The 2020 Christmas meeting: Contagion, controversy and chivalry

Jonathan Roos, PhD, FRCOphth is a Moorfields, Harvard & Cambridge University-trained academic and specialist ophthalmologist focusing on eyelids, orbital diseases, periocular cancer, lacrimal disorders and high-volume cataract surgery. He practices at FaceRestoration.com in Harley Street and is licensed in the UK, Sweden and previously in Uganda. Jonathan is an external Professor for the Pharmaceutical Masters Programme at the Mario Negri Institute in Bergamo with the University of Milan, Italy.

Jonathan's research has won multiple national and international awards and he has published in major scientific journals including the Lancet, NEJM and BMJ. He is a devoted father to two young men and supportive husband to a leading city lawyer. Together they explore seas, sailing and cetaceans. Jonathan also advises pharmaceutical companies and national governments of areas around drug pricing.

Dr Nima Ghadiri is a Medical Ophthalmologist, who has very recently joined St Paul’s Eye Hospital from Moorfields and Great Ormond Street Hospitals. He deals with the diagnosis and management of eye disorders relating to systemic disease, and has a background in both Internal Medicine and Ophthalmology.

This holistic approach to patient care benefits from understanding the historical context of our practice. Dr Ghadiri has spent time studying the history of medicine at the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries, and was awarded a Diploma in 2018.  He visited the place of birth of the polymath physician Avicenna, and presented his work and legacy to international audiences as “The Rise and Fall of Avicenna’s Canon of Medicine” – an exploration of one of the most influential medical textbooks in both the Middle East and pre-modern Europe. This tome became a core text for many centuries, until it fell out of favour in the 16^th century, famously being burned by Paracelsus in 1527.

Beyond the cyclical nature of history, Dr Ghadiri has also written nationally on subjects as diverse as hospital gardens, art in medicine, the application of immersive technologies, and the mental health of NHS workers.  He has just been a panelist for the World Association of Eye Hospitals’ Schwartz Rounds (an environment for healthcare workers to share stories and support one another) and strives to advocate for the wellbeing of patients, families and staff at this time of great uncertainty.

Trained in ophthalmology in UK, Mr Verity undertook two Fellowships in ophthalmic adnexal disease before joining the Consultant staff at Moorfields Eye Hospital in 2004.

In 2009, he was elected to the Orbital Society, and between 2011 and 2018 was Editor-in Chief of the journal ORBIT. His medical publications in peer-reviewed journals and books include over 110 articles, and with a wide range of research interests he is an active national and international teacher and surgical trainer. In 2019 he was elected President of BOPSS, and is also current Treasurer of the European Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (ESOPRS).

Mr Verity also has a life-long interest in the charitable work of the St John Eye Hospital Group. In 2014 he was invested in the Order of St John, in 2016 joined the Board as Trustee of the Hospital Group, and in 2018 was appointed Hospitaller of the Order. In 2015 he founded the SOA, now President, and his clinical work includes working visits to the St John Eye Hospitals in East Jerusalem and Gaza.