Being born and raised in Philadelphia, I was fully assimilated to American culture. Though I was exposed to Chinese culture every once in a while in the shape of visits to Chinatown and the occasional tour of Asia, I never really established a solid bond with my Asian identity.

I eventually overcame that ambivalence when I started University and as my education continued through Medical School, Residency and then Fellowship.My education opened wider avenues to my parents' profession in different cultural contexts, enabling me to realize that being Chinese American is distinct from simply being American.

That journey has helped me understand why CAOS was so important to my father. It wasn't just a chance to socialize with acquaintances and friends. It was a chance to contribute something to the Chinese community whether it be here in the United States or in Asia. Having seen my parents at work both in America and Asia, I now know how enriched their lives were by being able to bridge both worlds. With the CAOS I have a chance to be involved in an organization that is committed to this awareness and puts it into action.

That change in my outlook on CAOS has also made me realize how important it is to have a mentor to exchange ideas with at home and abroad. It has also helped me understand that the world is bigger than the United States, that we are not just American, but Chinese American.

It's crucial that we also strive to make ourselves available to answer questions that our experiences can help answer, whether it be from how to navigate or negotiate a contract to how to apply for your first NIH grant, or even to establish an educational exchange with doctors in Asia.

I think we need to make it a priority to reach out to students and young ophthalmologists to get more involved.

It is important that we as Chinese American Ophthalmologists have a voice. I believe being vocal in the AAO will help us improve on the policies of the Academy. But we can only make an impact being proactive and taking the initiative to get involved.

R.V. Paul Chan, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology
New York-Presbyterian Hospital
Weill Medical College of Cornell University

CAOS 20th Anniversary Celebration - Looking to the Future

The Chinese American Ophthalmology Society has seen tectonic shifts in the world during its twenty years. The organization was founded as a non-profit organization whose missions are to enhance collaboration amongst Chinese-American ophthalmologists and to increase the knowledge and skill of ophthalmologists caring for patients of Chinese and Asian populations. CAOS was the founding organization in collaborations with the American Academy of Ophthalmology to translate the AAO's Basic and Clinical Sciences manuals into another language, a project which now encompasses many different countries and languages.

Ophthalmology today and especially tomorrow will be different than twenty years ago. Twenty-eight percent of ophthalmology residents today are of Asian heritage, foreshadowing significant changes in the makeup of the Academy's membership. The rising recognition of issues of cultural competency in the care of patients, particularly for chronic diseases, will call upon ophthalmologists to call upon their heritage in greater degrees. The growing globalization of business and service delivery, including health care, will create significant opportunities for innovative care across traditional boundaries. The rise of Asian economies in this global growth carries with it the potential to change current notions of the direction of knowledge and skills transfers.

In the world of the future, CAOS will need to reinvent itself to stay relevant and to continue to make the contributions it has helped lead in the past. Just as with the other elements of our society, embracing change and helping to lead change will create an even brighter future.

Paul P. Lee, M.D., J.D.
James P Gills, III, MD and Joy Gills Professor of Ophthalmology
Duke University