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From the WGA Executive Office
Kuldev Singh, MD MPH, Executive Vice President, World Glaucoma Association
By the time that you receive this issue of the International Glaucoma Review (IGR), I will have completed a four-year term as Executive Vice President (EVP) of the World Glaucoma Association, and have passed the reins into the capable hands of Dr. Robert Fechtner who will lead the Association as of January 1, 2012. The EVP Search Committee for my successor was chaired by Past President and Board of Governor Ivan Goldberg. The WGA is indebted to Ivan and the other Board members who served on the Search Committee for their unwavering commitment to finding the best person for the job. The Board of Governors also selected Franz Grehn from Würzburg, Germany to serve as the next President of the Association. I am most pleased that Rob and Franz have accepted these positions as the Association will undoubtedly thrive under their leadership.
The WGA has continued to grow over the past four years with a current membership of 79 national and regional glaucoma societies reaching almost 12,000 glaucoma practitioners, scientists and educators worldwide. Our last World Glaucoma Congress (WGC), Paris 2011 attracted 3,295 attendees from 104 countries, an approximate 25% increase from our previous WGC held in Boston during 2009. Over the same four-year period, WGA hosted four Global Consensus Meetings, the proceedings of which are amongst the largest selling publications in all of ophthalmology. The WGA was bold enough to underwrite and host the inaugural African Glaucoma Summit in 2010 which stimulated many in our global community to focus on glaucomatous disease on this continent.
Amongst all of the WGA's accomplishments, I am most proud of those which have created the foundation for continued success in the years to come. One such achievement is the finalization of an agreement for the acquisition of IGR by the Association in early 2012. In terms of global reach, the IGR, under the extraordinary leadership of Bob Weinreb, is unmatched by any other glaucoma publication. My final year also saw the completion of a formal WGA strategic planning process led by Arthur Sit and Tarek Shaarawy which confirmed that the core purpose of the Association is to eliminate glaucoma-related disability worldwide. The WGA Strategic Plan outlines a ten-year vision, three-to-five-year priorities as well as strategies to maximize the chances of accomplishing our substantial goals. Rob Fechtner will have an excellent road map for where the Association is headed in the years to come.
The year 2011 also saw David Greenfield and Paul Healey lead to conclusion, the long and sometimes cumbersome process of revising WGA Statutes which were approved by the Board of Governors and subsequently by the WGA General Assembly in Paris during WGC 2011. The approval of these Statues was followed by a Board of Governors transition process with Yoshi Kitazawa, Ted Krupin, Clive Migdal and Ravi Thomas completing their terms in 2011. New Board of Governors include G. Chandra Sekhar from Hyderabad, India, Fabian Lerner from Buenos Aires, Argentina and Carlo Traverso from Genova, Italy each of whom will bring tremendous energy and unique perspective to the Association. Those rotating off the Board of Governors have been invited to join the newly created World Glaucoma Association Council chaired by Roger Hitchings. Roger will also continue to serve on the Board as a Past President. The Council will primarily be an advisory body to the Board of Governors, providing input on important issues at the request of the Board.
During the past four years, I have had the pleasure of serving with two wise and experienced WGA Presidents, Remo Susanna Jr. and Makoto Ariae who have provided constant support; and an outstanding Treasurer, Keith Martin, who has been a most important, always modest, behind-the-scenes force in helping make possible almost everything the WGA has accomplished in recent years. Keith has graciously agreed to continue to serve as Treasurer for 2012 for which we are all grateful. Last, but certainly not least, Mariska van der Veen has been a trusted colleague without whom the Association would be lost. Mariska's role continues to expand with her taking on additional leadership responsibility within the Association for 2012 and beyond.
One of my last acts as EVP was to visit Vancouver, Canada in October, 2011 to formalize the WGA commitment to this city which will host WGC 2013. The latest addition to the Vancouver Convention Center, a completely 'Green' project, was completed just in time for the 2010 Winter Olympics, and is beyond comparison with any other meeting facility in the world. Vancouver is a breathtaking international city with world-class cuisine and easy transportation options from every corner of the globe making it one of the most visited sites in North America, particularly in the mid- and late summer months when the weather is generally perfect. As Rob Fechtner will most certainly communicate in upcoming IGR issues, Vancouver 2013 promises to surpass even the high standards that have already been set by our prior congress meetings. In many ways, the cities of Paris and Vancouver provide an appropriate representation of where the WGA is today and where we are headed. Much has been accomplished but the best may be yet to come. We invite you to join us on our journey.
