YoungMD Connect (YMDC) Live is a 3-day meeting where individuals from all places and career stages come together to discuss what's up and coming in ophthalmology. Interactive education, expert faculty guidance, and supportive networking all take center stage, powered by the electric YMDC community and exceptionally dedicated mentors. Here's to the future!
Brought to you by Bryn Mawr Communications and YoungMD Connect.
For questions, contact us at ymdc@avenuelive.com.
Ashley Brissette, MD, MSc, FRCSC
Arsham Sheybani, MD
Jayanth Sridhar, MD
Blake K. Williamson, MD, MPH
Zubair Ansari, MD
Sarah Avila, MD
Matthew Brink, MD
Robert Chang, MD
Saradha Chexal, MD
Steven Dell, MD
Vikram Durairaj, MD
Alison Early, MD
Kirk Hou, MD
Arjan Hura, MD
Cristos Ifantides, MD, MBA
Chirag Jhaveri, MD
Shivani Kamat, MD
Courtney Kraus, MD
Diana Laura, MD
Amina Malik, MD
Zaiba Malik, MD
Taj Nasser, MD
Lilian Nguyen, MD
Kishan Patel, MD
Cory Pickett, MSN, FNP-BC, CRNO
Rachel Simpson, MD
Dee Stephenson, MD
Andrea Tooley, MD
Rahul Tonk, MD
William Trattler, MD
Zarmeena Vendal, MD
Bennett Walton, MD, MBA
Jenny Yu, MD
Friday, April 19
2:00–8:30 PM | Registration & Badge Pickup
5:00–6:10 PM | YMDC Live Kickoff
Moderated by the YMDC Live Program Chairs
6:10–6:30 PM | Keynote Lecture
Cathleen McCabe, MD
6:30–7:00 PM | Industry Collaboration Panel
With representatives from Astellas, Samsara, and Tarsus
7:00–8:00 PM | Evening Reception, Austin Marriott Downtown
Saturday, April 20
7:00 AM– 5:00 PM | Registration & Badge Pickup
7:00–8:10 AM | Breakfast With the Experts
Mastering Med School | Sruti Rachapudi, MD, and Zahra Markatia, MD
Getting Real About Residency (Table 1) | James Winebrake. MD
Getting Real About Residency (Table 2) | Harris Ahmed, DO
Finding a Fellowship Fit | Sarah Bonaffini, DO, and Makayla McCoskey, MD
Starting Out in Practice | Caroline Wilson, MD
Oculoplastics: A Day in the Life | Vikram Durairaj, MD
Advocacy in Ophthalmology | Andrea Tooley, MD, and Aaisha Gulani, MD
Global Ophthalmology | Taj Nasser, MD
Lessons in Leadership | Rahul Tonk, MD; Supported by Dompé
What’s in a KOL? | Zarmeena Vendal, MD; Supported by Alcon
Technologies With Legacy | Ashley Brissette, MD, MSc, FRCSC; Supported by Alcon
Refractive Surgery Patient Communication 101 | Alison Early, MD, and Caleb Shumway, MD; Supported by EyeCare Partners
The Business of Ophthalmology Practice | Cory Pickett, MSN, FNP-BC, CRNO, and Carrie Jacobs, COE
Avenues for Research and Innovation | Arjan Hura, MD
Finding a Seat at the Table: Representation in Ophthalmology | Zaiba Malik, MD, and Dennis Akrobetu, MD
8:10–9:40 AM | Subspecialty Showcase
Moderated by the YMDC Live Program Chairs
Cataract and Refractive Surgery | Arjan Hura, MD
Glaucoma | Matthew Brink, MD
Retina | Saradha Chexal, MD
Oculoplastics | Sarah Avila, MD
Pediatric Ophthalmology | Courtney Kraus, MD
Global Ophthalmology | Cristos Ifantides, MD, MBA
9:40–10:00 AM | Clinical Development Session
Sponsored by Glaukos
The Art of the Patient Conversation: Introducing New Technologies | Blake Williamson, MD, MPH, and Matthew Brink, MD
10:00–10:25 AM | Break & Exhibits
10:30–11:10 AM | Outside the White Coat
Moderated by Blake Williamson, MD, MPH
Entrepreneurial Pursuits as a Practicing Physician | Robert Chang, MD
Founding and Managing Daily Practice | Ashley Brissette, MD, MSc, FRCSC
Nonclinical Paths in Ophthalmology | Zaiba Malik, MD
11:10–11:50 AM | Professional Society Overviews
Moderated by Jay Sridhar, MD
AAO YO | Andrea Tooley, MD
ASCRS YES | Cristos Ifantides, MD, MBA
VBS | Jay Sridhar, MD
CEDARS/ASPENS | P. Dee Stephenson, MD
ENIGMA | William Trattler, MD, and Sayena Jabbehdari, MD, MPH
Audience Questions
12:00–1:00 PM | Lunch Symposium
Sponsored by Bausch + Lomb
Rethinking Dry Eye Disease | P. Dee Stephenson, MD, and William Trattler, MD
1:00–2:20 PM | Common Cataract Complexities: To the Rhexis and Beyond
Moderated by Arsham Sheybani, MD
Pupillary Manipulation & Dilation and Managing Loose Zonules | Rahul Tonk, MD
Dens Lens Techniques | Alison Early, MD
IOL Exchange | P. Dee Stephenson, MD
Vitrectomy Techniques for the Anterior Segment Surgeon | Kishan Patel, MD
Salvaging Your Angle Surgery | Lilian Nguyen, MD
2:20–2:35 PM | Break & Exhibits
2:35–3:10 PM | Compassion for Clinicians
Moderated by Ashley Brissette, MD, MSc, FRCSC
Keynote: Compassion for Clinicians in Training | Laura Vater, MD
Panel: Clinician Well-Being: From Training to Practice | Cristos Ifantides, MD, MBA; Alison Early, MD; Andrea Tooley, MD
3:10–3:30 PM | Clinical Development Session
Sponsored by STAAR Surgical
What Would You Do? | Taj Nasser, MD
3:30–5:00 PM | Wet Labs, Skills Transfer, & Workshops (Medical Students & Research Fellows)
3:30–5:00 PM | Fellowship & Job Recruitment Mixer (Residents, Clinical/Surgical Fellows, & Practitioners)
7:00–9:00 PM | Evening Reception, The Edge Rooftop at the JW Marriott
Supported by Johnson & Johnson Vision
Sunday, April 21
7:00–8:00 AM | Breakfast
8:00–8:30 AM | Scholarship Recipient Poster Presentations
8:30–9:50 AM | YMDC x VBS: Pearls From the Posterior Segment
Moderated Jay Sridhar, MD; Supported by Alcon, Apellis, Astellas, Coherus, and Regeneron
Top 5 Lessons Learned in My First 18 Months as a Retina Attending | Diana Laura, MD
How to Be Successful as a Retina Specialist/Clinical Scientist | Kirk Hou, MD
The Changing Retina Landscape in Private Practice | Chirag Jhaveri, MD
The Retina I Need to Know as a Comp/Global Ophthalmologist | Zubair Ansari, MD
Case Presentations
9:50–10:10 AM | Break & Exhibits
10:10–11:40 AM | Navigating the Match (Medical Students & Research Fellows)
Moderated Jay Sridhar, MD; Arsham Sheybani, MD; and Rachel Simpson, MD
10:10–11:40 AM | Wet Labs, Skills Transfer, & Workshops (Residents, Clinical/Surgical Fellows, & Practitioners)
11:40 AM–12:20 PM | Career Insights
Moderated by Blake Williamson, MD, MPH
Startup Spotlight | Bennett Walton, MD, MBA
Panel: Practice Changeups: No One Size Fits All | Matthew Brink, MD; Shivani Kamat, MD; Taj Nasser, MD; and Sarah Avila, MD
12:20-12:30 PM | Closing Remarks
Moderated by the YMDC Live Program Chairs
*Agenda is subject to change
We have secured a block of rooms at the Austin Marriott Downtown over the meeting dates of April 19-21, 2024 at our discounted group meeting rate of $299/night (plus applicable taxes). This discounted hotel meeting rate of $299/night (plus applicable taxes) is available for reservations arriving within 3 days prior and leaving within 3 days after the meeting subject to availability at the time of your booking. Please note: the YMDC Live meeting dates are Friday, April 19 – Sunday, April 21, 2024.
Book Your RoomAccommodations and reservation modifications may be made online via the link above.
All individual rooms require a one night advance payment at the time of booking secured by a major credit card. Your reservation and any modifications must be received by Wednesday, April 3, 2024 at 5:00pm CT. After this date, the hotel will release all remaining rooms for general sale and is no longer obligated to honor our group meeting rate. The hotel will determine if it can accept any further reservations based on a space- and rate-available basis at the group meeting rate.
Individuals may cancel their reservation without penalty no later than 5:00pm CT on Wednesday, April 3, 2024. All reservations are non-cancelable after 5:00pm CT on Wednesday, April 3, 2024. Any cancelations or no-shows after 5:00pm CT on Wednesday, April 3, 2024 will result in the forfeit of the individual’s advance deposit along with the remaining cost of the entire reservation which will be charged to the individual’s credit card on file.
WHAT ONE 2023 YMDC LIVE ATTENDEE HAS TO SAY:
I wasn't sure how YMDC Live could top last year's meeting but you all did it again! What a unique and remarkable meeting experience filled with education, networking, friendship, and incredible transfer of knowledge.
Camila Albo, MD
YMDC Live would like to extend an invitation to current medical students, residents, and fellows to attend this unique meeting being held in Austin from April 19–21, 2024. To facilitate this educational opportunity, YMDC Live is offering support to applicants who qualify and submit an original research abstract to the YMDC Live Scholarship Program by February 1. A total of 65 spots are available, with a specific number of spots allotted to medical students, residents, research fellows, and surgical/clinical fellows.
More Information +
The Details
Limited support opportunities are available for individuals who qualify. Please note, you must be a medical student or an ophthalmology resident or fellow at the time of the YMDC Live meeting (April 2024) to qualify.
What’s Covered
Each applicant who is awarded support will receive 2 nights’ hotel accommodations (April 19 and April 20) and a $200 stipend toward travel expenses. The foregoing support will be awarded to the first 65 medical students, residents, and fellows who successfully complete and accept the terms of the YMDC Live Scholarship Program application below. Please note, hotel accommodations will be made by YMDC Live, and the travel stipend will be processed and distributed electronically after the conclusion of the meeting. Registration will be the responsibility of the applicants who are awarded support.
In order to apply for support, you are required to complete and accept the terms of the YMDC Live Scholarship Program as follows:
Additional Scholarship Submission Details
Deadline
The YMDC Live Scholarship Program deadline is Thursday, February 1 or until all available support packages are awarded, whichever occurs first.
For questions, please contact the YMDC Live team at ymdc@avenuelive.com.
Thank you for your interest and participation in the 2024 YMDC Live Scholarship Program!
For sponsorship opportunities, contact us at ymdc@avenuelive.com.
For questions relating to the YMDC Live 2024, please contact us at ymdc@avenuelive.com.
Bryn Mawr Communications Group, LLC dba Avenue Live, LLC
125 East Elm Street, Suite 400
Conshohocken, PA 19428
Follow @YoungMDConnect on social media for meeting updates and to share your experiences in Austin!