COS GUEST LECTURER
Steven Bellemare, MD, FRCPC, CPE
Steven Bellemare, MD, FRCPC, CPE
Dr. Steven Bellemare completed his medical training at the University of Ottawa, and his residency in pediatrics at the University of Alberta. Having specialized in child maltreatment pediatrics, he was assistant professor at Dalhousie University and worked as a member of the child protection team at the IWK Health Centre in Halifax before joining the CMPA in 2009. Now the senior physician advisor with the department of Practice Improvement, he received the designation of Certified Physician Executive from the Certifying Commission in Medical Management in 2016 and has delivered over 250 risk management presentations to a variety of medical audiences across the country.
Financial disclosure: I do not have any affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization.
CATARACT
Jonathan D. Solomon, MD
Jonathan D. Solomon, MD
Dr. Solomon is assistant professor at the University of Maryland, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science. He specializes in laser lens-based refractive surgery and laser vision correction. He is the director of refractive surgery at Solomon Eye Associates-Physicians & Surgeons located in the DC metro area; medical director of the University of Maryland, Capital Region Surgery Center; and previous clinical instructor at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins University. He also serves as a consultant to the FDA’s Ophthalmic Device Panel.
Dr. Solomon earned his doctorate from Temple University School of Medicine, and completed his postgraduate training at the Casey Eye Institute and at Devers Eye Institute, Portland, Oregon.
Dr. Solomon has been active in ophthalmic research and has played significant investigator roles in numerous FDA clinical trials as director of the Bowie Vision Institute for Ophthalmic Innovation and Research. He serves on numerous editorial and review boards in addition to sitting on the International Relations Committee and Accreditation Board for the Eye Bank Association of America. As a member of the medical advisory board, MD/DC/VA Lupus Foundation, Dr. Solomon served as a corneal specialist and provided much-needed guidance related to ocular surface manifestations associated with auto-immune diseases and inflammatory disorders.
Financial disclosure: I have/had an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization:
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CORNEA
Soosan Jacob MS, DNB, FRCS (Glasg), MNAMS, FERC
Soosan Jacob MS, DNB, FRCS (Glasg), MNAMS, FERC
Dr. Jacob is director and chief of Dr. Agarwal’s Refractive and Cornea Foundation (DARCF) and senior consultant in Cataract and Glaucoma Services, Dr. Agarwal’s Group of Eye Hospitals, Chennai, India. She is a gold medalist in ophthalmology.
Dr. Jacob is a comprehensive ophthalmologist and is actively involved in cornea, refractive surgery, cataract, oculoplasty and orbital surgeries. She is proficient in performing glaucoma surgeries, refractive surgeries, corneal grafts, anterior lamellar keratoplasties, endothelial keratoplasties including Descemet’s membrane endothelial keratoplasty, pre-Descemet’s endothelial keratoplasty, eccentric keratoplasty, Boston keratoprosthesis, complex cataract cases, etc.
She is among the senior faculty and a trainer for the DNB (Diplomate of National Board) postgraduate training program and phaco-emulsification training program for overseas doctors as well as the Cornea and Refractive fellowship program. She heads the national as well as international training program at the Institute for Cornea & Refractive Surgery.
Dr. Jacob has won 50 international awards for her innovative techniques and video at international conferences in the USA and Europe. She has also won the Innovator’s Award from Connecticut Society of Eye Physicians in 2016, the AM Gokhale Award and oration by the Pune Ophthalmic Society, the UKSOS Gold medal for Excellence in Ophthalmology from Uttarakhand State Ophthalmological Society, and the Waring Medal for editorial excellence from the Journal of Refractive Surgery in 2017 for her work on allogenic presbyopic inlays.
Dr. Jacob is the chair of the International Society of Refractive Surgery (a partner of the American Academy of Ophthalmology) Multimedia Editorial Board, an ex-officio member of the ISRS Executive Committee, and from 2011 to 2016 was a committee member of the ISRS Multi-media Library Editorial Board of the American Academy of Ophthalmology – International Society of Refractive Surgery.
Dr. Jacob has authored 91 peer-reviewed publications as well as more than 200 chapters in 34 textbooks by international and national publishers and is also the editor of 17 textbooks in ophthalmology. She is a reviewer for such journals as Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, Journal of Refractive Surgery, Eye, Journal of Ophthalmology, Current Eye Research, Indian Journal of Ophthalmology, TNOA Journal of Ophthalmic Science and Research, Journal of Ophthalmology and Therapy.
Dr. Jacob has described the White Ring Sign to differentiate anterior and posterior lenticular planes and thus avoid complications during SMILE surgery. She also described the Sequential Segmental Terminal Lenticular Side Cut Dissection for safe and effective lenticule extraction in SMILE surgery for thin lenticules. She has devised many innovative techniques and approaches, including Corneal Allogenic Intrastromal Ring Segments (CAIRS) for improving topography and vision in patients with keratoconus. PrEsbyopic Allogenic Refractive Lenticule (PEARL) Inlay for decreasing spectacle independence for presbyopes won the international award at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery in 2016, first prize for innovation at the Brazilian Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery 2016, Best of Show award at the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the Waring medal from Journal of Refractive Surgery 2017. In conjunction with the glued endocapsular ring, she designed a new intra-ocular device, the glued capsular hook, which will make phaco-emulsification very easy and safe in subluxated cataracts and provide good intra-operative and post-operative safety and stability. Contact lens assisted crosslinking (CACXL) is for safely cross-linking thin corneas in patients with keratoconus where conventional cross-linking is not possible. Air-pump assisted pre-Descemet’s endothelial keratoplasty (PDEK) is similarly a technique that makes PDEK surgery easier and more adoptable by surgeons. Endo-illuminator assisted Descemet’s membrane endothelial keratoplasty (E-DMEK) enhances visualization and three-dimensional depth perception during DMEK, making it easier, faster and a minimal-touch technique.
Other new techniques she has devised include a glaucoma filtration surgery termed Stab Incision Glaucoma Surgery (SIGS) for easy and rapid filtration surgery with no sub-conjunctival dissection to decrease fibrosis and consequent bleb failure while at the same time maximizing virgin conjunctiva. A new technique of relaxing Descemetotomy for tractional and bullous Descemet’s membrane detachment in the cornea, as well as the turnaround technique and the double pass turnaround technique for successful completion of femtosecond laser assisted Intacs implantation in eyes with false channel dissection for both symmetric and asymmetric Intacs segments. Additionally, Dr. Jacob devised the Jacob-Agarwal technique of supra-brow single stab incision ptosis surgery.
Financial disclosure: I do not have any affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization.
Karl G. Stonecipher, MD
Karl Stonecipher, MD
Dr. Stonecipher is a cornea and refractive trained surgical specialist and the Director of The Laser Center in Greensboro, North Carolina, which he joined in 2005. Prior to that appointment he had been the director of the Southeastern Laser and Refractive Center in Greensboro, North Carolina from 1991-2005. He is a Clinical Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of North Carolina and assists in the refractive and refractive cataract surgery training of the residents in the department of ophthalmology.
Dr. Stonecipher received his undergraduate degrees in Biology and Chemistry from Southern Methodist University. His medical degree was obtained from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and his residency in Ophthalmology was at Tulane University from 1987 through 1990. He spent 18 months in a cornea and refractive surgery fellowship with Dr. J. James Rowsey at the McGee Eye Institute. Dr. Stonecipher has additional basic science education from Stanford University prior to starting in practice at Southeastern Eye Center. He has performed over 69000 refractive surgical procedures and over 29000 cataract surgical procedures.
With more than 100 book chapters, abstracts and articles published, Dr. Stonecipher speaks both nationally and internationally on refractive, cataract, presbyopic and corneal surgery.
Dr. Stonecipher has been certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology since 1992. His memberships include the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the International Society for Refractive Surgeons, and the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery. He is currently involved in FDA trials for the Study of Cornea, Cataract, Presbyopic and Refractive Surgery. He recently received the Achievement Award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology and is listed as one of the Top Fifty Ophthalmologist by Cataract and Refractive Surgery Today, registered with Who’s Who in Ophthalmology, and picked as one of Americas Top Ophthalmologists.
Financial disclosure: I have/had an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization:
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GLAUCOMA
Steven J. Gedde, MD
Steven J. Gedde, MD
Dr. Gedde is professor of ophthalmology and vice chair of education at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. He received his medical degree from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and completed his residency training in ophthalmology at Wills Eye Hospital, where he also served as chief resident. His clinical glaucoma fellowship was at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute.
Dr. Gedde has lectured nationally and internationally. He has authored or coauthored more than 300 articles, book chapters, and abstracts. He is editor of the second edition of Curbside Consultation in Glaucoma: 49 Clinical Questions, and he has served on the editorial boards for Ophthalmology, Journal of Academic Ophthalmology, EyeNet, Ocular Surgery News, Ophthalmology Management, and EyeWorld.
Dr. Gedde has been listed among America’s Top Doctors, Best Doctors in America, and Florida Super Doctors. He received an Achievement Award in 2006, Senior Achievement Award in 2012, and Secretariat Award in 2017 from the American Academy of Ophthalmology. He has served as the residency program director at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute since 1999. He was selected as the Excellence in Health Care Educator of the Year in 2009, and he received the Straatsma Award for Excellence in Resident Education in 2016. Dr. Gedde joined the Board of Directors of the American Board of Ophthalmology in 2017. He is also a study chairman for the Tube Versus Trabeculectomy (TVT) Study and Primary Tube Versus Trabeculectomy (PTVT) Study, multicentre randomized clinical trials comparing tube shunt surgery with trabeculectomy.
Financial disclosure: I have/had an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization:
- Alcon
- Allergan
- National Eye Institute
Felipe A. Medeiros, MD, PhD
Felipe A. Medeiros, MD, PhD
Dr. Medeiros is professor of ophthalmology and vice-chair for technology at the Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University. He is also director of the Clinical Research Unit, where he leads clinical research efforts in the Department of Ophthalmology.
Dr. Medeiros’ research has focused on the development of innovative methods for early diagnosis and detection of glaucoma progression. His laboratory is also currently evaluating the impact of eye diseases on activities of daily living, using innovative techniques, such as virtual reality. He has published over 300 peer-reviewed scientific articles and six books on ophthalmology. He has recently been named as one of the Top 5 Glaucoma Researchers in the world.
Dr. Medeiros has received over 40 international awards, including the prestigious Cogan Award from the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology. He is an elected member of the prestigious Glaucoma Research Society and chair of the American Glaucoma Society Program Committee.
Financial disclosure: I have/had an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization:
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INTERNATIONAL OPHTHALMOLOGY AND PUBLIC HEALTH
Hunter Cherwek, MD
Hunter Cherwek, MD
Dr. Cherwek is a global ophthalmologist with a specific career interest on how training and technologies can be used to eliminate avoidable blindness in low resource communities around the world.
Dr. Cherwek received his undergraduate degree in biology from the University of North Carolina (UNC)- Chapel Hill and his medical degree from Duke University. After his transitional year at Scripps Hospital, he completed his residency in ophthalmology at Emory University where he was elected chief resident.
Immediately on graduating from Emory, he joined Orbis International where he was able to lecture and work in over 25 countries aboard the Flying Eye Hospital (FEH) and help build the telemedicine/distance learning platform. After working with Orbis International, he was based in Beijing, China, for six years working with Alcon as the medical director of Strategic Markets to help improve surgical training efforts and access to quality cataract care in Asia and Russia. Most recently, Dr. Cherwek has returned to Orbis International to continue to support its clinical training efforts and patient care programs.
Financial disclosure: I have/had an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization:
- Alcon
- Novartis
NEURO-OPHTHALMOLOGY
Michael S. Lee, MD
Michael S. Lee, MD
Dr. Lee completed his medical degree and residency at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine followed by a neuro-ophthalmology fellowship at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary at Harvard Medical School where he was awarded a Distinguished Teaching and Service Award. He has received the Best Teaching Faculty Award from the residents in the Ophthalmology Department at the University of Minnesota four times since 2009. He has served on the board of directors of the North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society and the editorial boards of Eye, Survey of Ophthalmology, Journal of Neuro-Ophthalmology, and The Asia-Pacific Journal of Ophthalmology. He has authored over 140 peer-reviewed publications, 14 book chapters, and a new book, A Case-based Guide to Eye Pain: Perspectives from Ophthalmology and Neurology.
Financial disclosure: I have/had an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization:
- Genentech
- Quark
OCULAR REGENERATIVE MEDICINE
Victor Perez, MD
Victor Perez, MD
Dr. Perez joined Duke Ophthalmology in September 2017 as professor of ophthalmology and director of Duke’s new Center for Ocular Immunology. He is an established clinician-scientist investigator in the field of ocular immunology and ocular surface diseases. Dr. Perez spends 50% of his time in his laboratory researching ocular immunology, ocular graft versus host disease (OGVHD) and transplantation. He complements this with his work evaluating and treating patients with ocular inflammatory diseases and conditions of the anterior segment associated with auto-immune disorders. In addition to ocular surface, he manages patients with anterior uveitis, OGVHD, transplantation and diseases of the eye that also have inflammation.
Dr. Perez’s laboratory focuses primarily on researching immunology of corneal transplantation and ocular graft vs. host disease (GVHD). Dr. Perez and his colleagues use a mouse model of corneal transplantation and ocular GVHD that allows for translational research relevant to patients with penetrating keratoplasty and ocular GVHD. Dr. Perez’s grant from the National Eye Institute supports his lab’s work on the immunological mechanisms involved in high-risk corneal transplant rejection and OGVHD.
Members of Dr. Perez’s lab have used the mouse eye as an in vivo imaging platform to study T-cell recruitment and in situ activation. The aim of this work is to develop a translational research clinic to study the natural history of disease progression in ocular GVHD and to test the role of cytokines in this process. One of the most innovative aspects of this program is the multidisciplinary team — consisting of scientists from the ophthalmology, basic immunology, and oncology units — whose members work together to tackle the research and care of patients with GVHD comprehensively. The knowledge and development of potential new preventive therapies that is being generated in the laboratory will have a direct translational impact on the care of Duke Eye Center patients with GVHD.
Dr. Perez says that he joined Duke because it provides the perfect environment for clinician scientists to grow and establish translational research programs to cure diseases. Duke’s vision of the future in translational research led to the creation of the centre to study inflammatory diseases of the eye. The components of his work support the goal to preserve vision through innovation, personalized medicine, and a passion for advancement of ophthalmic science.
Financial disclosure: I have/had an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization:
- Allergan
- Eye Gate
- Shire
- Trefoil
OCULOPLASTICS
Jurij R. Bilyk, MD, FACS
Jurij R. Bilyk, MD, FACS
Dr. Bilyk graduated with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania and obtained his medical degree from Jefferson Medical College. He completed an ophthalmology residency at Wills Eye Hospital, and an oculoplastic and orbital surgery fellowship at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary.
Currently, Dr. Bilyk is an attending surgeon on the Oculoplastic and Orbital Surgery Service at Wills Eye Hospital and a professor of ophthalmology at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. He specializes in the management of eyelid, lacrimal and orbital diseases, and works closely with the Departments of Otolaryngology and Neurosurgery at Jefferson University Hospital. He is also a core member of the Skull Base Division of the Neuro-Ophthalmology Service at Wills Eye Hospital, which specializes in the coordinated, multidisciplinary management of a variety of skull base diseases.
Dr. Bilyk is a fellow of the American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and the American Academy of Ophthalmology. He is a member of the North American Skull Base Society and International Orbital Society. He has published over 100 papers in the peer-reviewed literature as well as numerous book chapters.
Financial disclosure: I do not have any affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization.
OPHTHALMIC PATHOLOGY
Charles G. Eberhart, MD, PhD
Charles G. Eberhart, MD, PhD
Dr. Eberhart received his MD and PhD degrees from UT Southwestern in 1997, with postgraduate clinical training in anatomical pathology and neuropathology at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He has been a member of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine faculty since 2001, and currently directs the divisions of neuropathology and ophthalmic pathology. He works as both a diagnostic pathologist and a scientist studying how brain and eye diseases can be better classified and treated.
Dr. Eberhart is a member of numerous organizations, and is on the editorial boards of the Journal of Neuro-Ophthalmology (neuropathology consultant), Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology, Neuro-oncology and Brain Pathology. He is one of three senior editors of the World Health Organization Ocular Tumor Classification 4th edition. Dr. Eberhart has published over 250 original research articles on diseases of the brain and eye.
Financial disclosure: I do not have any affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization.
PEDIATRICS
Linda R. Dagi, MD
Linda R. Dagi, MD
Dr. Dagi is the director of Adult Strabismus and consultant to the Craniofacial Service at Boston Children’s Hospital. A graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Medical School she completed a fellowship in pediatric ophthalmology at Boston Children’s Hospital and in neuro-ophthalmology at the National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health.
After over a decade in private practice in Atlanta Georgia, she was invited to join the faculty at Boston Children’s Hospital in 2002 where she holds the Children’s Hospital Ophthalmology Foundation Endowed Chair.
Areas of clinical interest are complex strabismus in children and adults, craniofacial disorders, advanced imaging and surgical outcomes. She serves on the editorial board of the Journal of AAPOS, is the chair of the Adult Strabismus Task Force for AAPOS, and the US representative to the Simulated Ocular Surgery Gallery in collaboration with ONE Network and AAO. She is a member of the Association for Research in Strabismus, also known as Squint Club, a select group of experts in this field.
Financial disclosure: I do not have any affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization.
PHYSICIAN WELLNESS
Michael F. Myers, MD, DLFAPA
Michael F. Myers, MD, DLFAPA
Dr. Myers is professor of clinical psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at SUNY-Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY. He graduated in medicine from the University of Western Ontario in 1966 and did residencies at Los Angeles County – USC Medical Center, Wayne State University (Detroit General Hospital), and the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.
Dr. Myers is the author of eight books and over 150 articles, book chapters, letters, book reviews, and 8 videotapes covering a range of topics in psychiatry. His two most recent books are Why Physicians Die By Suicide: Lessons Learned From Their Families and Others Who Cared and The Physician As Patient: A Clinical Handbook for Mental Health Professionals co-authored with Dr. Glen Gabbard.
He lectures throughout North America and beyond on the subject of physician well-being, resilience, and vulnerability to stress and illness.
Financial disclosure: I have/had an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization:
- Medical Education Speakers Network
F. Gigi Osler, BScMed, MD, FRCSC
F. Gigi Osler, BScMed, MD, FRCSC
Dr. Osler graduated from medical school at the University of Manitoba in 1992. Following this, she completed a rotating internship at the Health Sciences Centre and St. Boniface General Hospital from 1992 to 1993.
She began studying otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at the University of Manitoba in 1993 and graduated from the residency program in 1997. This was followed by a rhinology fellowship at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver, BC. She has been in practice in Winnipeg since 1998.
Dr. Osler is the head of the Section of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at St. Boniface Hospital and is an assistant professor with the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Manitoba. When working at St. Boniface Hospital, she is actively involved in the teaching of medical students and residents.
Her interest in medical education led her to volunteer with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. She served on the working group tasked with transforming Canada’s otolaryngology – head and neck surgery residency programs into competency-based medical education programs. She is also on the Royal College’s Professional Learning and Development Committee and supports the lifelong learning of physicians and surgeons.
Dr. Osler is a dedicated advocate for global surgery and the promotion of safe, accessible surgical care. She volunteers annually on surgical missions to low and lower-middle income countries, and her volunteer work inspires her to work harder for patients and the health care system. She was a member of Canadian Helping Kids in Vietnam’s medical mission to Long Xuyen, Vietnam in 2011. The mission’s goals were to educate Vietnamese doctors and nurses, deliver donated medical equipment and supplies, and present bicycles to deserving schoolchildren.
For the last several years Dr. Osler has been volunteering in Mbarara, Uganda. Working with members of the Canadian Society of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, the group collaborates with the ENT Department of the Mbarara University of Science and Technology to improve the quality of local health care through education, training and mentorship to surgeons, residents, and medical students.
A passionate advocate for physician health, Dr. Osler co-chaired the 2015 Canadian Conference on Physician Health and serves as chair of the Physician Health and Wellness Committee for Doctors Manitoba. The committee oversees the Physician and Family Support program and creates events to promote physician wellness. In 2017, she was awarded their Health or Safety Promotion Award in recognition of her efforts to develop and implement programs to support the health and well-being of doctors.
Dr. Osler lives in Winnipeg with her wonderful husband and is the proud mother of two incredible children.
Financial disclosure: I do not have any affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization.
Derek Puddester, MD, MEd, FRCPC, PCC
Derek Puddester, MD, MEd, FRCPC, PCC
Dr. Puddester is a global expert in physician health and occupational psychiatry. He has provided care, education, and governance expertise to programs, hospitals, and universities and created unique educational resources focused on physician health and sustainability. Dr. Puddester is a past-president of the Canadian Association for Medical Education and is a leader in medical education across the physician life-cycle. Most recently, he was the special project lead for innovation/evaluation in the Postgraduate Medical Education Office at uOttawa where he is also an associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry. Dr. Puddester specializes in pediatric telepsychiatry and provides care to children, youth and families across Ontario. Previously, he was the director of the Behavioural Neurosciences and Consultation-Liaison team at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario.
Dr. Puddester obtained his BA, BMedSc, and MD from Memorial University of Newfoundland. He completed a residency in Psychiatry at McMaster University, and a fellowship in child/adolescent psychiatry at University of Ottawa. In 2008, he completed a M. Ed. at uOttawa. In 2011, he completed the Graduate Program in Executive Coaching at Royal Roads University. In 2017, his studies at Royal Roads continued as he completed the Advanced Coaching Practices Program and also started his MA in Leadership (Health).
Dr. Puddester is the lead editor of the RCPSC’s CanMEDS Physician Health Guide and co-author of the RCPSC’s Time Management Guide. He also produced Carpe Diem (a physician resiliency documentary), and was the project lead for the international award-winning web resources ePhysicianHealth.com and eWorkplaceHealth.com.
RETINA
David M. Brown, MD, FACS
David M. Brown, MD, FACS
Dr. Brown is clinical professor of ophthalmology, Cullen Eye Institute, Baylor College of Medicine and vice-chair for research at the Blanton Eye Institute, Houston Methodist Hospital. He is the director of clinical research at the Greater Houston Retina Research Center and in private practice at Retina Consultants of Houston. Dr. Brown graduated from Baylor College of Medicine with highest honors and completed ophthalmology and retina training at the University of Iowa where he was a Thomas Heed Fellow, a Hermann Knapp Fellow, and was awarded the Ron Michels Fellowship award presented to the top retinal surgery fellow in the US.
Dr. Brown’s research and clinical interests are focused on macular surgery, AMD, gene therapy, retinal vascular disease, and diabetic retinopathy. Dr. Brown is an elected member of the Macula Society and the Retina Society and he directs one of the largest clinical trial centres for retinal disease in the US. Dr. Brown’s honours include the American Academy of Ophthalmology Honor Award in 2000, the AAO Senior Honor Award in 2014, and continuous election as one of the “Best Doctors in America” 2007-2017. He has published and written over 400 national meeting presentations, abstracts, and scientific papers including many of the primary papers establishing the use of anti-VEGF agents for AMD, retinal vein occlusions, and diabetic retinopathy.
Financial disclosure: I have/had an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization:
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Usha Chakravarthy, MD, PhD
Usha Chakravarthy, MD, PhD
Dr. Chakravarthy is professor of ophthalmology and vision sciences at the Queen’s University of Belfast. She was promoted to professor in 1999 with a joint consultant appointment to the Royal Victoria Hospital. Her clinical interests lie in the management of retinal disorders and she has been the lead clinician for medical retina since her appointment. She was appointed clinical director for Ophthalmology Services in the Belfast Trust in 2010, leading a group of 50 clinical medical staff. She relinquished this post in 2014, but maintained her lead clinical role in the macular service.
Dr. Chakravarthy has a varied portfolio of research interests and has worked on the cell and molecular biology of vasoactive retinal peptides and profiled the alterations in gene expression in the retina under conditions of simulated hyperglycemia in experimental in vitro and in vivo studies. Her current research involves studies on understanding of retinal and choroidal vascular diseases as well as degenerative aging changes contributing to sight loss in older adults.
Dr. Chakravarthy is recognized internationally for her work on age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. Her interests lie in the pathogenesis and key risk factors including gene and environment interactions and clinical management of these disorders.
Dr. Chakravarthy has written in excess of 300 publications and many book chapters. She was chairperson of the ophthalmology specialty group for the UK Clinical Research Network and is a member of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists Academic Group.
On an international level, she is on the advisory panel for the AMD alliance, Lasker Foundation; the credentials and scientific committee of the macula society; and the awards committee member for the Association for Research and Vision in Ophthalmology. She has been on the editorial board of national and international journals and remains a member of the oversight committee for JAMA Ophthalmology. She is a member of the scientific panel for the German Medical Research Council and the Australian Health Foundation.
Dr. Chakravarthy has delivered many eponymous and other invited lectures in the UK and abroad and currently serves on the advisory boards of several national and international governmental organizations. She was honoured recently in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List with the award of Commander of the British Empire (CBE) for her services to ophthalmology and voluntary service to managing eye conditions.
Financial disclosure: I have/had an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization:
- Alimera Sciences
- Allergan
- Bayer
- Heidelberg Engineering
- Novartis
- Ophthotech
- Zeiss
UVEITIS
Nisha Acharya, MD, MS
Nisha Acharya, MD, MS
Dr. Acharya is the Elizabeth C. Proctor Professor of Ophthalmology and Epidemiology at the University of California San Francisco and director of the Uveitis Service and Uveitis Fellowship at the F.I. Proctor Foundation.
Dr. Acharya’s clinical focus is uveitis and ocular inflammatory diseases. Her research interests include epidemiology of ocular inflammatory conditions and clinical trials comparing efficacy of various treatments. She is principal investigator of the NIH-funded First-line Antimetabolites for Steroid-Sparing Treatment (FAST) Trial, a multicentre randomized trial comparing antimetabolite therapies for uveitis. She is also protocol co-chair for the Macular Edema Ranibizumab v. Intravitreal anti-inflammatory Therapy (MERIT) Trial through the Multicenter Uveitis Steroid Treatment research group and is part of the Standardization of Uveitis Nomenclature working group.
Dr. Acharya serves on the executive committee of the American Uveitis Society and is also chair of the American Academy of Ophthalmology Knowledge Base Panel for Uveitis.
Financial disclosure: I have/had an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization:
- Abbvie
- Santen
VISION REHABILITATION
Maria Aparecida Onuki Haddad, MD, PhD
Maria Aparecida Onuki Haddad, MD, PhD
Dr. Onuki Haddad is an ophthalmologist and PhD in health sciences at the University of São Paulo Medical School. She is coordinator of Vision Rehabilitation Services at the University of São Paulo, Department of Ophthalmology, at the Technology and Innovation Center for People with Visual Impairment of the State of São Paulo and at Laramara – Brazilian Association for Assistance to People with Visual Impairment. She is a member of Brazilian Low Vision Society (affiliated with the Brazilian Council of Ophthalmology): president (2005-2007) and current board member. Dr. Onuki Haddad is also a Ministry of Health consultant and member of the National Advisory Committee for National Health Actions to People with impairment.
Financial disclosure: I do not have any affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization.
WOMEN IN OPHTHALMOLOGY
Myrna Lichter, MD
Myrna Lichter, MD
Dr. Lichter received her undergraduate and MD degrees in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and completed her ophthalmology training at the University of Toronto. She followed a pathology fellowship under the guidance of Dr. Lorenz Zimmerman and Dr. Ian MacLean in Washington DC, and returned to Toronto to do comprehensive medical ophthalmology.
Dr. Lichter was asked to run the HIV clinic at Saint Michael’s Hospital in 2000, when Saint Michael’s Hospital merged with Wellesley Hospital. She met a homeless blind person there, and though challenged, felt a need to do more for that segment of the population. Since then, she has been involved with homeless adults, youth, families, and refugees. Dr. Lichter continues to work and thrive in her medical practice, and enjoys teaching students and residents.
Financial disclosure: I have/had an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization:
- Novartis
- Santen
- Shire