We are delighted to announce that Dr Poemen PM CHAN and Dr Simon KH SZETO, Assistant Professors from the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, have recently received awards at the 38th Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology (APAO) Congress (APAO 2023 Congress) in recognition of their outstanding performance and achievements.
Dr Poemen PM CHAN was voted by an international panel from the Academy of Asia-Pacific Professors of Ophthalmology (AAPPO) to receive the Overall Gold Medal Award and the Best Self-initiated Project Award in the Academic Development Mentorship Scheme of AAPPO for the year 2021 – 2022.
AAPPO is affiliated with APAO. The AAPPO Academic Development Mentorship Scheme Awards recognise significant professional advancements and accomplishments by young clinician-scientists and ophthalmologists in the Asia-Pacific region.
Dr Chan said, ‶I am grateful to join the AAPPO Academic Development Mentorship Scheme. It is a valuable platform for communicating and collaborating with future international leaders. The experience is precious and I wish more ophthalmologists from Hong Kong will join us. I am also thankful to my Mentor (Prof Dennis SC LAM) and team (Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences) for their encouraging support.″
The AAPPO Academic Development Mentorship Scheme (AAPPO ADMS) aims to identify, nurture, and groom future academic leaders in ophthalmology in the Asia-Pacific region. Since 2018, the AAPPO ADMS has over 50 graduates. They have taken up leadership positions in regional and international ophthalmic societies.
Dr Simon KH SZETO won the Bronze Medal for the Best Overall Mentee at the Asia-Pacific Vitreo-retina Society (APVRS) Leadership Development Program in 2021 -2022.
Dr Szeto said, ‶The APVRS Leadership Development Program (LDP) provided me with the unique opportunity to learn from well-known, established leaders in the field and meet aspiring future leaders in the Asia-Pacific region. Throughout preparing and presenting my self-initiated project, I have gained invaluable experience as a clinician-researcher and public speaker. I am thankful for the nomination by Prof Timothy YY LAI (Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, CUHK) to enter this programme. I feel more confident and ready to be a team leader from the experience I gained from this programme″.
The APVRS Leadership Development Program is a one-year programme aiming to provide systematic orientation for cultivating future leaders in the vitreoretinal field of the Asia-Pacific region. There are 16 graduates in the class of 2021-2022.
Congratulations to Dr Chan and Dr Szeto!
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