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London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Resources – International Centre for Eye Health

The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) is known for its research, postgraduate studies and continuing education in public and global health. The International Centre for Eye Health (ICEH) works to improve eye health and eliminate avoidable visual impairment and blindness with a focus on low-income populations. The ICEH has a number of global ophthalmology resources, including:

Community Eye Health Journal – The Community Eye Health Journal aims to make sure up-to-date, relevant information reaches eye care workers at all levels in countries where the burden of eye disease and blindness is greatest. Journal readers often have little access to other sources of information.

International Society Geographical & Epidemiological Ophthalmology – The aim of ISGEO is to promote the science of geographic and epidemiologic ophthalmology among all people and nations. This aim encompasses the epidemiological, clinical, educational, environmental and cultural aspects of eye disease, prevention of blindness, preservation of sight and visual rehabilitation. ISGEO provides a forum for presentation and discussion of research findings, focussing on low resource countries. As epidemiology encompasses the control of diseases in population, research presentations are welcomed in areas such as operational research, health economics, health systems research and qualitative research.

MOC: Global Blindness: Planning and Managing Eye Care Services – This course, developed by LSHTM, aims to help learners plan and manage eye care, to avoid blindness. Topics include:

Course – MSc Public Health for Eye Care – This programme provides ophthalmic professionals with the knowledge and skills required to reduce blindness and visual disability in their populations by developing an evidence-based public health approach for the control and management of blinding eye diseases. It enables students to contribute effectively at a local, national and international level in research, training and service delivery. All three terms of this program can now be completed online.

To learn more about global ophthalmology resources from The International Centre for Eye Health, click here.

Université de Montréal USVI Center for Global Eye Health (French Language Only)

The International Visual Health Unit (USVI) is an interdisciplinary center, aimed at improving the eye health of disadvantaged populations.

The USVI was born from an interfaculty agreement at the University of Montreal bringing together various initiatives from the Faculty of Medicine, the School of Public Health and its International Health Unit (USI), and from the School of Optometry.

The mission of the USVI is to contribute to the improvement of visual health and the reduction of avoidable visual deficiencies in developing and transition countries, as well as in our more deprived local populations.

It is the only French-speaking North American organization that brings together professionals and students from various disciplines to promote training, expertise, technical support and research in international visual health.

For more information, click here.

The New Normals

The New Normals

COVID has ushered in a bunch of new normals. The way we run clinic, how we vacation, and where our kids go to “school”. A more long-term change we may see in our profession is how we go to “school”.  Month after month, we will have to continue to make the difficult decisions regarding our upcoming conferences, whether to postpone, convert to virtual, or wait and see. In the meantime, many of us have chosen to take advantage of the opportunities that online webinars provide. Assembling panelists of speakers from around the world, peppering pioneers with the “why’s” and the “what’s” of how things came to be, and being able to reconnect with your former classmate from decades ago “face-to-face”. In fact, some of the comments from newly converted webinees are that these sessions are more personal than if we were sitting in a large auditorium (inevitability looking at the screen to attempt to see a speaker’s expressions).  With the support of Dr Sherif El-Defrawy and the DOVS planning committee, we initiated a weekly webinar called RETINA CONNECT. Our season comes to an end today with star-studded cast.  Anita Agarwal will be presenting Imaging of Placoid Disorders. Of course, I picked up her book, Gass’ Atlas of Macular Disease, off my shelf and read with pleasure in preparation. Her panelists include Larry Yannuzzi, Bailey Freund, Lee Jampol, and Dave Sarraf.  We will reconvene in the fall with monthly sessions. Hope you can join.

Tuesday June 30, 6pm EDT

RETINA CONNECT: Anita Agarwal – Placoid Imaging

Please click the zoom link below to join the webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81602932731?pwd=L2M3RnZzQWw0QXZxT1d0b1FQY0hudz09

Password: connect

Recommended by Deepa Yoganathan, MD, FRCSC
Practice Resource Centre Committee Member, Canadian Ophthalmological Society

International Ophthalmology at the University of Alberta

The University of Alberta’s Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences has a well-established relationship with global ophthalmology.

The Department’s initiatives in developing countries include capacity building to improve local ophthalmology services and long-term sustainability, training and fellowships for local eye care providers, and direct service delivery in performing cataract and sub-specialty surgeries.

Their on-going STOP Glaucoma program continues to help halt progression of the disease in Sub Saharan Africa and will soon expand into areas of Eastern Africa and the Ivory Coast. The Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences Global Health initiative developed out of the tele-ophthalmology program which as designed to provide better health care services to patients living in underserved regions.

To learn more about the global ophthalmology efforts and resources at the University of Alberta’s Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, click here.

Resource Toolkit – A Path to a New Vision: COS COVID-19 Webinar Series delivered in April/May 2020

This Resource Toolkit provides direct links to general COVID-19 literature, resources and guidance from reputable agencies, as well as specific COVID-19 topics such as medico-legal concerns. In addition, instructions and patterns for some simple do-it-yourself PPE projects are included.

GENERAL RESOURCES

The CMA is working with the Public Health Agency of Canada, provincial and territorial medical associations, and the Council of Chief Medical Officers of Health to share the most up-to-date and reliable resources with physicians and patients.

Available at: https://www.cma.ca/cma-update-coronavirus

Get the latest public health information from CDC.

Available at: https://www.coronavirus.gov.

Get the latest research from NIH.

Available at: https://www.nih.gov/coronavirus.

Find NCBI SARS-CoV-2 literature, sequence, and clinical content.

Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sars-cov-2/.

WEBINAR-SPECIFIC RESOURCES

Webinar #1 – A Path to a New Vision: Our Starting Point.

Originally presented Friday, April 24, 2020.

Available at:

Guidance

Peer-reviewed literature

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Resources

Guidance

Do It Yourself (DIY) PPE

DIY Non-Medical Masks (patterns with step-by-step instructions)

Webinar #2 – A Path to a New Vision: Medico-Legal Aspects of Ophthalmology Practice During COVID-19.

Originally presented on Thursday, April 30, 2020.

Not available as a recording due to sensitive medico-legal issues.

CMPA is providing the latest information, advice and support related to medical-legal protection during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Available at: https://www.cmpa-acpm.ca/en/covid19

Webinar #3 – A Path to a New Vision: Virtual Care – COVID and Beyond.

Originally presented on Thursday, May 7, 2020.

Available at:

Webinar #4 – A Path to a New Vision: Financial Implications of COVID – Beyond the Basics.

Originally presented Thursday, May 14, 2020.

Available at:

Webinar #5 – A Path to a New Vision: What Now? Optimizing Our New Normal.

Originally presented Thursday, May 28, 2020.

Available at:

Tips for Including Interactivity in an Accredited Group Learning Activity

Tips for Including Interactivity in an Accredited Group Learning Activity

This four-page guidance document from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada includes a wide range of tips, tricks, and insights for including or increasing interactivity in group learning activities, as well as some related information for creating digital media. Additionally, the document outlines the minimum interactivity requirements for an MOC Section 1 activity.

Highlights include examples of interactivity in different settings; advice for hosting an online conference; links to video tutorials for turning power point presentations / slide decks into online videos; tips for mailing certificates, and more.

This resource is an excellent go-to reference for any CPD program planner creating accredited learning activities.

You can access this resource here.

Ideas for Teaching CanMEDS During COVID-19

There are numerous ways for trainees (CBD and traditional) to continue to develop the CanMEDS competencies throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of these opportunities occur in responding to the pandemic itself, whereas other opportunities may be used to help fill the gap when usual clinical duties are problematic due to safety concerns, PPE shortages, physical distancing constraints, etc. While the pandemic may be shifting our traditional approach to teaching, educators are encouraged to consider the opportunities arising for the development of competence across all CanMEDS Roles.
The Royal College collected suggestions and ideas for clinical and non-clinical educational experiences during COVID-19, and have organized these by the CanMEDS Role to which they most easily map.

Ideas for Teaching CanMEDS During COVID-19: This resource compiles ideas for clinical and non-clinical educational experiences during COVID-19, and is organized by the seven CanMEDS Roles. As you’ll see, many of these educational opportunities occur in responding to the pandemic itself, whereas other opportunities may be used to help fill the gap when usual clinical duties are problematic due to PPE shortages, physical distancing constraints, and other safety concerns.

Continuing Clinical Teaching during COVID-19

Disruptions related to COVID-19 are likely to continue for quite some time. In response, programs are adopting innovative approaches to support resident learning in the clinical environment. Check out these ideas from your colleagues across Canada on how they are continuing clinical teaching during COVID-19, across a variety of clinical environments (inpatients or outpatient visits), for multiple educational purposes (e.g., direct observation, teaching, coaching and assessment), and for both formal and informal teaching (e.g., academic half days, journal clubs, clinical teaching, etc.).

Ideas for Clinical Teaching During COVID-19: The purpose of this document is to share tips and resources from the front line for continuing residency education while managing the pandemic and maintaining physical distancing.

Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada – Virtual Teaching Resources

Virtual teaching resources

In light of the clinical responses to COVID-19, many educators are making significant adjustments to clinical experiences and training opportunities for their residents. These changes include reductions in OR activity and in ambulatory clinic experiences as well as the cancellation of group learning activities like rounds, simulation sessions and other academic activities.
Given that disruptions related to COVID-19 are likely to continue for many months, programs are innovating and adapting in order to support ongoing resident learning.
Teaching virtually – given physical distancing constraints and concerns about resident safety, many programs have implemented, or may implement, virtual alternatives to traditional teaching approaches. This short document is designed to help programs teach residents in a virtual / remote manner.

This webpage from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada is temporary.