Mission Statement
Women In Ophthalmology, Inc. was founded to enhance and improve the professional environment for women ophthalmologists. We encourage diversity, impartiality, and economic parity, and strive to cultivate new opportunities for leadership, education, and public service in the field of ophthalmology for ourselves and future generations, both nationally and internationally.

President's Message
Dear Friends and Colleagues,

It is my privilege to serve as your new WIO president for 2009.  I will do my best to maintain the high standards of our wonderful, immediate past- president, Dr. Laura King.  I look forward to an exciting year for WIO.  

Amidst these turbulent economic times, many of us ponder about what the future holds for not only ourselves but also the next generation.  Fortunately, we are in a profession in which demand for our service is mostly unaffected by outside forces. Patients still need our help and we have opportunities to improve a person’s quality of life. We still can experience the sense of a job well done. As you reflect about what organizations and activities positively impact your professional and personal life, I hope that WIO comes to mind. 

Personally, WIO has positively impacted my personal and professional life.  I have gained leadership skills, negotiation tactics, communication skills and true friends by my involvement in the organization.  I have gotten to know women- in various subspecialties, varied practice types and industry- who have shared their wisdom and experiences with me and WIO.  I probably would not have otherwise met them, since I am a retina specialist in a university system. 

In return, I now hope to bring WIO to all the women in our field.  My main focus at the beginning of this year is to raise awareness of our organization and to increase membership.  As an organization, I believe we much to offer our members.  We have a formalized and active mentoring structure. We have a unique Summer Symposium, in which members can learn about leadership skills, participate in workshops to improve communication and public speaking and also learn about practice management skills.  We also offer the opportunity for true camaraderie, sharing stories about family and work balance as well as gender specific issues. 

I hope that each of you can spread the word about WIO.  I would love to hear your ideas about ways in which WIO can better meet your needs.  I welcome volunteers to form and participate on committees.  I look forward to a dynamic year and to meeting you at future WIO events.

Take care,

Jenny

President, Women in Ophthalmology