APAO to honor Dr. Ritch

New York-Robert Ritch, MD, FACS, will receive the Jose Rizal International Medal from the Asia Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology (APAO) during the March 20 opening ceremony of the organization’s annual meeting in Sydney, Australia.

Dr. Ritch is the Shelley and Steven Einhorn Distinguished Professor of Ophthalmology and the surgeon director and chief of glaucoma services at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary. He also is a member of the editorial advisory board of Ophthalmology Times.

Named in honor of an ophthalmologist considered to be the father of independence of the Philippines, the APAO medal recognizes an ophthalmologist who has made “exceptionally valuable contributions to ophthalmology in the Asia-Pacific region.”

Dr. Ritch has worked to advance ophthalmic education, specifically in the subspecialty of glaucoma, in the Asia-Pacific region by organizing meetings, establishing teaching programs, and helping to modernize the practice of ophthalmology in Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Laos, Myanmar, and other countries. He has trained more than 130 clinical and research fellows from all over the word, 30 International Council of Ophthalmology fellows, and nearly 100 observers from more than 50 countries, many of whom occupy academic positions.