Reflections after One Year of Retina Podcast

"Thank you for listening and for all you do. We truly appreciate what you brought into all of our lives."

-Jay Sridhar

Hello Listeners,

As we mentioned two weeks ago in Episode 70, November 3rd marks the one-year anniversary of SFTCM: A Retina Podcast. I already brought Louie Cai and Mike Venincasa on the show to discuss the show's origins and what we plan to do in the future (link), but I still wanted to take the time to write out a few thoughts about what it means to our whole team to reach one year of podcasting.

First, the show would be impossible without the generosity of the guests who take the time to come on our program and share their wisdom and expertise. I am often asked if it is difficult to find our contributors. While there is certainly pre-planning involved in recording the episodes in advance of release to allow time for editing and fine-tuning, I have heard such amazing responses from the physicians and other healthcare professionals we have approached for the show. So thank you to all of the guests from our 72 episodes.

Second, I have to reiterate how critical Louie and Mike are to what we are able to provide. I feel embarrassed at times at how much credit I get simply for hosting and how little credit the two unsung heroes get for editing and producing episodes in a consistent and professional manner. Several of the ideas, such as the blog and the social media sharing, were purely derived from their more creative instincts. Thank you to both of you for what you have brought to this endeavor and the commitment you have made for the future.

Third, there is no joy in producing and creating a podcast that is not consumed. Each and every person who has reached out to me and the rest of the team to communicate your feelings (positive or negative) about the program has brought tremendous satisfaction and meaning to what we do. It is humbling to think that we have been able to cross national, generational, and cultural boundaries to bring people together in a mutual love and respect for this wonderful field.

Going forward we promise to deliver at least 4 episodes a month with a goal of 5. We have toyed with different constructs for each month but in general, we will plan on 1 journal club and 2 faculty guests as the backbone of each 4 week period with the other 1-2 episodes kept as wild-cards or for our collaboration with Retinal Physician.

On a personal note, we still do not derive any profit or advertising revenue from the show. While this may change in the future, we will always prioritize providing content as unbiased and disclosure-free as possible and maintaining our independence over content. 

Finally, whether you have listened since the beginning or just started with Episode 72, we need to hear what you want. This survey (link) will be critical to shaping the future of our program and what we can bring to the table. The beautiful thing about being a small organization is mobility and flexibility. So please take 2 minutes to respond (it will take less time than it did to read this soliloquy!).

Thank you for listening and for all you do. We truly appreciate what you brought into all of our lives.

Jay Sridhar