Committees & Task Forces

One charge of the AUPO Council is to empower the Member Councils and the Editor of the Journal of Academic Ophthalmology (JAO) by providing direct input to the Board of Trustees.  A second charge of the Council is to foster collaboration and communication amongst the various individual Councils and their member constituents.

Paul Sternberg - Chair
David DiLoreto - Research Directors Council Board Liaison
Steven Fliesler - Research Directors Council President
Abigail Strickland - Administrators Council President
Bennie Jeng - Directors of Medical Student Education Council Board Liaison
Moran (Roni) Levin - Directors of Medical Student Education Council President
Andreas Lauer - Program Directors Council Board Liaison
Robert Swan - Program Directors Council President
Saras Ramanathan - Editor-in-Chief
R. Michael Siatkowski - Administrators Council Board Liaison
Kathryn Colby - AUPO President-Elect
James Tsai - AUPO President

The charge of the Academic Leadership Development Program Committee (ALDP) is to create a program that provides orientation and skills to assist participants in succeeding in the academic ophthalmology leadership pathway.

R.V. Paul Chan - Chair
Kimberly Crowder
Jacque Duncan
Andreas Lauer - Advisor

The charge of the Advocacy Committee is to create an advisory group that evaluates policies and programs that may affect the AUPO mission, and to work externally with other societies and compatible advocacy groups to unify similar policy positions in order to make effective changes.

R.V. Paul Chan - Co-Chair
Kimberly Crowder - Co-Chair
Kathryn Colby
Jennifer Larson
Jay Lustbader
Machelle Pardue
Paul Phillips
Jonathan Rubenstein
Rachel Simpson
Katherine Talcott

The charge of the Annual Meeting Program Committee is to plan the educational activities of the Annual Meeting and to make recommendations to the Board of Trustees that enhance the meeting experience for attendees.

Kathryn Colby - Chair and President-Elect
Mary Daly - Breakfast with Colleagues Co-Chair
Steven Fliesler - Research Directors Council
Laura Gwyn - Residency Program Coordinators
Moran (Roni) Levin - Directors of Medical Student Education Council
Saras Ramanathan - Educating the Educators
Douglas Rhee - Breakfast with Colleagues Co-Chair
Jonathan Rubenstein - Board Liaison
Paul Sternberg - Chief Executive Officer
Abigail Strickland - Administrators Council
Robert Swan - Program Directors Council
James Tsai - President

The charge of the Audit Committee is to provide oversight of the quality and integrity of the accounting, auditing, internal control, and financial reporting practices of AUPO, and to make recommendations for related policies and procedures to the Board of Trustees.

Russell Van Gelder - Chair
Kathryn Colby
Jonathan Rubenstein
Paul Sternberg
James Tsai
Terri Young

The charge of the Excellence in Medical Student Education Award Committee is to annually review nominations and supporting materials for the award and to recommend the top-ranking nominee to the AUPO and AAO Board of Trustees for approval.

Shahzad Mian - Chair
Nisha Chadha
David DiLoreto
Edmund Farris
Ahmed Sallam
Tim Stout

The charge of the Resident and Fellow Research Forum Committee is to consider the materials for each Resident and Fellow Research Forum nominee and to recommend the top ranked nominees to the Board of Trustees for approval.

William Harbour - Chair
Manuela Bartoli
Pratap Challa
R.V. Paul Chan
Andreas Lauer
Paul Phillips
Tonia Rex
Reza Vagefi

The charge of the Straatsma Award for Excellence in Resident Education Committee is to annually review nominations and supporting materials for each award nominee and to recommend the top-ranking nominee to the AAO and AUPO Board of Trustees for approval.

Nicholas Volpe - Chair
Jacque Duncan
Thomas Hwang
Timothy Johnson
Albert Jun
Jennifer Lindsey
Tim Stout

The charge of the RPB David F. Weeks Award for Outstanding Vision Research is to annually review nominations and supporting materials for the award nominees and to recommend the top-ranking nominee to the Board of Trustees for approval.

Jacque Duncan - Chair
Steven Fliesler
Leslie Hyman
Ronald Krueger
Aaron Lee
Maureen McCall
Eric Pierce
Sonal Tuli

The charge of the Boot Camp for New Chairs Committee is to create and administer a program that  develops or enhances leadership and managerial skills that contribute to the success of new Chairs of Departments of Ophthalmology.

David DiLoretto
Sonal Tuli
 

The charge of the Bylaws Committee is to conduct periodic reviews of bylaws and policies and procedures for currency, to ensure the organization operates according to the established rules, and to make recommendations for updates to the Board of Trustees as needed. 

Bennie Jeng - Chair
R.V. Paul Chan
Sonal Tuli

The charge of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Oversight Committee is to provide a mechanism for the board and CEO to give feedback to one another, to negotiate the CEO agreement and incentives, and to make recommendations for related policies and procedures to the Board of Trustees.

James Tsai - Chair
Kathryn Colby
Terri Young

The charge of the Communications Committee is to ensure AUPO communication platforms and publications are representative of the organization and its members and create a professional presence for AUPO.

Jacque Duncan - Committee Chair

Manuela Bartoli - Publications Promotion Subcommittee Co-Chair
Eileen Bowden - Publications Promotion Subcommittee
Michelle Callegan - Website Subcommittee
Geetha Davis - Social Media Subcommittee
Steven Feldon - Consultant
Anju Goyal - Website Subcommittee
Laura Gwyn - Website Subcommittee
Herb Ingraham - Publications Promotion Subcommittee
Leila Khazaeni - Social Media Subcommittee
Norvil Lindsay - Social Media Subcommittee
Jennifer Lindsey - Social Media Subcommittee Chair
Nicole Manley - Website Subcommittee
Kevin Merkley - Publications Promotion Subcommittee
Michael Migliori - Publications Promotion Subcommittee Co-Chair
Sayoko Moroi - Board Representative
Katherine Talcott - Publications Promotion Subcommittee
Meg Templeton - Social Media Subcommittee
Sonal Tuli - Website Subcommittee
Ze Zhang - Website Subcommittee Chair

Social Media Content Creators
Masih Ahmed
Tyler Knight
Norvil Lindsay
Jennifer Lindsey
Sankara Mahesh

The Compensation Survey Committee is responsible for working with the selected Board-identified vendor to review, evaluate, and disseminate a member compensation survey at intervals designated by the Board of Trustees. 

Paul Sternberg - Chair
Kathryn Colby
Brendan Creswell
Kimberly Crowder
Ronald Krueger
Juan Trujillo
Sonal Tuli
Nicholas Volpe

The charge of the Data Resource Committee is to review requests for the use of SF Match and AUPO data, review requests to distribute surveys for research studies, and to make recommendations for related policies and procedures to the Board of Trustees.

Bennie Jeng - Chair
Ashay Bhatwadekar
Michelle Callegan
Ying Chen
Steven Fliesler
Jennifer Lindsey
Andrew Melson
R. Michael Siatkowski - Advisor
Sonal Tuli
Fasika Woreta

The Executive Committee, consisting of the President, President-Elect, Past President, and the Chief Executive Officer, is responsible for the affairs of the Corporation between meetings of the Board of Trustees.

Terri Young - Chair
Paul Sternberg
James Tsai
Nicholas Volpe

The charge of the Faculty Development Committee is to develop programs and resources within the AUPO that support and enhance the career goals of all faculty and senior administrative staff in academic departments of ophthalmology.

Andreas Lauer - Chair
Bennie Jeng
Rukhsana Mirza

The charge of the Finance Committee is to monitor the monthly financial and investment reports of AUPO, and to make recommendations for related policies and procedures to the Board of Trustees.

James Tsai - Chair
Sophie Bakri
Jacque Duncan
R. Michael Siatkowski
Paul Sternberg

The charge of the Ophthalmology Residency Match Oversight Committee is to provide oversight for San Francisco Match (SF Match) ophthalmology residency match-related activities, maintenance, and improvements. The committee is advisory to the Board and shall make recommendations that enhance the experience for all users to the Board of Trustees.

Jeff Pettey - Chair
Nisha Chadha
Kimberly Crowder
Steven Feldon - consultant
Janice Law
Daniel Moore
R. Michael Siatkowski
Brian Song
Paul Sternberg
Nicholas Volpe
Fasika Woreta
Terri Young

The charge of the Nominating Committee is to identify candidates for positions on the Board of Trustees, and to make recommendations for related policies and procedures to the Board of Trustees. 

Nicholas Volpe - Chair
Donald Budenz
Julia Haller
Paul Sternberg
James Tsai
Terri Young

Shahzad Mian - Director
Steven Armenti - Trainer Team Leader
Susan Culican - Assessment Team Leader
Seth Pantanelli - Multimedia Team Leader
Grace Sun - Skills Transfer Team Leader
Bennie Jeng - Board Liaison

Council of Faculty and Academic Societies 

Pavlina Kemp
David Wallace

The Council

Kathryn Colby, Councilor
Jonathan Rubenstein, Alternate Councilor

William Harbour
Christina Prescott
Paul Sternberg
​​​​​​​Terri Young

Rachel Wozniak

Christopher Teng

Wajhma Aboud
Jeff Pettey
Paul Sternberg
Dennis Thomatos