Liderazgo PAAO 2025-2027

Dear Pan-American Ocular Oncology Society (PAOOS),

The Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology would like to announce that it is now accepting nominations for the
2027-2029 PAAO Curso de Liderazgo (Leadership Development Program). This program’s mission is to
help create national leaders in your society who will contribute to, develop, and strengthen
ophthalmology at the national and international levels.

The Curso combines elements of mentoring, organizational education,
skills training, and guided experiences. We will cover the three P’s of
leadership: the Philosophy of leadership, the Principles of leadership, and the
Practice of leadership as they relate to each society.

The Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology would like to invite the Pan-American Ocular Oncology Society
(PAOOS) to nominate one (1) candidate who your society hopes will develop and serve in a
leadership capacity for your society and also help develop ophthalmology in your country.

Please note: this will be a two (2) year program.

The ideal candidate will be among those doctors in your organization who have:

• Demonstrated a willingness to work
• Organizational skills
• Great potential for development
• Practice principles consistent with the principles of the National Society, Subspecialty
  Society, and the Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology
• Most importantly, the candidate must have exhibited dedication, community service,
  and interest in your society’s activities

The preferred candidate will be:

• 45 years of age or younger
• An active member of the society for at least 3 years
• An active member of the PAAO
• Able to attend the mandatory sessions:

• March 19, 2027, Lima, Peru – Orientation and Curso Alumni session, in person
• September 2027 – Zoom session to review projects
• January 13-16, 2028, San Francisco – Work Session
• September 2028 – Zoom session to review projects
• In-person final session/graduation at the 2029 Pan-American Congress, Monterrey, Mexico
  (dates to be confirmed)

We are sure that you will be able to identify and send us the name and email of the person who
meets these prerequisites.

The instructional sessions will be conducted in English. A working knowledge of English is
required to receive the full benefit of the PAAO Leadership Course.

We will select between 16 and 18 participants for the 2027-2029 program. This is a
competitive process, and the Curso Selection Committee will evaluate all applications carefully.

30 July 2026 – Deadline for nominations from affiliated national and subspecialty societies
(email from society with name and email of the nominee/candidate).

30 September 2026 – Online application deadline. The online application must be completed by the
candidate. Applications that are incomplete or received after the deadline will not be reviewed.

Consistent with the recent emphasis on mutual commitments between the Pan-American Association of
Ophthalmology and the affiliated national and subspecialty ophthalmological societies, and for this program in
particular, we are requiring a financial commitment on the part of the national/subspecialty
society to help the scholar/participant with some of the costs of travel and accommodations. The Pan-American
Association covers the administrative costs of the program (speakers, meeting materials, social
events, etc.). We feel that, to optimize the success of this program, a buy-in on the part of all
involved will be crucial.

Please carefully review the Curso guidelines and activities list here:

Curso Application Information

We look forward to receiving the nomination from the Pan-American Ocular Oncology Society (PAOOS) for a potential
participant in the PAAO Curso de Liderazgo (Leadership Development Program). Please remember,
not all nominees are accepted. The PAAO has more than 40 affiliated national and
subspecialty societies, but only 16 to 18 participants are selected.

If you have any questions regarding the Leadership Program, please do not hesitate to contact
Terri Grassi at terri.grassi@paao.org.

M. Fernanda Abalem
MD, PhD
Director, PAAO Curso de Liderazgo (Leadership Development Program)

Arturo Ramírez Miranda
MD
Co-Director, PAAO Curso de Liderazgo (Leadership Development Program)