The Asia Pacific Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (APSOPRS) 2024 Congress, held on 29 and 30 November 2024 in Seoul, South Korea, was successfully concluded. During the event, Dr Kelvin KL CHONG, Associate Professor of the Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences (DOVS), The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), was elected by voting as the President-Elect for APSOPRS for the term 2026 to 2028.
The APSOPRS 2024 Congress, themed ″Seek Excellence in Oculoplastics″, highlighted advancements in clinical practices, surgical innovations, and state-of-the-art research in orbital and oculofacial plastic surgeries, was organized by the outgoing APSOPRS President Prof WOO Kyung In, Professor of Ophthalmology at the Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine and Chief, Orbital and Oculoplastic Surgery, Samsung Medical Centre, Seoul, South Korea. The conference featured in-depth discussions and presentations with the participation of over 320 attendees, including more than 80 distinguished experts from 18 countries, such as Korea, Australia, Cambodia, China, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong SAR, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, the Netherlands, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, Spain, Thailand, the USA, and Vietnam, featuring engaging discussions and cutting-edge presentations by world-renowned keynote speakers including Prof Robert A GOLDBERG, Bert Levy Endowed Chair in Ophthalmology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) and Chief of the Orbital and Ophthalmic Plastic Surgery Division, UCLA Stein Eye Institute.
A new council of APSOPRS was also elected during the Annual General Meeting on 29 November 2024 evening. Among them, Dr Chong, who has served as the First Vice-President (2016-2018) and Secretary (2012-2016), was elected as the President-Elect (2024-2026). This is a notable, global recognition of his remarkable contribution to the field of Orbital and Oculoplastics Surgery.
Dr Chong stated, ″It is my true honour to be elected as the President-elect of the APSOPRS, with the support and witness of our very own Hong Kong Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (HKSOPRS) members as well as my mentor Prof Robert Goldberg as the keynote lecturer. As a very young organization, formed since 2000, APSOPRS has evolved as the top organization in the field under the tremendous leadership of founding President Prof Reynaldo Javate and 10 Past Presidents. CUHK will certainly leverage this growing, multinational platform to further research, service and training of Orbital and Oculofacial Plastic Surgeries in the Asia Pacific region as I bring in the biennial APSOPRS scientific meeting to Hong Kong in 2028 as the President (2026-2028).″
We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Dr Chong on this remarkable achievement and look forward to his continued contributions to promoting the development of this important subspecialty!