Who’s the BOSS?

The Barcelona Congress will introduce its new BOSS (Building Our Sustainable, Inclusive Society) programme, which will be one of the key ESCRS initiatives in the coming years. Under the guidance of ESCRS President Filomena Ribeiro and BOSS Working Group Chair Mor Dickman, a comprehensive multi-year programme has been developed with ESCRS consultant Kristine Morrill.

“We started working on the inclusivity programme more than one year ago, so it is exciting to reach this point and share it with the ESCRS membership, as well as the wider ophthalmic community,” Professor Ribeiro said. “The goal of the BOSS programme is to foster an environment where every ESCRS member feels that they have a voice in the Society and feel valued.”

Those interested can visit a related podcast and a new BOSS-focused section of the ESCRS website, where they can meet the working group members, watch videos from the team discussing inclusivity and related topics, and visit a library curated by Sotiria Palioura, a member of the working group. 

“Building the BOSS programme has truly been a team effort, with everyone getting involved to develop the Barcelona activities and the ongoing programme that will take place throughout the year,” Prof Dickman said. “The themes of leadership and mentorship will be central to our work in the months ahead.”

Two symposia anchor the BOSS programme, with the first opening the annual meeting on Saturday at 8:45 in the Plenary Hall. Entitled “Hidden Bias in Science,” attendees can expect discussions on bias in scientific research, publications, and AI tools.

Jointly organised by the ESCRS Practice Management Committee (Leadership, Business, and Innovation), the second symposium on Monday morning (9:00–11:00) is titled “Leadership and Mentorship in an Inclusive Society.” This symposium will feature industry leaders and the leaders of ASCRS, AUSCRS, BRASCRS, and AAO.

In between, there will be Speed Mentoring Sessions, a workshop on hidden biases by Project Implicit, an instructional course on hidden biases led by Australian surgeon Tanya Trinh, and opportunities to network, including Sunday evening in an event sponsored by Ophthalmic World Leaders (OWL).