Yvonne M. Buys, MD
Yvonne M. Buys, MD
Chair, 2017 COS Annual Meeting Planning Committee
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; past 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 other organizations. 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.
Kashif Baig, MBA, MD
Kashif Baig, MBA, MD
Cornea
Dr. Baig is a cornea, anterior segment, and refractive surgeon providing tertiary level care at the University of Ottawa Eye Institute. He is an assistant professor at the University of Ottawa, pediatric cornea consultant at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, principal investigator at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, and director of clinical and research fellowships in cornea, anterior segment, and refractive surgery. He is also the president of the Canadian Cornea, External Disease, and Refractive Surgery Society.
He completed his medical and residency training at McGill University, Master of Business Administration degree (Health Services Management) at McMaster University, and fellowship training in the United States. He has a strong interest in the development and implementation of surgical innovations in corneal and anterior segment surgery.
Financial disclosure: I have/had an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization.
- Johnson & Johnson Vision
- Alcon
- Allergan
- Bausch and Lomb
- Concordia Rx
- Labtician
- LinCor Biosciences
- Merck
- Moria Surgical
- Santen Canada
Lorne Bellan, MD
Ergonomics session
Financial disclosure: I do not have any affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization.
Ralf A. Buhrmann, MD
Ralf A. Buhrmann, MD
International and Public Health Ophthalmology
Dr. Buhrmann is a glaucoma specialist and comprehensive ophthalmologist at the University of Ottawa Eye Institute. He 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 “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 underutilization of screening for diabetic retinopathy in Ontario with the Institute of Clinical Evaluative Sciences in Toronto.
Andrew Crichton, MD
Glaucoma
Jean Deschênes, MD
Jean Deschênes, MD
Uveitis
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, the cornea, and the anterior segment.
He was the first person in the Department of Ophthalmology to become a Chercheur Boursier for the Fonds de Recherche en Santé du Québec receiving funds to support his work in ocular immunology. He used this award to set up a practice centre for seeing patients in ocular immunology dealing with uveitis, external disease, and cornea.
In teaching, he set up a new section of ophthalmology concerning ocular immunology and uveitis, a facility that was unique in Quebec and Canada, and became well known. With all of the developments in ocular immunology occurring at McGill, Dr. Deschênes receives many invitations 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.
Over the years, innovative treatments have been 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 him are now well established in university centres 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 centre 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.
Financial disclosure: I do not have any affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization.
Jane A. Gardiner, MD
Pediatrics
Dr. Gardiner graduated from Memorial University of Newfoundland in St. John’s and went on to do a residency in ophthalmology at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. She subsequently did a fellowship in oculoplastics at UBC and Moorfields Eye Hospital and a fellowship in pediatric ophthalmology at the Hospital for Sick Children. She returned to British Columbia Children’s Hospital in 2000, where she is currently on staff.
Dr. Gardiner is a clinical professor at the University of British Columbia, where she is actively involved with the Faculty of Medicine. She is currently the undergraduate director for ophthalmology at UBC and teaches medical students, residents, and fellows regularly.
At the national level, she is a Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons examiner in ophthalmology and president of the Canadian Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus.
Financial disclosure: I have/had an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization.
- Vertex
Jit Gohill, MD
Jit Gohill, MD
Cataract
Karim Hammamji, MD
Retina
Simon Holland, MD
International and Public Health Ophthalmology
Financial disclosure: I have/had an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization.
- Alcon
Delan Jinapriya, MD
Delan Jinapriya, MD
Surgical Skills Transfer Courses
Financial disclosure: I have/had an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization.
- Aerie Pharmaceuticals
- Alcon
- Allergan
- Bausch and Lomb
Amin Kherani, MD
Amin Kherani, MD
Dr. Kherani is an ophthalmologist, vitreoretinal specialist, and associate clinical professor at the University of Calgary. He has been a strong program advocate locally helping shape academic growth within the residency program as the inaugural program director; he also co-directs the retinal fellowship program in Calgary. He has been instrumental in the growth and development of the conjoint uveitis-rheumatology program, a unique collaboration of specialists to help this complex group of patients. He is a cofounder of both Calgary Retina Consultants and Southern Alberta Eye Centre, a state-of-the-art integrated diagnostic, clinical and outpatient surgery facility.
In addition to his busy practice, Dr. Kherani is very active as a surgical educator and lecturer and maintains a substantial academic and research program, making significant contributions to the medical literature. He volunteers as the president of the University Eye Foundation, a local charity that support ophthalmology program development. Recently, he was appointed president of the Canadian Retina Society.
Financial disclosure: I have/had an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization.
- Bayer
- Abbott
- Allergan
- Alcon
- Roche-Genentech
- Novartis
- Amgen
- Ontario genomics,
- University of British Columbia
- Bausch & Lomb
Robert LaRoche, MD, FRCSC
Robert LaRoche, MD, FRCSC
Awards and Posters
Professor of Ophthalmology
Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Dalhousie University
Division Chief, Pediatric Ophthalmology and Adult Strabismus
IWK Health Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Dr. LaRoche obtained his MD and a residency in ophthalmology at Laval University in Québec, Canada. This was followed by a fellowship in pediatric ophthalmology and adult strabismus at McGill University as well as a year at Baylor College with Gunter von Noorden. This led to a clinical teaching career in the department of ophthalmology at Dalhousie University in Halifax. The dynamic environment of both Dalhousie and the IWK Health Centre have helped Dr. LaRoche develop a comprehensive academic tertiary care centre there serving eastern Canada.
For three decades, Dr. LaRoche has continued to be influential in pediatric ophthalmology, adult strabismus care, and public health policies devoted to children’s vision in Canada. He was a founding member of the Canadian Association of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, has been a board member of both the International Strabismological Association and the American Association of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, as well as a long-term director of the Canadian Orthoptic Council and its American counterpart. He was also the representative of the Canadian Ophthalmological Society on the Joint Commission of Allied Professionals in Ophthalmology.
After many years of dedication to the development and recognition of the orthoptic profession in Canada and abroad, Dr. LaRoche oversaw the Halifax orthoptic training program as it evolved into the only University-based graduate and master’s study program in that field in North America. The program has graduates on practically all continents and provides internationally recognized educational expertise to both on-site and distance students.
Dr. LaRoche was residency program director in ophthalmology for over a decade and now continues as post-residency fellowship director in pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus at Dalhousie. For the last 10 years, Dr. LaRoche has been the co-organizer of the only national Symposium for Ethics Teaching aimed specifically at ophthalmology residents. He also continues to be involved in teaching and clinical research, with a regular output of peer-reviewed publications, graduate students’ theses, as well as chapters and various other communications. He is a frequent lecturer at Canadian and other Universities, as well as at national and international meetings.
On a national level of specialty development, medical policy, and teaching, Dr. LaRoche is involved with the Royal College of Physician and Surgeons of Canada as a member of its council and other committees.
Outside work, Dr. LaRoche enjoys a well-prepared meal – even of his own making, well played “real” music, a good rough paddle on the sea, or a ski trip. But above all, he enjoys his lively family of high achievers, including two young busy grandchildren.
Financial disclosure: I do not have any affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization.
Samuel N. Markowitz, MD
Samuel N. Markowitz, MD
Low vision rehabilitation
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 sub-specialist 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 towards 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.
Nav Nijhawan, MD, FRCSC, DABO
Nav Nijhawan, MD
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 in the province; in the past, he has been the chair of Eye Physicians 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.
- Bayer
Amandeep Rai, MD
Symposium for Young Ophthalmologists and Residents
Dr. Rai is a PGY5 ophthalmology resident at the University of Toronto, where he has served as chief resident. He joined the Annual Meeting Planning Committee for COS 2016 in Ottawa, and returns to serve in the same role for COS 2017 in Montréal. As session chair for the residents’ symposium in Ottawa, he organized a highly successful and acclaimed program for our Canadian ophthalmology residents, and we look forward to an even stronger program in 2017. Dr. Rai also serves as the president of the Canadian Council of Ophthalmology Residents.
Financial disclosure: I do not have any affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization.
Amadeo Rodriguez, MD
Neuro-ophthalmology
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, MPH, FRCSC
Hady Saheb, MD, MPH, FRCSC
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.
Allan Slomovic, MD
Allan Slomovic, MD
Ocular Regenerative Medicine
Dr. Slomovic is the research director of the Cornea/External Disease Service at the Toronto Western Hospital, University Health network. He is also past-president of 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.
Before 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 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.
- Alcon Canada
- Bausch and Lomb
- Allergan
Devesh Varma MD, BEng
Devesh Varma MD, BEng, FRCSC
Cataract
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 practising physicians.
He actively conducts research and has special interest in angle closure glaucoma and new technologies, having authored over 20 publications and delivered over 60 presentations at national and international conferences.
Valerie A. White, MD
Ophthalmologic Pathology
Dr. White is an anatomic pathologist with subspecialty interest in ophthalmic pathology; she has practised for 28 years in the Department of Pathology at Vancouver General Hospital, participating in resident teaching in pathology and ophthalmology. She is a professor at the University of British Columbia with dual appointments in the departments of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences. She is section editor for general pathology for the Canadian Journal of Ophthalmology and will be organizing the Canadian Ophthalmic Pathology Society meeting at this year’s COS conference in Montréal.
In the last two years, one of Dr. White’s major activities has been participating in the rewriting of the Lacrimal Gland chapter for the 8th edition of the AJCC staging system of the TNM classification for malignancies. Her long-term research interests include ophthalmic malignancies and the correlation of eye and brain pathology in cerebral malaria.
Financial disclosure: I do not have any affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization.