Resident Retreat 2024 Update
The Society of Heed Fellows (SOHF) and the Heed Foundation are pleased to announce that resident nominations will open for an in-person 18th Annual Heed Ophthalmic Foundation Residents Retreat on October 2 and remain open through October 23. Department chairs and residency program directors are requested to nominate one or two residents from their programs who have the talent and desire to pursue a career in academic ophthalmology. This retreat has been enormously popular and successful in preparing residents to pursue a career in academic ophthalmology. Please give thoughtful consideration to the selection of residents with this intended career path.
Nominations for the 2024 Resident Retreat will be accepted October 2 – 23, 2024. Submit nomination.
Sponsors
The Heed Ophthalmic Foundation (HOF), in conjunction with the Society of Heed Fellows, the American Ophthalmological Society (AOS) and Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB)
Description
Thirty to 35 residents, nominated by their department chairs and residency program directors, and 30 faculty, including recent K-awardees, mid-career and senior faculty, will gather for two half-days to discuss careers in academic ophthalmology. During the informal sessions, residents will mingle with academic ophthalmologists just a few years their senior to learn how young faculty members made the transition from trainee to academician. Among the many topics to be discussed are how faculty combine patient care with positions/involvement in clinical research, lab research, residency program leadership, medical student educator, fellowship program director, NEI/NIH faculty, VA faculty, and/or public health/international ophthalmology, to achieve highly rewarding academic careers.
Review Process
Nominations are reviewed and nominees are selected by the Society of Heed Fellows (SOHF) Trustees. Each year, the SOHF Trustees regret that many worthy nominees cannot be invited because of budgetary constraints. The 2024 budget will allow about 30 to 35 residents from 30 – 35 different programs to be supported. For the 2024 Retreat, the Directors agreed to allow a second resident from up to ten programs to attend if their chairs agree to fund all travel-related, hotel, and meal expenses and if their evaluation scores are at a fundable level. For those programs nominating two residents, please indicate in the chair/program director’s recommendation letter willingness to fund a second resident. Nominees and their chairs will be notified about the decision in late November 2023.
Deadline
Nominations may be submitted starting October 2 and ending October 23, 2023.
Questions
The Heed Foundation, www.Heed.org , is grateful to the AUPO chairs and residency program directors for their continuing support of the Heed Foundation Residents Retreat. Questions should be submitted to David Wilson cone06glaze@gmail.com or Lisa Brown heed@aao.org.