WOMEN IN GLAUCOMA Dr. Moster: Dr. Qiu, how do you avoid burnout? • Dr. Qiu: I’m always planning our next vacation. My husband and I like traveling to far-flung places. Last summer, for instance, we traveled to Svalbard, Norway, where we saw polar bears in the wild. I also really feel what Dr. Kolomeyer said about the phases of life. We have no children, and my husband, who’s also a full-time surgeon, is doing a night and weekend MBA program. When we come home from work, he’s doing homework, and I’m in the home office editing surgical videos. I consider that my hobby. To me, it’s like painting or going to the nail salon. It’s my quiet alone time and I find that relaxing. In this phase of life, my husband and I are both very busy on nights and weekends, but he will be graduating from his MBA program, and we’ll be moving back to Cleveland soon. We’ve discussed how our work-life balance may look different in this next phase compared to the first five years of our life together. We anchor on the things that are important to us, such as how we spend our time together, or how we plan our next vacation. We also respect that work is important to both of us, and we have to make the right time to do that—whether it’s during business hours, or nights and weekends, as long as we’re on the same page about how we spend our time. THE FUTURE OF GLAUCOMA Dr. Moster: Glaucoma care is tremendously exciting and advancing right now. What excites you about the future? Is it drug deliv-ery? Newer devices and procedures, treating patients earlier in the game, where the paradigm shift is going to change? How do you feel about this new explosion in glaucoma? MEMO TO [MY YOUNGER] SELF Dr. Moster: What advice would you give your younger self when you were starting your career? Would you do anything differently? Dr. Qiu: I don’t think I’d do anything differently. It’s not productive to look back at what you could have done differently, because you had only the information you had at the time. My advice is to stay resilient, move forward, and decide what your next move should look like. Then do whatever you can to achieve that goal. Dr. Miller-Ellis: I would tell my younger self to be more assertive, more of a self-advocate. I remember looking at the people around me—all men at that time—and think-ing, “He’s so smart. How did he do this?” It took time for me to gain the confidence to say, “I can do that, too.” Also, if you have something to say, say it early, whether it’s during faculty meetings or grand rounds, because if you wait, every idea that you had has already been discussed, and you’ll struggle to think of something else to say. I had to teach myself to speak up early, but when I did, I could relax and not stress about what I would say when they finally got to me. Dr. Amarasekera: I would also encourage my younger self to be more confident. When I was a medical student, a resident, and a fellow, I constantly worried about what my next step would be, or how to prepare for it, instead of enjoying the stage I was currently in. Dr. Kolomeyer: I would add, I wish I had known about imposter syndrome early on. I still feel that sometimes, but knowing that everyone has those feelings might have bolstered my confidence to share my ideas promptly, rather than spending so much time thinking about them. Looking back, I wouldn’t change anything, but being able to give a name to what I was feeling would have helped me in those moments. Dr. Kamat: I agree, and it can affect you at different points in your career. Believe in yourself. Set boundar-ies. “This is what I need in the OR to do my job safely,” or “This is how many patients I’m willing to see.” Whatever it is, you are your own best advocate. Remember that and set boundaries to make your life and your job something that you love. 13
Ophthalmology Management Women in Glaucoma Supplement 2024: Page 13
