Eye on the Experts: Reflections on a Roundtable

A few key themes arose from the discussion:

Collaboration

The group agreed that bringing a new therapy to patients never happens based on the work of one individual. And from what I’ve experienced personally, it truly takes a village. Advances in retina care rely on a broad ecosystem: clinicians, scientists, clinical-trial investigators, industry partners, patients, and caregivers, all contributing unique insights that shape the path forward.

Dr. Do captured this well, “We've seen through all of our scientific collaborations, how quickly we can develop a therapy for a patient. And that can't be done by a single person. It takes hundreds or thousands of clinician scientists to work together to benefit our patients.”

Mentorship and Networking

Although each physician described a unique professional path, their message was consistent: mentorship and networking matters at every stage, not just early on. Throughout my own journey, mentors have been essential; guiding me as I built my career in ophthalmology, transitioned into the pharmaceutical industry, and navigated new cultures around the world. Like Dr. Lad, I believe mentorship is rooted in a simple truth – one that is particularly important for women pursuing leadership positions – “we need to help everyone come up.”

Several of the women spoke about receiving guidance from unlikely sources—not just peers or department leaders, but sometimes early‑career colleagues whose fresh viewpoints reshaped their thinking.

“Nowadays even younger people are my mentors,” Dr. Kim commented. “I learn their special skills that I otherwise would not have gotten. So, age doesn't limit me. Gender does not limit me. And in fact, I recommend women to have many different mentors of both genders and make it broad, and as deep as possible so that you can learn from them.”

Innovation

There was a palpable sense of excitement about what’s possible for the future of retina care. Advances in treatment durability, gene therapy, AI-driven analytics, and next-generation imaging are steadily pushing the boundaries of what clinicians can achieve. As Dr. McCullough put it, the potential isn’t just in more personalized treatments, but in technologies that “free up time for doctors to spend with their patients and build meaningful relationships.”

Overall, the discussion reinforced a belief I hold deeply: innovation thrives where scientific curiosity, collaboration, and patient-centered thinking intersect. I’m proud to be part of a community that is so open to exchanging insights as we work toward our shared goal of improving the lives of people living with retinal diseases.