ANNOUNCEMENT

Retinal Physician Welcomes New International Board Members

JASON SLAKTER, MD, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Those of us who devote our professional lives to the study and practice of vitreoretinal services know just how important it is to stay informed about developments on a worldwide scale. To provide care that reflects the very latest thinking of the retinal community, we need to seek out opinions and insights wherever they may arise — be it across town or across the globe.

With this issue, Retinal Physician adds 12 new internationally-based retinal specialists to its Editorial Advisory Board. All are thought leaders in their home countries and in the worldwide community of retinal specialists. Their insights, along with those of our exemplary US-based board members, will ensure that the journal continues to provide clinically-relevant advice on vitreoretinal care.

Francesco Bandello, MD Udine, Italy Dr. Bandello is Professor and Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology and Director of the School of Ophthalmology at the University of Udine. He is also Vice President and Chairman of the Residency Review Committee at the European Board of Ophthalmology. Rosario Brancato, MD Milan, Italy Dr. Brancato is Professor and Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology and Director of the School of Ophthalmology at the University Hospital San Raffaele in Milan. He is also Editor-in-Chief of the European Journal of Ophthalmology. Usha Chakravarthy, MD, PhD Belfast, Ireland Dr. Chakravarthy is Professor of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences at Queen's University of Belfast. She is also Consultant in Ophthalmology and Directorate of Ophthalmology at Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast. Alan Cruess, MD, FRCSC Halifax, Canada Dr. Cruess is Professor and Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at Dalhousie University in Halifax. He is also District Chief of Ophthalmology at Capital Health. Michel E. Farah, MD Sao Paolo, Brazil Dr. Farah is Professor of Ophthalmology and Director of Retina Services at the Federal University of Sao Paulo Vision Institute Department of Ophthalmology. He is also past President of the Brazilian Retina Vitreous Society and a Delegate of the Pan American Association of Ophthalmology. Frank Holz, MD Bonn, Germany Dr. Holz is Professor and Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Bonn. He is also President of the German Ophthalmological Society and Editor-in-Chief of the society's peer-reviewed scientific journal Der Ophthalmologe. Tomohiro Iida, MD Maebashi, Japan Dr. Iida is Professor and Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine. He is also an editorial board member of the Journal of Japanese Ophthalmological Society. Anat Loewenstein, MD Tel Aviv, Israel Dr. Loewenstein is Professor and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at Tel Aviv University. She is also Vice Dean of Clinical Affairs at the university's Sackler Faculty of Medicine. Gisbert Richard, MD Hamburg, Germany Dr. Richard is Professor and Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf. He was a founder and the first president of Euretina, the European Society of Retina Specialists, and is currently Euretina's General Secretary. Giovanni Staurenghi, MD Milan, Italy Dr. Staurenghi is Professor of Ophthalmology, Director of the Second Residency School of Ophthalmology and Chairman of the Eye Clinic Ospedale Sacco at the University of Milan. He is also an editorial board member of International Ophthalmology. Yasuo Tano, MD Osaka, Japan Dr. Tano is Professor and Chairman of Ophthalmology at Osaka University Medical School and Vice President of Osaka University Hospital. He is also President of the Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology and the Asia-Pacific Vitreo-Retinal Society. Sebastian Wolf, MD, PhD Bern, Switzerland Dr. Wolf is Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Bern and Director and Chair of the University Eye Hospital, Bern. He is also an editorial board member of European Journal of Ophthalmology.

This expansion improves the ability of Retinal Physician to both chronicle and influence developments as they unfold, as we now have access to many of the specialty's luminaries on the world stage through their affiliations with universities, professional societies and scientific journals that operate outside the US. Below you'll find a brief overview of each new member, who hail from South America, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Canada.

I've been privileged to collaborate with many of these talented individuals, both in print and at the podium. Please join me in welcoming them to Retinal Physician. RP