Yvonne M. Buys, MD
Yvonne M. Buys, MD
Professor, Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences, University of Toronto
Co-Director, Glaucoma Unit, University Health Network
Research interests: Glaucoma epidemiology; health economics; surgical innovations in glaucoma and cataract; optic nerve imaging; sleep issues in glaucoma; IOP variations, diurnal and positional; and ocular blood flow.
Leadership positions: Annual meeting chair and board member of the Canadian Ophthalmological Society; Planning Committee member for glaucoma subspecialty day at the American Academy of Ophthalmology; glaucoma section editor for the Canadian Journal of Ophthalmology; past-president of the Canadian Glaucoma Society; past-president and founding member of the Toronto Area Glaucoma Society; noneconomic loss physician for the WSIB; pasts examiner for the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada; member of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, the Toronto Hospital Research Institute, among many others. She has published over 130 peer-reviewed scientific papers, 12 invited editorials, and seven book chapters. She has trained over 20 glaucoma fellows from all continents and from countries as far away as Saudi Arabia and Australia.
Special honours: Toronto Hospital Anderson Award (1998); University of Toronto Clive Mortimer Postgraduate Teaching Award (1999); and American Academy of Ophthalmology Achievement Award (2015).
Financial disclosure: I do not have any affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization.
Isabelle Brunette, MD
Isabelle Brunette, MD
After completion of a clinical and research training in ophthalmology (Université de Montréal), corneal transplantation and corneal endothelium (Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN), and refractive surgery (Emory Eye Clinic, Atlanta, GA), Dr. Brunette started her practice in 1990 as an ophthalmologist at Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont (HMR), Montréal.
Dr. Brunette is full professor in the Department of Ophthalmology of the Université de Montréal. She is head of the Cornea Service at the HMR Department of Ophthalmology, head of Vision Health Research at the HMR Research Centre, and director of the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé’s Research in Vision Network. She has successively been member, vice-chair, and chair of the Institute Advisory Board for the Institute of Neuroscience, Mental Health and Addiction, Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).
As a clinician, the driving force behind her research comes from the patient. Her work is oriented toward translational research and is funded mainly by CIHR and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. Her research has been focusing on the optimization of the functional outcome of corneal transplantation, based on leading edge progress in the fields of tissue engineering, femtosecond laser and biomaterials technologies.
Financial disclosure: I have/had an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization:
- Valeant Canada
- AMO
- Brevet provisoire
Ralf R. Buhrmann, MD
Ralf R. Buhrmann, MD
Dr. Buhrmann is a glaucoma specialist and comprehensive ophthalmologist at the University of Ottawa Eye Institute and has a surgical interest in minimally invasive glaucoma surgery and complex cataract surgery. He is the founding director of the University of Ottawa Ophthalmic Surgical Simulation Centre and has pioneered the development of a surgical simulation curriculum for ophthalmology residents. In 2008, he was recognized for this with an Innovation in Medical Education Award from the Academy for Innovation in Medical Education at the University of Ottawa.
Dr. Buhrmann completed medical school at McGill University in 1989 and residency training in ophthalmology there in 1994. He went on to complete his master’s in public health at Johns Hopkins University in 1996 and remained there for an additional two years to complete concurrent fellowships in public health ophthalmology (at the Dana Center for Preventive Ophthalmology) and glaucoma with Dr. Harry Quigley.
In his role with the Canadian Ophthalmological Society, Dr. Buhrmann serves as the president of the Canadian Society of International and Public Health Ophthalmology and as a member of the Continuing Professional Development Committee. At the University of Ottawa Eye Institute, he serves as the chair of the Non-Governmental Institutional Partnership Organization, which facilitates a long-standing institutional partnership with Srikiran Eye Institute in India.
Dr. Buhrmann has spent two years working in Africa including a year with CBM in Sierra Leone and Cameroon. During his time at Johns Hopkins, he served as project director for the Kongwa Eye Project, a research and service outreach in Tanzania. This research formed the basis for his PhD thesis in 2001, which demonstrated the link between vision loss and mortality in this population in rural Tanzania. His public health work in Canada includes leading the development and writing of the “Foundations for a Canadian vision health strategy” in 2006 for the Vision Health Coalition, “Evidence-based guidelines for immigrant and refugee health” (vision chapter) in 2011 for the Canadian Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Health, and documenting the underuse of screening for diabetic retinopathy in Ontario with the Institute of Clinical Evaluative Sciences in Toronto.
Financial disclosure: I have/had an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization:
- Allergan
Varun Chaudhary, MD, FRCSC
Varun Chaudhary, MD, FRCSC
Dr. Chaudhary is a vitreo-retinal surgeon, chief of ophthalmology, and associate professor of surgery at Hamilton Regional Eye Institute, McMaster University.
As an educator, Dr. Chaudhary acts as retina chair for the McMaster University ophthalmology residency training program and was twice awarded the Teacher of the Year Award.
As a researcher, he has secured multiple peer-reviewed grants for research in age related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and posterior segment drug delivery systems. He is the site principal investigator for the international DRCR network and sits on the steering committee for multi-national clinical trials in retina. Dr. Chaudhary supervises master’s level thesis students in translational retinal research and was appointed associate member, McMaster School of Biomedical Engineering. He acts a section editor, retina & vitreous for the Canadian Journal of Ophthalmology. He was awarded the Honor Award by the American Society of Retinal Specialists.
Dr. Chaudhary’s administrative experience extends to the provincial level as regional physician lead for ophthalmology and as clinical advisor for multiple provincial ophthalmology working groups. At the national level, he was appointed as the CPD director for the Canadian Retina Society.
Financial disclosure: I have/had an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization:
- Novartis
- Bayer
- Allergan
Jean Deschênes, MD
Jean Deschênes, MD
Dr. Deschênes is professor of ophthalmology at McGill University. His main clinical and research interests are treating immune-related problems of the eye involving uveitis, cornea, and the anterior segment.
He was the first in the Department of Ophthalmology to become a Chercheur Boursier for the Fonds de Recherche en Santé du Québec for funds to support his work in ocular immunology. Thus, Dr. Deschênes set up a practice centre for seeing patients in ocular immunology dealing with uveitis, external disease and cornea.
In teaching, a new section of ophthalmology, concerning ocular immunology and uveitis, was set up, a facility that was unique in Quebec and Canada and became well known. With all of the developments in ocular immunology occurring at McGill, there were many publications and invitations for Dr. Deschênes to write chapters in prominent textbooks. From the research point of view, his and the research unit’s major contribution has been in the understanding of the normal immunology of the eye and the changes occurring in ocular inflammation.
In addition, over the years, innovative treatments were developed in the ocular immunology and AIDS clinics. Beyond the research done and treatments developed at the research ophthalmology immunology unit, it was not long after its creation that the unit began to produce additional ocular immunologists, with fellows and research trainees doing rotations under the direction of Dr. Deschênes. Many of the residents and fellows who worked with Dr. Deschênes are now well established in university centers in Canada, South America and the United States.
Ocular immunology has become an important part of the program for teaching clinical care and research. Its international reputation is growing and McGill is known as a center where treatment of immune diseases of the eye is first rate with excellent research being done.
In addition to his work at McGill and its hospitals, Dr. Deschênes has also found time to be active in many professional associations including, among others, the Canadian Ophthalmological Society, the Association des Médecins Ophtalmologistes du Québec as president and the International Uveitis Study Group. He has also been an Associate Dean in the Faculty of Medicine and acted as the Residency Training Program Director.
The university’s reputation as a leading centre in immune disease treatment and research can largely be attributed to Dr. Deschênes’ work. He is a first-rate teacher and role model for colleagues and students, combining clinical ophthalmology and research. A prodigious worker, it is fortunate that he is physically strong, a quality that he goes to great lengths to maintain, including having a gymnasium installed in the basement of his house. Despite being incredibly busy and in demand, he always finds time to talk to colleagues and residents. He is indeed a leader in his field and has brought luster to the McGill Department. That he can perform all of the duties of a clinician, as well as those of an internationally known researcher, is indeed remarkable.
Jim Farmer, MD, FRCSC, FRCPC
Jim Farmer, MD, FRCSC, FRCPC
Dr. Farmer is an adjunct associate professor of ophthalmology, and pathology and molecular medicine (cross appointment) at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, and an assistant professor of laboratory medicine (anatomical pathology) with a cross appointment in ophthalmology at the University of Ottawa. He graduated from the University of Ottawa Medical School and completed his residency in ophthalmology at the University of Ottawa and then a Fellowship in pediatric ophthalmology, strabismus and pediatric neuro-ophthalmology with Drs. A. Jampolsky, A. Scott, and C. Hoyt at the Smith Kettlewell Institute of Visual Science in San Francisco, California, and the University of California, San Francisco. He completed a residency in anatomical pathology at the University of Vermont in Burlington, Vermont, and the University of Ottawa. He is section chair of the Canadian Ophthalmic Pathology Society and a member of the Eastern Ophthalmic Pathology Society based in the United States.
Financial disclosure: I have/had an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization:
- CNIB Eye Van
Jit Gohill, MD
Jit Gohill, MD
Dr. Gohill is a general ophthalmologist, practising in Calgary for the past 22 years. He did his PhD in immunology and graduated from the University of Calgary medical school in 1990. He is currently a clinical assistant professor at the University of Calgary where he continues to teach. He has won several teaching awards. He has a busy cataract and glaucoma practice.
Financial disclosure: I have/had an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization:
- Pfizer
- Alcon
- Allergan
- Shire
- Bausch + Lomb
Lisa Gould, MD
Lisa Gould, MD
Dr. Gould is an associate professor of ophthalmology at the University of Manitoba. She obtained her medical degree from the University of Manitoba, and after an internship at the Victoria Hospital in London, Ontario, she completed her residency in ophthalmology at the University of Toronto, followed by a glaucoma fellowship under the direction of Dr. Graham Trope.
In addition to a busy surgical and medical glaucoma practice, Dr. Gould is actively involved in teaching residents and fellows. She is currently developing a professionalism curriculum for postgraduate medical education at the university, and is the residency glaucoma lead and the glaucoma fellowship director. Dr. Gould’s interest in indigenous health has led her to work in the past as a visiting consultant to northern communities, as well as a consultant for the First Nations Inuit Health Branch.
Dr. Gould serves on several committees locally and nationally, including the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Glaucoma Research Society of Canada.
Financial disclosure: I have/had an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization:
- Aerie
- Bayer
Cindy M.L. Hutnik, MD, PhD, FRCSC
Cindy M.L. Hutnik, MD, PhD, FRCSC
Dr. Hutnik is a full professor in the Departments of Ophthalmology and Pathology at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry. She served as medical director of the Ophthalmology Basic Science Laboratory at the Lawson Health Research Institute in the Centre for Clinical Investigation and Therapeutics for 18 years and chair of research in the Department of Ophthalmology for 15 years. She earned her doctoral degree at the National Research Council followed by undergraduate medical training, both in Ottawa, Canada. She then obtained her ophthalmology training at the University of Western Ontario, in London, Canada followed by subspecialty glaucoma training under the mentorship of Dr. Paul Kaufman at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA. She currently is a member of a number of editorial and research review boards. This includes medical education section editor for the Canadian Journal of Ophthalmology. She supervises an independent program of clinical, basic science, educational research and collaborates with local colleagues engaged in health economics research.
Her administrative roles have included faculty chair of the Summer Research Training Program at the University of Western Ontario as well as membership on the Faculty Clinician-Scientist Committee, Medical Advisory Committee of the Canadian National Institute for the Blind Mobile Eye Care Program, councilor of the Canadian Glaucoma Society and co-chair of the Canadian Glaucoma Clinical Research Council. She also served on the clinical expert panel for the creation of Ontario glaucoma quality standards. Currently, she is the provincial glaucoma representative on the Tariff Committee of the Eye Physician and Surgeons of Ontario, clinical advisor to the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH) and recently elected as the chair of the National Poster Award Committee of the Canadian Ophthalmological Society.
Her major research interest is focused on the pathophysiology and management of glaucoma with a sub-interest in ocular surface and macular disease. She has supervised and mentored in research more than 250 students at all levels of training ranging from high school to graduate science and medicine. Her work has been presented and published both nationally and internationally and has been recognized with over 70 awards. She continues to have keen interest in the development of novel and/or optimization of existing treatments for patients with glaucoma. In addition to research she is engaged in a number of initiatives such as an objective model of competency based medical education, a multi-level microsurgical instruction course, collaborative models of eye care and global partnerships between the Schulich School and key centres in China.
Financial disclosure: I have/had an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization.
- Alcon
- Novartis
- Allergan
Delan Jinapriya, MD
Delan Jinapriya, MD
Dr. Jinapriya is a glaucoma specialist in the Department of Ophthalmology of the Kingston Health Sciences Centre, an assistant professor at Queen’s University, and the medical director of the Galen Eye Centre in Kingston, Ontario. He is dedicated to medical and surgical tertiary-level glaucoma care for a territory spanning from Brighton to Brockville. He completed his residency training at Queen’s University and his fellowship at the Toronto Western Hospital under the mentorship of Dr. Graham Trope and Dr. Yvonne Buys. He has a passion for education and is actively involved in the Queen’s Residency Training Program.
Financial disclosure: I have/had an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization:
- Allergan
- Shire
- Aerie
Stephanie Low, MD
Stephanie Low, MD
Dr. Low is currently a fifth year ophthalmology resident at the University of Toronto, where she also served as chief resident. She completed her bachelor of health sciences degree at McMaster University and received her doctor of medicine from the University of Toronto. Dr. Low moderated the highly successful Symposium for Residents and Young Ophthalmologists in Montréal in 2017, and looks forward to delivering an even stronger program in 2018 as the session chair in Toronto. She is the past vice president and current president of the Council of Canadian Ophthalmology Residents.
Financial disclosure: I do not have any affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization.
Colin Mann, MD
Colin Mann, MD
Dr. Mann is a comprehensive community ophthalmologist based in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia. He is a lecturer in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at Dalhousie University. He completed his medical and residency training at Dalhousie University. He has served on the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) Nucleus Committee of the Specialty Committee in Ophthalmology and as the National Specialty Observer on the Specialty Committee in Ophthalmology.
Dr. Mann has also served on various committees of both the Royal College and the Canadian Ophthalmological Society (COS) in the area of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and is serving on the Board of the COS. He chairs the COS Council on CPD, as well as the Maintenance of Certification Committee of the COS. He is currently serving on the RCPSC National Advisory Committee on Competency-Based CPD.
Financial disclosure: I do not have any affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization.
Samuel N. Markowitz, MD
Samuel N. Markowitz, MD
Dr. Markowitz is the director of the Low Vision Rehabilitation Program in the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Toronto and works at the Toronto Western Hospital within the University Health Network. He is a professor of ophthalmology at the University of Toronto.
Currently Dr. Markowitz serves as section editor for vision rehabilitation for the Canadian Journal of Ophthalmology. He is co-chair of the Sub-Committee on Low Vision Rehabilitation for the Eye Health Council of Ontario, a member of the Executive Committee of the International Society for Low Vision Research and Rehabilitation, a member of the Scientific Committee of the WHO-International Consensus Task Force on Low Vision Rehabilitation standards, a past member of the International Scientific Committee preparing the 9th International Low Vision Conference in Montréal, and a past member of the Vision Rehabilitation Committee of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
Dr. Markowitz is an ophthalmology fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and also holds certification from the American Board of Ophthalmology. He is a fellowship trained glaucoma subspecialist with a certificate from the University of Toronto and also holds a diploma in low vision rehabilitation from the New York Lighthouse International Institute.
Dr. Markowitz has been involved in clinical practice, teaching and research in low vision rehabilitation for the past 18 years. He is active in research and practice in the following domains: accessibility and barriers to low vision rehabilitation, characteristics of scotomata and of preferred retinal loci, identification of residual potential visual acuity, rehabilitation with surgical telescopic magnification, and with prisms toward PRL, rehabilitation of residual oculomotor characteristics including stereopsis, fixation location and fixation stability, microperimetry assessment, residual chromatic vision, restitution of vision in older children with amblyopia, field expansion in stroke, retinitis pigmentosa and end-stage glaucoma, interventions to promote brain plasticity and development of indoor navigation systems for the visually impaired and retinal prosthesis applications in low vision.
Dr. Markowitz has published many research papers in low vision rehabilitation in leading national and international journals and has lectured on those topics locally, nationally, and internationally. In 2003, the university approved a Low Vision Rehabilitation Fellowship program within the Department of Ophthalmology that was initiated by Dr. Markowitz. Today, graduates from this program practice low vision rehabilitation in Canada and as far away as Singapore.
Dr. Markowitz was recognized with the Secretariat Award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology for service and leadership in the development of scientific and continuous education programs at the 2003 to 2006 Annual Meetings; in 2007 with the Distinguished Service Award from the Low Vision Rehabilitation Section of the American Optometric Association for professional accomplishments in Low Vision Rehabilitation; in 2009 with the Achievement Award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology for professional accomplishments in Low Vision Rehabilitation, and in 2009 for outstanding service to the profession of ophthalmology by the American Academy of Ophthalmology for the development and maintenance of the Preferred Practice Patterns guidelines. In 2014, Dr. Markowitz was recognized by and formally introduced to Her Majesty the Queen Mathilde of Belgium on the occasion of a special presentation that was given during De Markgrave Conference on Low Vision Rehabilitation in Antwerp on the “State of the art for low vision rehabilitation.” The Queen was in attendance during the presentation.
Financial disclosure: I have/had an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization:
- LumiThera
- eSight
Nav Nijhawan, MD, FRCSC, DABO
Nav Nijhawan, MD, FRCSC, DABO
Ophthalmologist specializing in Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Lakeridge Health, Oshawa
Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology, University of Toronto
Assistant Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology, McMaster University
Dr. Nijhawan graduated from the University of Toronto Medical School and completed his residency in ophthalmology there. He received the American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Fellowship at the University of Toronto, which he completed in 2003.
Dr. Nijhawan is a speaker and educator on topics related to ophthalmic plastic and reconstructive surgery and is actively involved in teaching medical students, residents and fellows. He is an assistant professor of ophthalmology at the University of Toronto and McMaster University and is on staff at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto and Lakeridge Health in Oshawa. In 2012, he was awarded the University of Toronto’s Department of Ophthalmology Golden Suture Award for resident surgical teaching.
In 2011, he was one of the co-authors who were awarded the American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Research Award for his paper on “Lymphatic drainage patterns of the human eyelid.”
Dr. Nijhawan is also actively involved in promoting more effective and efficient eye care within the province and in the past has been the chair of the Eye Physician and Surgeons of Ontario and is a current member of the Eye Health Council of Ontario.
Financial disclosure: I have/had an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization.
- LaRoche
Jason Noble, MD
Retina
Financial disclosure: I have/had an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization.
- Novartis
- Bayer
- Allergan
- Alcon
- Aequus
Michael D. O’Connor, MD, MSc, FRCSC
Michael D. O’Connor, MD, MSc, FRCSC
Pediatrics
Dr. O’Connor is assistant professor of ophthalmology, University of Ottawa; and staff ophthalmologist, The Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario and the University of Ottawa Eye Institute.
Dr. O’Connor completed his master’s (1997) and medical degrees (2001) at Queen’s University in Kingston. He completed residency training at the University of Ottawa in 2006, followed by a fellowship in Paediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. In 2007, joined the Department of Ophthalmology in Ottawa, dividing his time between pediatric and adult practice.
Dr. O’Connor has a broad range of interests. He served as the president of the Canadian Orthoptic Council from 2012-2015, and is the current president of the Canadian Association of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus. From 2007 to 2016, he led the preclerkship undergraduate ophthalmology anglophone teaching at the University of Ottawa Medical School. Among his distinctions for excellence in clinical teaching at the post-graduate teaching level, he is a three-time recipient of the PARO Teaching Award. Since 2015, he has been the Director for the Paediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus Fellowship.
Financial disclosure: I do not have any affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization.
Amadeo Rodriguez, MD
Amadeo Rodriguez, MD
Dr. Rodriguez is an ophthalmologist with subspecialty fellowship training in neuro-ophthalmology. He earned his MD from the Universidad Nacional de Cordoba in Argentina, and completed his residency in ophthalmology in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He completed a clinical fellowship in neuro-ophthalmology at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, and joined McMaster University in December 2008 where he holds an appointment as associate professor of ophthalmology and neurology.
Financial disclosure: I do not have any affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization.
Hady Saheb, MD
Hady Saheb, MD
Dr. Saheb is currently assistant professor of ophthalmology, glaucoma fellowship co-director and director of resident research at McGill University. Dr. Saheb earned his medical degree and completed his residency at McGill University. He was then a glaucoma fellow at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami and subsequently completed a second fellowship in novel glaucoma surgical devices and complex anterior segment surgery with Dr. Ike Ahmed at the University of Toronto. He also completed a master’s degree in public health at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, with an interest in clinical trials and health leadership.
Dr. Saheb has received several awards including the Frank Buller Award for Best Clinical Instructor at McGill University in 2015 and 2016. He has written articles in peer-reviewed publications and book chapters and has spoken at multiple national and international meetings. Dr. Saheb has also chaired multiple local and national meetings, including the Canadian Glaucoma Society meeting, the glaucoma section of the Canadian Ophthalmology Society meeting, McGill Ophthalmology Day, and McGill Research Day.
Financial disclosure: I have/had an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization.
- Alcon, Novartis
- Johnson & Johnson
- Bausch + Lomb
- Zeiss
- Labtician
- Glaukos
Steven Schendel, MD
Steven Schendel, MD
Dr. Schendel is a member of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of British Columbia, and practices at the Vancouver General Hospital Eye Care Centre. He received his MD at the University of Alberta, and moved to Vancouver to commence his residency training at UBC. Upon finishing his Royal College examinations, he completed a glaucoma fellowship at the Sydney Eye Hospital in Sydney, Australia. Dr. Schendel served as the chair of the Planning Committee for the Canadian Glaucoma Society Annual Meeting in Mont Tremblant, Quebec in 2017, and will be chairing the Planning Committee for the Glaucoma section of the COS Annual Meeting in 2019. His clinical work is focused on glaucoma and cataract, and he is the OR director at VGH Eye Care Centre OR.
Financial disclosure: I have/had an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization:
- Alcon
- Allergan
- Glaukos
- Novartis
- Johnson & Johnson
Allan Slomovic, MD
Allan Slomovic, MD
Dr. Slomovic is the research director of the Cornea/External Disease Service at the Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network. He is also the President of the Canadian Ophthalmological Society and immediate past chair of Continuing Professional Development and previous chair of the Canadian Cornea and External Disease Society for the Canadian Ophthalmological Society. Dr. Slomovic is a professor of ophthalmology at the University of Toronto and the Marta and Owen Boris Endowed Chair in Cornea and Stem Cell Research at the University Health Network.
Prior to starting medical school, Dr. Slomovic completed a master’s degree in clinical psychology at the University of Montreal. He then went on to do his medical school training at Memorial University in St. John’s Newfoundland, followed by an internship in internal medicine at The Montreal General Hospital. Dr. Slomovic then went on to complete a 3-year residency training program at the New York University School of Medicine in Manhattan, New York. This was followed by two separate fellowship programs at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami, Florida. The first fellowship was in cornea/external ocular diseases and the second was in laser microsurgery.
Dr. Slomovic has been involved with teaching residents and fellows, and with research and clinical practice over the past 30 years at the University Health Network. He served as the program director for ophthalmology for the University of Toronto for 10 years (1991-2001) and led the program through two successful Royal College reviews. He has also trained 42 fellows in cornea/external ocular diseases of the eye from all over the world, including Canada, United States, Israel, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Great Britain. In 2001, Dr. Slomovic was awarded the Mentor of the Year Award by the Royal College of Physicians of Canada. Dr. Slomovic is the inaugural winner of this award in the province of Ontario. Dr. Slomovic has published numerous articles in the area of cornea/external diseases of the eye and refractive surgery and has also lectured on these topics locally, nationally and internationally. On March 2014, Dr. Slomovic was nominated by Toronto Life as one of Toronto’s best doctors.
Financial disclosure: I have/had an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization:
- National Eye Institute
- Alcon
- Allergan
Joshua Teichman, MD, MPH, FRCSC
Joshua Teichman, MD, MPH, FRCSC
Dr. Teichman received his bachelor of science degree from Queen’s University and his doctor of medicine degree from the University of Western Ontario. He completed a residency in ophthalmology at McMaster University, a research fellowship at the University of Toronto, a master’s degree in public health focusing on clinical epidemiology and biostatistics, and a surgical fellowship in cornea, external disease, anterior segment, and refractive surgery at the University of Ottawa.
Dr. Teichman has won numerous awards including a Resident Excellence Award from the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery and research awards from the Canadian Ophthalmological Society, the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery. He is on staff at Trillium Health Partners, is in private practice at Prism Eye Institute and TLC Mississauga, and holds a faculty position at the University of Toronto.
Financial disclosure: I have/had an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization.
- Allergan
- Santen
- Shire
Devesh Varma, MD, BEng
Devesh Varma, MD, BEng
Dr. Varma is recognized across Canada as an emerging leader in ophthalmology.
He specializes in the full range of glaucoma surgery performing both traditional and a variety of new minimally invasive procedures. In addition to routine and refractive cataract surgery, he has particular expertise in high risk cataracts, the repair of complications from cataract surgery and reconstruction of the front portion of the eye.
He completed a bachelor’s degree in engineering at Dalhousie University in Halifax where he graduated first in his class and was awarded the University Medal. He went on to complete his medical school training in Halifax and then a residency in ophthalmology in Saskatoon which he completed in 2009. He pursued further training at the University of Toronto under Dr. Ike Ahmed, as a subspecialist in glaucoma and advanced anterior segment surgery.
After his fellowship, Dr. Varma joined Dr. Ahmed as a partner at the Prism Eye Institute – a large multidisciplinary practice with locations in Mississauga and Brampton. He performs surgery at Trillium Health Partners in Mississauga, Kensington Eye Institute and TLC Mississauga. Dr. Varma is an assistant professor of ophthalmology at the University of Toronto, where he leads undergraduate ophthalmology teaching at the Mississauga campus, teaches residents, fellows and delivers a wide variety of continuing education programs for practicing physicians.
He actively conducts research and has special interests in angle closure glaucoma and new technologies, having authored over 20 publications and delivered over 60 presentations at national and international conferences.
Financial disclosure: I have/had an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization.
- Alcon
- Allergan
- Johnson & Johnson
- Glaukos
- New World Medical
Vivian Yin, MD
Vivian Yin, MD
Dr. Vivian Yin has been an assistant professor at the University of British Columbia since 2014, after prestigious 2-year fellowship training in ophthalmic plastic and reconstructive surgery at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. Although she grew up in Maple Ridge, she completed her medical school and residency in ophthalmology at the University of Toronto. She is widely published and speaks internationally on topics of periocular and orbital oncology, reconstructive surgery and facial rejuvenation.
Dr. Yin has a special interest in global health and holds a master’s degree in public health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She generously volunteers her spare time to work toward eliminating preventable blindness and is on the board for Seva Canada, a Vancouver-based eye health NGO. She has previously worked with ORBIS, the flying eye hospital, the Urban Angels, and So Kids Can See.
Financial disclosure: I have/had an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization:
- Merz Pharma
- Hoffman – La Roche