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American Board of Ophthalmology Supports New Minority Mentoring Program


The American Board of Ophthalmology (ABO) recently signed on as a supporter of the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s Minority Ophthalmology Mentoring (MOM) Program.

The MOM program is a partnership between the AAO and the Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology (AUPO) designed to attract underrepresented minorities in ophthalmology, including African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans, to a career in ophthalmology.

Open to medical students in their first or second years as well as college undergraduates of junior or senior standing, the MOM program offers guidance for medical career planning and decision-making and helps students become competitive ophthalmology residency applicants. Program mentors also help students learn how ophthalmologists positively contribute to the health care community and why they enjoy fulfilling careers.

Other organizations in ophthalmology that have taken steps to support the program include:

  • American Glaucoma Society

  • American Ophthalmological Society

  • American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery

  • American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

  • National Medical Association - Ophthalmology Section

  • North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society

  • Outpatient Ophthalmic Surgery Society

  • Retina Society

  • American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus

  • American Uveitis Society

  • Contact Lens Association of Ophthalmologists

To help promote the MOM program at your medical school or within your academic network, visit https://www.aao.org/minority-mentoring-toolkit for a list of resources and downloadable materials.

RELATED: ABO diplomate and glaucoma specialist Mildred M.G. Olivier, MD, of Chicago, was recently featured in an American Medical Association membership spotlight on physicians who are “moving medicine.” The piece covered her numerous professional and humanitarian achievements along with her work on behalf of minorities in medicine, which included the creation of the MOM program.

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