Mona Dagher, MD
Mona H. Dagher MD
Chair, 2019 COS Annual Meeting Planning Committee
Dr. Dagher is currently a professor of ophthalmology at the Université de Montréal, head of the cornea service and director of the cornea fellowship. She is on staff at CHUM where she teaches medical students, ophthalmology residents and cornea fellows. She is director of ophthalmology research at Centre Hospitalier de l’université de Montréal, and trains MSc and PhD students.
Dr. Dagher completed her undergraduate degree at McGill University where she received the Hilda Diana Oakley scholarship for ranking top female student at McGill. She then completed her medical degree and specialization in ophthalmology at the Université de Montréal, graduating on the dean’s honor list. Dr. Dagher then pursued post-doctoral fellowship training in cornea, external eye diseases, and refractive surgery at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary.
Dr. Dagher has brought her expertise on keratoprosthesis surgery to Canada after conducting considerable research and clinical work at Harvard Medical School under the mentorship of Dr Claes Dohlman.
After restoring sight to several Canadian patients through implantation of the Boson Keratoprosthesis, Dr. Dagher was chosen ‘Personality of the Week’ by La Presse newspaper and Radio-Canada.
Dr. Dagher has completed extensive research projects in the field of ophthalmology and more particularly, on the Boston Keratoprosthesis and on refractive surgery.
Dr. Dagher has published numerous articles and acts as a reviewer for ophthalmology journals. She has also authored numerous book chapters on the subject of cornea and external eye diseases. Dr. Dagher has been a guest lecturer at ophthalmology conferences internationally.
Financial disclosure: Dr. Dagher does not have any affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization.
Danah Albreiki, MD
Danah Albreiki, MD
Neuro-ophthalmology
Dr. Albreiki moved from Saudi Arabia to complete her residency training in ophthalmology at the University of Ottawa. She then proceeded with a subspecialty in neuro-ophthalmology and adult strabismus surgery at the Eye Institute under the mentorship of Dr. Vivek Patel in 2012. Dr. Albreiki is now an assistant professor at the Eye Institute. Dr. Albreiki has a passion for teaching, and was privileged to be the first to win the “Dr. William Clarke” medical teaching award two years in a row in 2015 and 2016.
Dr. Albreiki has a research interest in GCA and medical education. She is a member of the EYE VAN, the co-director of the ophthalmology undergraduate Anglo stream program, co-advisor for the ophthalmology interest group, the founder of the Mentor to Inspire mentorship program for ophthalmology residents, and an examiner for the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
Financial disclosure: Dr. Albreiki does not have any affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization.
Kashif Baig, MD
Kashif Baig, 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: Dr. Baig has/had an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization:
- Allergan
- Labtician
- Santen
Isabelle Brunette, MD
Isabelle Brunette, MD
Ocular Regenerative Medicine
After 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 Center, and director of the FRQS 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 towards translational research and is funded mainly by CIHR and NSERC. 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: Dr. Brunette has/had an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization:
- Valeant Canada
- AMO
- Brevet provisoire
Ralf R. Buhrmann, MD
Ralf R. Buhrmann, MD
Public Health and Global Ophthalmology
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 underutilization of screening for diabetic retinopathy in Ontario with the Institute of Clinical Evaluative Sciences in Toronto.
Toby Chan, MD
Toby Chan, MD
Glaucoma
Dr. Chan is an assistant clinical professor (adjunct) of ophthalmology at the McMaster University. He has a glaucoma and anterior segment surgery practice as part of the Ocular Health Centre in Kitchener, Ontario.
He received his medical degree at the University of Ottawa and completed residency at the University of Western Ontario. During residency, he received the Best Glaucoma Research Proposal Award from the Canadian Glaucoma Society, and achieved third place for the Canadian Ophthalmological Society Award for Excellence in Research. Under the tutelage of Drs. Ike Ahmed, Devesh Varma and Tom Klein, he completed a fellowship in glaucoma and advanced anterior segment surgery at the University of Toronto.
Dr. Chan served as chair of the planning committee for the Canadian Glaucoma Society annual meeting in 2018, and was co-director of the glaucoma skills transfer course at the Canadian Ophthalmological Society annual meeting in 2017 and at the International Congress on Glaucoma Surgery in 2018. In addition to authoring 5 textbook chapters and 13 journal articles, he has given over 50 presentations in national and international conferences. His current research focus is in novel glaucoma treatment options, anterior segment reconstruction, and use of technologies in improving the patient experience and medical education.
Financial disclosure: Dr. Chan has/had an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization:
- Aequus
- Alcon
- Allergan
- Bausch + Lomb
- Johnson & Johnson Vision
- Labtician Thea
- Novartis
Varun Chaudhary, MD, FRCSC
Varun Chaudhary, MD
Retina
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, he acts as retina chair for the McMaster University Ophthalmology residency training program and has been the recipient of the surgical and medical Teacher of the Year Award three times.
As a researcher, Dr. Chaudhary has secured multiple peer-reviewed grants for research in tele-ophthalmology, 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 as editor-in-chief for the Canadian Journal of Ophthalmology. He was awarded the Senior 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 acts as CPD director for the Canadian Retina Society and serves as a board member for the Canadian Retina Society.
Financial disclosure: Dr. Chaudhary has/had an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization:
- Novartis
- Bayer
- Allergan
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, 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, supporting his work in ocular immunology. As a result, 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 that 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.
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 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: Dr. Deschênes has/had an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization:
- NIH
- NEI
- Imprimis
Jim Farmer, MD, FRCSC, FRCPC
Jim Farmer, MD
Pathology
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.
Dr. Farmer 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 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: Dr. Farmer does not have any affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization.
Jit Gohill, MD
Jit Gohill, MD
Cataract Surgery
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: Dr. Gohill has/had an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization:
- Alcon
- Shire
Patrick Gooi, MD
Patrick Gooi, MD
Surgical Skills Transfer Courses
Dr. Gooi is the glaucoma subsection lead and a clinical lecturer at the University of Calgary. He specializes in the surgical management of glaucoma, complex cataract, and anterior segment reconstruction.
Dr. Gooi is enthusiastically involved in medical education and innovation, being a Western Canadian leader in novel glaucoma surgeries such as XEN, GATT, and iStent Inject. His group currently is the world leader in publications on the use of GoPRO® cameras in medicine.
In addition to Dr. Gooi’s 18 publications, he has presented over 30 papers at national and international meetings such as the Canadian Ophthalmological Society and the American Academy of Ophthalmology. He served as the co-director for the Cataract Skills Transfer Course at the Canadian Ophthalmological Society meeting 2018. He also sits on the Patient Care and Innovation Committee of the Canadian Glaucoma Society.
Financial disclosure: Dr. Gooi has/had an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization:
- Allergan
- Glaukos
- Novartis
Cindy M.L. Hutnik, MD, PhD, FRCSC
Cindy M.L. Hutnik, MD
Awards and Posters
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.
Dr. Hutnik’s 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, and was recently elected chair of the National Poster Award Committee of the Canadian Ophthalmological Society.
Dr. Hutnik’s major research interest is 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: Dr. Hutnik has/had an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization.
- Allergan
- Bausch & Lomb
- Santen
- Novartis
Femida Kherani, MD
Women in Ophthalmology
Micah Luong, MD
Vision Rehabilitation
Colin Mann, MD
Colin Mann, MD
Physician Wellness
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 RCPSC 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: Dr. Mann has/had an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization:
- Johnson & Johnson
Milad Modabber, MD
Milad Modabber, MD
Symposium for Young Ophthalmologists and Residents
Dr. Modabber completed medical school at McMaster University and is in his final year of residency in ophthalmology at McGill University. He will be pursuing a clinical fellowship in cornea and anterior segment surgery next year.
Dr. Modabber maintains an active interest in global health, program development and the provision of eye care to underserviced communities, both in Canada and internationally. To date, he has worked with organizations such as ORBIS, the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, and United Medical Relief to help provide care in more than 5 countries worldwide.
Financial disclosure: Dr. Modabber does not have any affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization.
Nav Nijhawan, MD, FRCSC, DABO
Nav Nijhawan, MD
Oculoplastics
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: Dr. Nijhawan has/had an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization:
- Bayer
- Roche
Jason Noble, MD
Retina
Dr. Noble is an ophthalmologist and medical retina specialist. He is board certified in ophthalmology in Canada and the United States. He attended the University of Toronto for his residency training in ophthalmology and then pursued a fellowship in medical retina and diabetic eye disease at the Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, training at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear infirmary and the Joslin Diabetes Center.
Dr. Noble is a staff consultant at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and Markham-Stouffville Hospital, and is an assistant professor at the University of Toronto Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences. He is actively involved in medical education and clinical research.
Financial disclosure: Dr. Noble has/had an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization:
- Novartis
- Bayer
- Allergan
- Alcon
- Aequus
Michael O’Connor, MD
Michael O’Connor, MD
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 pediatric 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 to 2015 and is the current president of the Canadian Association of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus. From 2007 to 2016, he led pre-clerkship undergraduate ophthalmology anglophone teaching at the University of Ottawa Medical School. Among his distinctions for excellence in clinical teaching at the postgraduate teaching level, he is a three-time recipient of the PARO Teaching Award. Since 2015, he has been the director for the pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus Fellowship.
Financial disclosure: Dr. O’Connor has/had an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization:
- Bayer
- Santen
Amadeo Rodriguez, MD
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: Dr. Rodriguez does not have any affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization.
Steven Schendel, MD
Steven Schendel, MD
Glaucoma
Dr. Schendel is a member of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of British Columbia, and practises 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. On 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 is 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.
Financial disclosure: Dr. Schendel has/had an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization:
- Alcon
- Allergan
- Bausch & Lomb
- Labtician Thea
- Novartis
- Santen
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 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: Dr. Slomovic has/had an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization:
- Alcon
- Allergan
- Bausch & Lomb
- AMO
- Santen
- Shire
- Dompe
Devesh Varma MD, BEng
Devesh Varma MD
Cataract Surgery
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.
Dr. Varma 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: Dr. Varma has/had an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization:
- Alcon
- Allergan
- Johnson & Johnson
- Glaukos
- Santen
Vivian Yin, MD
Vivian Yin, MD
Public Health and Global Ophthalmology
Dr. Yin has been an assistant professor at the University of British Columbia since 2014, after a 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 also has a special interest in global health and a master’s degree in public health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She generously volunteers her spare time working 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: Dr. Yin has/had an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a commercial organization:
- Merz Pharma
- Hoffman – La-Roche