The WAEH is ready for an exciting new year! 🌍❤️

July 16, 2026

In 2025, our Communities of Practice continued to grow, and at the 19th Annual Meeting we launched four new Communities of Practice, expanding our global eye care network even further!

We now have six active Communities of Practice that are going to meet monthly via Zoom to share knowledge, experiences, and best practices:

Human Resources – led by Jos Hubers (The Rotterdam Eye Hospital, The Netherlands) and Angela Smith (Moorfields Eye Hospital, United Kingdom)
Nurses & Allied Health Personnel – led by Tendai Gwenhure (Moorfields Eye Hospital, United Kingdom) and Diana Malata (Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, Ireland)

New CoP’s starting in 2026:

FAIR Images in Clinics – led by Dr. Ciara Bergin (Hôpital ophtalmique Jules-Gonin, Switzerland)
Innovation & Research – led by Nathalie Popken (The Rotterdam Eye Hospital, The Netherlands) and Dr. Deepak Edward (King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital & Research Center, Saudi Arabia)
Finances in Eye Hospitals – led by Mee Chee (Macy) Thong (Singapore National Eye Centre)
Fundraising – led by Juliette Fahlenbrach (Hôpital ophtalmique Jules-Gonin, Switzerland)

These Communities of Practice connect professionals from all over the world and strengthen eye care globally by exchanging strategies, tackling shared challenges, and driving innovation together. The dates for 2026 will be published soon via : https://www.waeh.org/events/

Looking back, the 19th Annual Meeting in Lausanne and Paris (2025) was a great success. It brought together eye care professionals from around the globe, and it was there that we officially launched these four new Communities of Practice – a milestone in building a truly global eye care network.

We are now excited to announce that the 20th Annual WAEH Meeting will take place from November 9, to Monday , November 16, 2026, in Brazil and Chile. We look forward to welcoming you to share knowledge, exchange ideas, and further strengthen our worldwide community of eye hospitals.

Don’t forget that WAEH can finance two to three projects per year with €7,500 each. Would you like to collaborate with other leading eye hospitals around the world? Download the WAEH project proposal on our website: https://www.waeh.org/projects/ Deadline to send in is end of January 2026!

Not a member yet and want to learn from amazing eye hospitals around the world? Apply for membership and join all of our (virtual) meetings, Communities of Practice, member projects, and much more!

We wish you all a wonderful and innovative 2026 – and as always: watch out for the fireworks and take good care of your eyes!
The #WAEH team 🌍❤️

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