognitions for his excellence in teaching. Those who nominated Dr. Carpel for the ASCRS Educator Award described him as “the kind of teacher that every educator should strive to be.”
The ASCRS Educator Award was established to recognize individuals who devote their time and talents to the education of others, continuing to raise the bar on clinical excellence. Dr. Carpel will receive this award on the ASCRS Main Stage, Friday, May 5, at the ASCRS Annual Meeting.
ASCRS Chang-Crandall Humanitarian Award Recipient: Helena Ndume, MD
Helena Ndume, MD, overcame tremendous hardship and adversity throughout her early years, leaving her parents and home country of Namibia as a teenager to actively support the mission of the Southwest African People’s Organization, which advocated for solidarity, unity, and equality in the face of colonial occupation, apartheid, and educational inequities. Dr. Ndume earned an East German-sponsored scholarship to attend medical school at the University of Leipzig. Dr. Ndume, with the guidance of a mentor, recognized the need for surgical eyecare in Namibia and decided to specialize in ophthalmology, completing her training at the University of Saarland. After training, she went on to perform eye surgery for the poor in Tamil Nadu, India. In 1995, she attended the ASCRS Annual Meeting and learned about the work of SEE International and became a volunteer surgeon with SEE, organizing treatment camps in Namibia. She eventually became the director of the Namibian Blindness Prevention Project, which has provided sight-restoring surgery to more than 55,000 patients.
The Chang-Crandall Humanitarian Award, endowed by the generosity of David and Victoria Chang, is made annually to recognize the life's work of those who inspire excellence in the field of global cataract surgery. The award is given to an individual for their inspirational accomplishments in the U.S. or international charitable eyecare, with a focus on cataract blindness. A $50,000 prize is awarded in the recipient’s honor to a charitable ophthalmology organization of their choice. Dr. Ndume will be honored with the Chang-Crandall Award on the ASCRS Main Stage, Friday, May 5, at the ASCRS Annual Meeting.
ASCRS Ophthalmology Hall of Fame: R. Townley Paton, MD (deceased), and Marguerite McDonald, MD
The ASCRS Ophthalmology Hall of Fame honors two individuals each year who have made significant contributions to the field of ophthalmology.
R. Townley Paton, MD, (deceased), and Marguerite McDonald, MD (ASCRS president 2002–2003), will be inducted into the ASCRS Ophthalmology Hall of Fame on the ASCRS Main Stage, Friday, May 5, at the ASCRS Annual Meeting.
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About the ASCRS Annual Meeting|
The ASCRS Annual Meeting is the premier meeting in the U.S. dedicated to the needs and educational interests of anterior segment surgeons, featuring a range of innovative programming, essential topics, a robust Exhibit Hall, and more. The 2023 ASCRS Annual Meeting will take place May 5–8 in San Diego, California.
The ASOA Annual Meeting, which is geared toward practice managers and practice administrators but is relevant to all members of the practice involved in the business of ophthalmology, will also take place May 5–8 in San Diego, California.
Members of the media are welcome to attend the ASCRS Annual Meeting with complimentary registration available. Press should register for the ASCRS Annual Meeting using this link for press/media registrations.
About ASCRS
The American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) was founded in 1974. Since then, it has been at the forefront of anterior segment surgery and an established resource for cataract, refractive, cornea, and glaucoma surgeons. ASCRS is committed to advancing the art and science of ophthalmic surgery as a primary source for the latest clinical information, published research, and regulatory updates affecting anterior segment surgeons and the patients they serve.
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MEDIA CONTACT: Karen Mathes
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