What makes someone a true leader in their field? We would likely all agree that dedication, education, training and skill, all make someone excel, but to set themselves apart…what does it take?
In the medical field, many look to those leaders who take the time to educate other medical providers and help further the knowledge in their field or specialty.
The American Academy of Ophthalmology states that there are over 19,000 ophthalmologists in the United States.
All of those surgeons need to brush up on their medical education courses at various conferences to keep their licenses active, and of course, keep up to date with the latest techniques and state of the art technology for the surgeries they offer.
We imagine a limited number of those surgeons actually have the ability and take the time out of their busy schedules to educate other surgeons.
Knowing this, we wanted to share a little bit about something we hear Dr. Loh talking about in the office; something we don’t ever want to take for granted: what our surgeon has done for other surgeons. Our goal for this article is to provide a little background into the professional life of our hero, Dr. Jennifer Loh, outside of the walls of Loh Ophthalmology Associates.
Outside of seeing her patients Monday-Friday, and performing surgery weekly, Dr. Jennifer Loh has dedicated quite a bit of her time to educating in the field of cornea and refractive surgery. Dr. Loh is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS), the American-European Congress of Ophthalmic Surgery (AECOS); she is an Executive Board Member of both the Refractive Surgery Alliance (RSA) and of the American Society of Progressive Enterprising Surgeons, which she co-founded and which she was a past president for. Due to her own extensive education and training, Dr. Loh has recognized the importance of education and made sure to give back as a part of her career.
Dr. Loh has globally presented and educated countless cornea and refractive surgeons from the podium while at The American-European Congress of Ophthalmic Surgery (AECOS), The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), The American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS), Hawaiian Eye, Millennial Eye Live, Women in Ophthalmology, the Advanced Refractive Congress, the International Congress of Scleral Contacts, AECOS Summer Symposium, Cedars-Aspens Annual Meeting, Sjogren’s Syndrome Foundation, AECOS Winter Symposium, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute Interactive Consultations in Cornea and Refractive Surgery, OSN New York, and the Indian Intraocular Implant and Refractive Surgery Convention (IIRSI).
One of the most impressive ways Dr. Loh has made a huge difference, happened only 4 years ago. Dr. Loh, along with other physicians, helped launch the Larkin Ophthalmology Residency Program (at Larkin Hospital). Every year since, Dr. Loh has helped train ophthalmology residents, by allowing them to shadow and work with Dr. Loh in her clinic. She also staffs their residency clinic surgeries at Larkin Hospital for patients in need.
Outside of giving back via educating other future ophthalmologists, Dr. Loh gives back to the patient community as well. She performs surgery on patients who are in need or indigent for the Lions Club and the Alcon Foundation. What this means is that patients who do not have the necessary means to pay for surgery or have access to insurance to help cover their costs, can apply to have surgery via the Foundation. At the same time, Dr. Loh is able to provide another teaching opportunity to residents via these procedures, along with helping patients in the South FL community that could not otherwise have surgery. We asked her and Dr. Loh personally shared that “it has been a very rewarding experience and we are lucky to have many grateful patients!”
Needless to say, it’s pretty obvious Dr. Loh keeps herself pretty busy! When she is not seeing patients and treating our patients’ vision, she is busy educating, which we are so proud of. We know she leaves an impression with each and every one of the patients she helps, but we also know that she is leaving a legacy and trying to guide the future surgeons in the field of ophthalmology who will in turn get their chance to help the vision of so many future patients!
If you have any questions about Dr. Loh or would like to schedule an evaluation, please call our office at 786-558-8542 or submit an email inquiry to Laura@jenniferlohmd.com!