Accreditation Statement

Physicians

The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Credit Designation

Physicians

The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine designates this live activity for a maximum of 2.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ . Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Who Should Attend

This activity is intended for clinicians managing patients with geographic atrophy including ophthalmologists, retina specialists, and other clinicians who diagnose and manage retina disease.

Learning Objectives

After participating in this activity, the participant will demonstrate the ability to:

  • Assess factors contributing to the pathophysiology of GA and AMD and their effects on patient QOL.
  • Discuss OCT (SD-OCT, FAF, NIR) devices and their operation in detecting and treating GA and AMD.
  • Evaluate commonly used endpoints in RCTs to determine the significance of selecting appropriate endpoints for optimal treatment.
  • Identify emerging pharmacotherapeutic agents’ MOA and efficacy in treating GA and AMD.

Privacy Policy

The Office of Continuing Medical Education (CME) at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine is committed to protecting the privacy of its members and customers. Johns Hopkins University SOM CME maintains its Internet site as an information resource and service for physicians, other health professionals and the public. Continuing Medical Education at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine will keep your personal and credit information confidential when you participate in a CME Internet based program. Your information will never be given to anyone outside of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine's CME program. CME collects only the information necessary to provide you with the services that you request.

Sunshine Act

Please note: The Physician Payments Sunshine Act was enacted by Congress to increase public awareness of financial relationships between drug and medical device manufacturers and physicians. In compliance with the requirements of this Act, the commercial supporter/s of this activity may require the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine to report certain professional information (such as name, address, National Provider Identifier, and State License #) of physician attendees who receive complimentary food and beverage in conjunction with a CME activity. The commercial supporter is required to submit the collected data to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services which will then publish the data on its website.

Full Disclosure Policy Affecting CME Activities

As a provider approved by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Office of Continuing Medical Education (OCME) requires attested and signed global disclosure of the existence of all financial interests or relationships with commercial interest from any individual in a position to control the content of a CME activity sponsored by OCME. The following relationships have been reported for this activity.

Speakers
Neil Bressler, MD Principal Investigator: Bayer Corporation, Novartis AG, Roche, and Samsung Bioepsis
Susan Bressler, MD Principal Investigator:
Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica QmbH, DRCR.net, and Notel
Co-Investigator: Bayer Corporation and Novartis AG
Richard F. Spaide, MD Principal Investigator: Topcon Medical Systems, Inc.

Planners
Neil Bressler, MD Contracted Research - Principal Investigator: Bayer Corporation, Novartis AG, Roche, and Samsung Bioepsis

No other planners or speakers have indicated that they have any financial interests or relationships with a commercial entity.

Note: Grants to investigators at The Johns Hopkins University are negotiated and administered by the institution which receives the grants, typically through the Office of Research Administration. Individual investigators who participate in the sponsored project(s) are not directly compensated by the sponsor, but may receive salary or other support from the institution to support their effort on the project(s).

Statement of Responsibility

The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine takes responsibility for the content, quality, and scientific integrity of this CME activity.

Americans with Disabilities Act

The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine fully complies with the legal requirements of the ADA and the rules and regulations thereof.

Confidentiality Disclaimer for CME Activity Participants

I certify that I am attending a Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine CME activity for accredited training and/or educational purposes. I understand that while I am attending in this capacity, I may be exposed to "protected health information," as that term is defined and used in Hopkins policies and in the federal HIPAA privacy regulations (the "Privacy Regulations"). Protected health information is information about a person’s health or treatment that identifies the person.

I pledge and agree to use and disclose any of this protected health information only for the training and/or educational purposes of my visit and to keep the information confidential. I agree not to post or discuss this protected health information, including pictures and/or videos, on any social media site (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, etc.), in any electronic messaging program or through any portable electronic device. I understand that I may direct to the Johns Hopkins Privacy Officer any questions I have about my obligations under this Confidentiality Pledge or under any of the Hopkins policies and procedures and applicable laws and regulations related to confidentiality. The contact information is: Johns Hopkins Privacy Officer, telephone: 410-735-6509, e-mail: HIPAA@jhmi.edu.

The Office of Continuing Medical Education at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, as provider of this activity, has relayed information with the CME attendees/participants and certifies that the visitor is attending for training, education and/or observation purposes only.

For CME Questions, please contact the CME Office (410) 955-2959 or e-mail cmenet@jhmi.edu.

For CME Certificates, please call (410) 502-9634.

Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Office of Continuing Medical Education Turner 20/720 Rutland Avenue Baltimore, Maryland 21205-2195 Reviewed & Approved by: General Counsel, Johns Hopkins Medicine (4/1/03) (Updated 4/09 and 3/14)

Course Format

Geographic Atrophy Imaging Showcase consists of one 120-minute activity certified for a maximum of 2.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits.™.

Length of Activity: 2.0 hours

Successful Completion

There are no fees for participating in this CME activity. To receive credit, participants must (1) read the learning objectives and disclosure statements, (2) complete the educational activity, and (3) complete the post-test and activity evaluation form, including the certificate information section. Physicians must attest to the amount of time they spent on the activity.

Acknowledgement of Commercial Support

Supported by educational grants from Genentech, Heidelberg Engineering, Optovue Inc., and Topcon Medical Systems, Inc. In addition, the following companies have provided gift-in-kind support (durable equipment): Heidelberg Engineering, Optovue, Inc., and Topcon Medical Systems, Inc.

Off-label Product Discussion

The speakers have indicated that there will be no references to unlabeled/unapproved uses of drugs or products.

Disclaimer

The opinions and recommendations expressed by the faculty and other experts whose input is included in this program are their own. Use of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine name implies review of educational format design and approach. Please review the complete prescribing information of specific drugs or combination of drugs, including indications, contraindications, warnings, and adverse effects before administering pharmacologic therapy to patients.

Statement of Need

Based on a review of the current literature, including national and regional measures, detailed conversations with expert educators at Johns Hopkins, and a survey of potential program participants, this program will address the following core patient care gaps:

  • Clinicians are not fully aware of the impact GA has on the lives and functioning of their patients with advanced AMD, the relationships of structural changes and functional changes in GA or of the magnitude of the public health problem GA represents.
  • Many ophthalmologists are unaware of how to optimally implement new, minimally invasive imaging technologies that allow for more precise detection of morphologic changes indicating development or worsening of retinal diseases such as GA.
  • Ophthalmologists need to evaluate the design of RCTs for the treatment of GA, hampering their ability to accurately compare results of different trials and determine their clinical relevance.
  • A number of drug discovery targets with high potential to effectively treat GA in patients with advanced AMD are being actively investigated, but most clinicians are unfamiliar with them.