YoungMD Connect Event at AAO

Friday, October 9, 2026 | 5:00–8:45 PM ET
New Orleans, LA | Exact location to be announced!

Friday, October 9, 2026
5:00–8:45 PM ET
New Orleans, LA
Exact location to be announced!

Join your peers for one of the year’s biggest events for young & aspiring ophthalmologists: the YMDC Event at AAO! Designed for emerging leaders in ophthalmology (medical students, residents, fellows, and newly practicing ophthalmologists), the YMDC Event at AAO offers small-group mentoring sessions with thought leaders, followed by next-level networking opportunities, all while enjoying bites and beverages in NOLA. Spaces are limited and will fill up quickly—register today!

AGENDA

5:00–5:45 PM Registration & Networking with Exhibitors
5:45–6:05 PM Welcome From YoungMD Connect
6:05–6:15 PM Industry Panel with Visionary Partners
6:20–7:05 PM Mentoring Sessions
7:15–8:45 PM Networking Reception

MENTOR FACULTY

Mentor faculty to be announced soon!

Usiwoma Abugo, MD
Oculoplastics specialist at Katzen Eye Group in Maryland
Sarah Avila, MD
ASOPRS oculofacial plastic surgeon at Sarah Avila MD in Miami
Sahar Bedrood, MD, PhD
Glaucoma & cataract specialist at Advanced Vision Care in Los Angeles
Maura Di Nicola, MD
Vitreoretinal surgeon, ocular oncology specialist, and Assistant Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami
Vikram Durairaj, MD
Oculoplastics surgeon at TOC Eye and Face and Professor of Ophthalmology at the Dell Medical School, University of Texas at Austin
Sharon Fekrat, MD
Vitreoretinal surgeon and Professor of Ophthalmology at Duke Eye Center in Durham, North Carolina
Joseph Gira, MD
Refractive cataract surgery specialist at Ophthalmology Consultants in St. Louis
Shivani Kamat, MD
Glaucoma & anterior segment disease specialist at UT Southwestern in Dallas
Cathleen McCabe, MD
Refractive cataract surgeon at The Eye Associates in Sarasota, Florida, and Chief Medical Editor of Cataract & Refractive Surgery Today
Jacquelyn O'Banion, MD
Comprehensive ophthalmologist with a focus on cataract surgery and Director of the Global Ophthalmology Program at Emory University in Atlanta
Julius Oatts, MD, MHS
Pediatric ophthalmologist and glaucoma specialist at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at Scheie Eye Institute, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
Emily Schehlein, MD
Glaucoma and cataract specialist at Brighton Vision Center in Brighton, Michigan
Jayanth Sridhar, MD
Vitreoretinal surgeon and Chief of Ophthalmology at Olive View Medical Center in Los Angeles
Katherine Talcott, MD
Vitreoretinal surgeon and Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at the Cleveland Clinic Cole Eye Institute in Cleveland
Vance Thompson, MD, FACS
Founder and cataract and refractive surgery specialist, Vance Thompson Vision, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
William B. Trattler, MD
Refractive, cornea, and cataract surgeon at the Center For Excellence In Eye Care in Miami
William F. Wiley, MD
Cataract and refractive surgeon at Cleveland Eye Clinic in Ohio and Chief Medical Editor of Cataract & Refractive Surgery Today
Rupa Wong, MD
Pediatric ophthalmologist and Managing Partner at Honolulu Eye Clinic on Oahu, Hawaii
Lawrence Woodard, MD
Cataract surgery specialist and Medical Director of Omni Eye Services of Atlanta