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What shaped the 2016 Power List? Let’s examine the trends
I am a fan of early 1980s comedy. Richard Pryor, George Carlin, and the early works of Bill Hicks and Eddie Murphy. What does this have to do with the 2016 Power List? Well, as with my comedy idols, I’m not afraid to push the boundaries every so often. But in particular, the latter’s deconstruction of Janet Jackson’s “What have you done for me lately?” came to mind when looking at this year’s names and rankings. Especially when I compared them with those of our inaugural list, which was published just two years ago.
Back in 2014, The Ophthalmologist was a nascent publication, just seven issues old when we published the first Power List, and even we were surprised by the sheer amount of engagement we received from our readers. Fast forward two years, the number of nominations had tripled, and the number of readers making nominations multiplied by almost five! And yet, many of the names are the same on both lists – the main difference being their ranking. Pondering the differences in the rankings made me think that there was an element of “What have you done for me lately?” in the mix.
The top 10 sees three glaucoma specialists – including one in the number one spot – and all three are furiously advancing our understanding of the disease. Most of the team behind the invention of OCT imaging are present (a few are in the top 10) – and that’s a technology that keeps giving. In 2014, OCT angiography was still in the realm of research; today, you can buy the devices commercially from at least two suppliers, and its inventors keep pushing forward the state of the art.
The top 10 also contains two retina specialists – one research behemoth, and the other having led some of the biggest and most informative medical clinical trials to date – which have only just been published in the last 18 months. Not forgetting the cataract and refractive surgeons, there are two in the top 10, both are ophthalmologists that have advanced the field immensely over the last decade, but crucially, very recently too.
Finally, the top 10 contains one ocular oncologist – a person who has been an author on over 50 PubMed-listed publications per year for the last five years, and a further 15 already this year. Someone who I’m sure you’ll agree is most worthy of a place on the list.
On reflection, this year’s Power List proves two things to me: first, that ophthalmology is one of the fastest-moving, most productive areas of medicine; and second, that you, our readers, are keeping your eye on the literature and you’re clear on the work and the opinions you respect. Thank you to all who voted, and let’s recognize the achievements of those on the list; what they’ve done for us – not just lately – certainly deserves celebration.
Mark Hillen
Editor
I spent seven years as a medical writer, writing primary and review manuscripts, congress presentations and marketing materials for numerous – and mostly German – pharmaceutical companies. Prior to my adventures in medical communications, I was a Wellcome Trust PhD student at the University of Edinburgh.
