Member Profile: Amber Howell
-By Adrianne Resek, Medical Writer, Pascale Communications
For Amber Howell, executive director of the New Orleans Academy of Ophthalmology (NOAO), landing in ophthalmology was one of those coincidences you always hear about being in the “right place at the right time.”
Armed with a master’s degree in art administration, Amber was working at Tulane University in the medical school alumni department when NOAO was looking for an executive director, and she was offered the position. Now, she is in charge of the continuing education division for a group of largely rural physicians that likely use her academy as their only source of ongoing enrichment.
“We have lots of physicians in rural areas, and our meeting is probably the only one they ever go to - it’s driving distance, inexpensive, and on the weekend,” Amber says. “I really take a lot of pride in making sure I’m providing a good education and what they are asking for - practical pearls they can take back and apply to their practice.”
Being a primary education source is a lot of responsibility, but Amber tells us she gets a lot of support. OWL has been key to this support.
“I met Marguerite McDonald through OWL, and she has been an amazing mentor to me,” Amber says. “Not only has she come to speak to our group several times, she also put me in contact with world leaders, people at the forefront of ophthalmology. She has put me in touch with people in marketing, publishing, and research, and really taught me a lot about the field in general, what certain things were, what the research was about, and how to be a better educator and a better person.
“I owe [Marguerite] so much for the wonderful job she did in teaching me the nuts and bolts in this large and ever-expanding world of ophthalmology, and I look forward to giving back with other mentoring opportunities,” she adds.
When Amber now mentors other young professionals, one of the things she likes to stress is that you should never be afraid of the word “no.”
“No is often just a starting point for negotiation,” she says, “and even if it scares you to death, go out, introduce yourself, and give yourself 5 minutes to talk to someone. You’ll be surprised what you can do in 5 minutes.
“Some people are born with leadership skills and some have to work at them, but all have the potential to be good leaders,” Amber continues. “If someone tells me they can’t, I just find another way to make it work.”
In the same spirit that OWL fosters an environment for personal and professional growth, Amber says that one of the keys to her success is always keeping a personal touch. While she is excited to be able to offer streaming content and enduring materials, she feels there will always be a need for human interaction.
“There is so much potential for growth, but as we become more global, there are people crying out for a more singular, intimate experience,” she says. “Things can become very sterile as we search for more efficient ways to do things, and sometimes you don’t feel that the organization is happy you are there.
“As an independent provider of education, I pride myself on making sure that everyone who comes to my meetings feels welcome, I learn their names, I answer their questions, and I really take their advice to heart and try to make it happen for them,” she adds.
Amber says she balances NOAO’s new electronic offerings by also expanding the group’s educational dinner program.
Amber is a model for “going the extra mile.” By stretching herself and always trying to learn new things, she provides an enormous service to the ophthalmologists of Louisiana and the surrounding area.
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November 2011 eNews