Global Congress Update: Keynote Address Speaker and Social Events

In just a little over six weeks, our colleagues from all over the world will be joining us for the 52^nd Global Congress in Nashville or tuning in online!

I am honored to announce that the 2023 Keynote Address Speaker is Dr. Éloi Laurent. During General Session III, Dr. Laurent will deliver a thought-provoking address on sustainability in health care, titled Environmental Challenges. Éloi Laurent, PhD, is a senior economist at the French Economic Observatory (OFCE) and a professor at multiple prestigious institutions including Ponts Paris Tech, the Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA), the School of Management and Impact at the Paris Institute of Political Studies (Sciences Po), and ESSEC Business School. He is also a visiting professor at Stanford University in both its Paris and Stanford locations.

Dr. Laurent’s work focuses on the relationship between well-being and sustainability through the social-ecological approach, in particular the exploration of the sustainability-justice nexus and planetary health/human health nexus. He is the author or editor of twenty books in French and English (translated into nine languages), three governmental reports, and approximately one hundred articles published in French and international journals. He recently published The New Environmental Economics – Sustainability and Justice (2020), The Well-being Transition: Analysis and Policy (2021), the Routledge Handbook of the Political Economy of the Environment (2021), and the forthcoming, Toward Social-ecological Well-being: Rethinking Sustainability Economics for the 21st Century to be published later this year.

In addition, Dr. Laurent is a former Parliamentary Attaché to the French National Assembly and assistant in the Cabinet of the French Prime Minister. He has been a Visiting Scholar at New York University (NYU) and Columbia University, a Visiting Professor at the University of Montreal, and a Visiting Scholar and Professor at Harvard University. He is also a Research Fellow at the Well-being Economy Alliance (WeALL), a qualified expert for European institutions, and Chairman of the SHS 5 (economics and law) and Foresight (sustainable development) Commissions of the Scientific Research Fund (FRS- FNRS) in Belgium. As we explore our theme of sustainability in health care, Dr. Laurent is exceptionally qualified to guide and inspire us in our own journeys toward sustainability. Because he is convinced that every individual effort is essential to everyone and to our planet, he will present from France, thus avoiding the carbon footprint of a long overseas flight. 

Along with the many educational offerings, this year’s Global Congress has notable entertainment and networking opportunities. The Foundation of the AAGL (FAAGL) Award Ceremony has taken on a new level of glamour! Held at the Country Music Hall of Fame on Tuesday, November 7, 7:30pm-midnight, the FAAGL’s Celebration of the Art and Science in MIGS Awards Ceremony and party will be a night to remember. While dressed to impress, walk the halls where Country Music legends have walked on your way to recognize legends in our field! This memorable evening will begin by honoring those who exemplify the highest values of leadership, mentorship, dedication, and scientific achievement in MIGS, the 2023 Signature and Noteworthy Award Winners. The top three nominees in several of the Noteworthy Categories will receive recognition, with the surprise winner announced live at the award ceremony! After the ceremony, the party begins! Enjoy a single-barrel straight bourbon whiskey tasting station with a commemorative bottle given as a gift to those who donate $150 or more to the Foundation of the AAGL. Come cheer on your award-winning peers and dance the night away!

Wednesday night, close out the 52^nd Global Congress at the President’s Wrap Party! Located at the iconic Wild Horse Saloon, enjoy an evening of letting loose on the dance floor with your colleagues as we bid farewell to AAGL23. Ticket purchase includes VIP access to the 2nd and 3rd floors of the venue, line dancing, live entertainment, two complimentary drinks, and unlimited access to a Southern-style buffet.

To purchase a VIP table or a ticket for the FAAGL’s Celebration of the Art and Science in MIGS Awards Ceremony or tickets to the President’s Wrap Party, please see the “Add On Tickets” section on the Congress Registration website.

You are also invited to join us for the 2nd annual Charles Koh World Suturing Championship held in the Exhibit Hall on the evening of November 6, 2023. Those who still wish to compete, in either the ‘Open Category’ or the ‘Fellows’ Category’ must submit their prequalification video by September 29^th. The Fellow with the top scoring video will win $1000 towards Congress expenses! The top three scoring videos in the “Open Category” will compete live at the Global Congress to take home the title of 2023 Word Suturing Champion! View the application for more information.

I hope to see each of you at this year’s Global Congress in Nashville.