Spring Update 2022

33rd Annual Ophthalmology Spring Update Saturday, April 23, 20228:00 AM – 1:35 PM 31st Annual Ophthalmology Distinguished Alumnus Elizabeth Hodapp, MDAssociate Professor of Clinical OphthalmologyPediatric Glaucoma Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami Residency 1979 Washington University School of Medicine in St. LouisFellowship 1981Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis 8:00 AM – 8:05 […]

Congratulations! Dr. Lee

Clinical Care–Medical Team Distinguished Service Teaching Award Andrew Lee, MD, has been selected by the Washington University School of Medicine Class of 2022 to receive the “Clinical Care–Medical Team Distinguished Service Teaching Award” for teaching in Academic Year 2020-2021. Dr. Lee along with other selected teaching faculty will be formally recognized by medical school students […]

Congratulations! Mary-Grace Reeves

Mary-Grace Reeves, MD, MBA, incoming DOVS resident on being named Inpatient Intern of the Month, for her work on the VA MICU service This doctor rotated through our ICU here at the VA in January right in the middle of the Omicron surge that both led to short staffed situations and an exceptionally high census […]

Congratulations! Dr. Kerschensteiner

Bernard Becker Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences Daniel Kerschensteiner, MD has been appointed the new Bernard Becker Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences. This scholarship is in acknowledgement for the outstanding leadership he has brought to our department as well as to the fields of neuroscience and the visual sciences

Please Welcome Stephen Wexler, MD

We would like to welcome Dr. Wexler to our clinical faculty! Dr. Wexler will be the director of our new LASIK & Refractive Surgery Center opening in spring 2022. Dr. Stephen Wexler has been performing refractive surgery since 1991. He is one of the most experienced surgeons in the country, having performed more than 70,000 […]

Congratulations! Dr. Chen

Dr. Bernard and Janet R. Becker Distinguished Professor in Ophthalmology Shiming Chen, PhD has been awarded the Dr. Bernard and Janet R. Becker Endowment for Distinguished Professor in Ophthalmology. This endowment, is in acknowledgement for her outstanding work in the field of Ophthalmology, especially in the area of the Molecular Basis of Retinal Gene Expression.

Congratulations! Dr. Bassnett

Grace Nelson Lacy Distinguished Professorship Steven Bassnett, PhD has been appointed the Inaugural Grace Nelson Lacy Distinguished Professor in Ophthalmology. This Scholarship is in acknowledgement of the outstanding work that Dr. Bassnett has contributed to the field of Ophthalmology, and most recently in the field of glaucoma over the past 30 years. This endowment was […]

Congratulations! Andrea Santeford

Andrea Santeford, MS, Research Laboratory Supervisor in the Dr. Apte’s Lab, has led the effort on a paper published in eLife on August 23, 2021. The paper is supported by an NIH grant awarded to the Apte Lab. Age-related inflammation, also known as inflammaging, is a leading driver of multiple aging-related diseases. Andrea Santeford and […]

When YOU have Uveitis

Check out our very own Dr. Lynn Hassman’s discussion in the Summer 2021 issue of the Washington University’s Physicians Newsletter

Congratulations! Joseph Lin

Joseph Lin

Joseph Lin, MSTP MD/PhD student in Dr. Apte’s Lab has been awarded a F30 grant for his project entitled “Role of Stearoyl-CoA Desaturase 2 in Macrophage-mediated Antimicrobal Immunity”

Residents & Fellows Spotlight: Tricia Fernandez, MD

Where are you from? Detroit, Michagan Where did you attend Medical School? Wayne State University Where did you complete your residency? Indiana University Why did you choose Ophthalmology and your specialty? Ophthalmology is a great combination of medicine, surgery, physics, and technology. It’s absolutely fascinating and offers many opportunities to make clear and immediate improvements […]

Residents & Fellows Spotlight: Yi-Hsien (Renee)Yeh, MD

Where are you from? Taipei, Taiwan Where did you attend Medical School? Texas A & M Favorite memory of Medical School? All the new things, friends, mentors, and opportunities that came along while being a medical student; including graduating on Zoom and the virtual party after the ceremony. Favorite memory of your intern residency year? […]

Incoming Residents & Fellows Spotlight: Charles “Max” Medert, MD

Where are you from? Cincinnati, OH Where did you attend Medical School? Emory University School of Medicine Where did you complete your residency? Bascom Palmer Eye Institute Why did you choose Ophthalmology and your specialty? I selected Ophthalmology because I can establish bonds with my patients in the clinic and be a part of microsurgical […]

Residents & Fellows Spotlight: Jessica Liu, MD

Where are you from? Omaha, NE Where Where did you attend Medical School? St. Louis University Where did you complete your residency? St. Louis University Why did you choose Ophthalmology and your specialty? I chose ophthalmology after working with an eye surgeon in a Tibetan province of China for 7 weeks when I was 20 […]

2021 Visionary Awards Gala: Leslie Dana Gold Medalists

Congratulations to Drs. Mae Gordon and Michael Kass, who have been awarded this year’s Leslie Dana Gold Medals for their decades of impactful research on glaucoma. The Leslie Dana Gold Medal, an internationally renowned honor, has been awarded by the Society for the Blind and Visually Impaired since 1925 to many of the world’s most […]

Incoming Residents & Fellows Spotlight: Thiago Moulin, MD

Where are you from? Juiz de Fora, Brazil Where did you attend Medical School? University of Sao Paulo Favorite memory of Medical School? This is hard as there were many, many special occasions. I would say probably this trip to the mountains with my friends. Favorite memory of your intern residency year? Doing my first […]

Incoming Residents & Fellows Spotlight: Julianne Matthews, MD

Where are you from? Youngstown, OH Where did you attend Medical School? Northeast Ohio Medical University Where did you complete your residency? The Ohio State University Why did you choose Ophthalmology and your specialty? I am a third generation Ophthalmologist, so Ophthalmology was as easy as breathing! I love cornea because you can profoundly impact […]

Morton E. Smith Promise in Academic Medicine Award Winner!

Kayla Nicole Berry, MD, PhD, was selected as the 2021 Morton E. Smith Promise in Academic Medicine Award winner! The Morton E. Smith Promise in Academic Medicine Award: Was established in 2020 by the Washington University School of Medicine Chapter of Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) Honor Medical Society in honor of Dr. Smith’s years of […]

Residents & Fellows Spotlight: Ansuya Deosaran, MD

Where are you from? Fort Lauderdale, Florida Where did you attend Medical School? University of Florida Where did you complete your residency? Louisiana State University-New Orleans Why did you choose Ophthalmology and your specialty? I had a corneal ulcer as a teen and that changed my life’s trajectory! With the return of my vision, I […]

Residents & Fellows Spotlight: Amritha Kanakamedala, MD

Where are you from? Memphis, Tennessee Where did you attend Medical School? Baylor College of Medicine Favorite memory of Medical School? My favorite memory of medical school was attending our 12 days celebration, which is a Baylor tradition where students perform shows and create funny videos. The whole school gathers to watch, and it’s a […]

Incoming Residents & Fellows Spotlight: Matthew “Matt” Elitt, MD

Where are you you from? St. Louis Where did you attend Medical School? Case Western Reserve University Favorite memory of Medical School Participating in the spin out of multiple new therapies for myelin disorders, including multiple sclerosis, optic neuritis, and leukodystrophies. Favorite memory of your intern residency year? Getting to know my co-interns and quickly […]

Residents & Fellows Spotlight: Jason Papas, MD

What are your future plans? Private practice (The Eye Clinic) in North Canton, OH, near my hometown Why did you choose Ophthalmology and your specialty? Ophthalmology is what’s best about medicine. There is a mix of medical and surgical care, it is intellectually rewarding, and often being able to help patients quickly is very gratifying. […]

Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB) Stein Innovation Award!

Congratulations to Dr. Shiming Chen, who has been awarded a prestigious RPB Stein Innovation Award from the Research to Prevent Blindness. This award provides flexible funding to scientists actively engaged in research with the goal of understanding the visual system and the diseases that compromise its function, with a focus on new technologies and cutting-edge […]

Residents & Fellows Spotlight: Kamran Ahmed, MD

What are your future plans? Phoenix Children’s Hospital Why did you choose Ophthalmology and your specialty? Technology, working with kids. variety of procedures, mission work. Why did you chose WashU? Excellent pediatric ophthalmology department with comprehensive training and additional training in pediatric refractive surgery. What is your favorite memory of your fellowship? Performing pediatric refractive […]

Helen Keller Prize for Vision Research

Congratulations to Drs. Mae Gordon and Michael Kass, who have been awarded this year’s Helen Keller Prize for Vision Research by the Helen Keller Foundation for Research and Education. This is a terrific accomplishment and one that is well deserved for this remarkable pair of investigators whose work on ocular hypertension and glaucoma has changed […]

Resident & Fellows Spotlight: Hayley James, MD

What are your featured plans? I’ll be doing a 2-year surgical retina fellowship at the University of Kentucky/Retina Associates of Kentucky starting in July. After that, who knows? Why did you choose Ophthalmology/WashU? I actually did an away rotation here during my fourth year of medical school and absolutely fell in love with the people. […]

Residents & Fellows Spotlight: Eric Sollenberger, MD

What are your future plans? Going to backpack and fly fish out west for 3.5 months before moving to Knoxville, TN to start private practice in cornea and external disease. Why did you choose Ophthalmology and your specialty? I chose ophthalmology because one can make an incredibly positive, meaningful, lasting difference in someone’s life with […]

Residents & Fellows Spotlight: Karen Hong, MD, MPhil

What are your future plans? Glaucoma Fellowship at Mass Eye and Ear and master kite surfing. Why did you choose Ophthalmology/WashU? The people! I distinctly remember every single one of my residency interviews with the faculty at WashU. What advice would you give to the new residents? Practice as many different ways to treat and […]

Residents & Fellows Spotlight: Jennifer Enright, MD, PhD

What are your future plans? I’m staying at WashU next year as the Chief of Ophthalmic Trauma, so I’ll be staffing the consult service, attending on trauma and cataract cases and managing the didactic and wetlab curricula for the next year. Why did you choose Ophthalmology/WashU? I was an MD/PhD student here at WashU so […]

Now Hiring: Research Faculty

The Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at Washington University seeks an innovative and motivated individual to join our Research Faculty Full-time tenure-track academic appointment (Assistant Professor) This position will focus on research with minimal teaching or administrative obligations The qualified applicant will demonstrate: An outstanding record of research accomplishments Exciting future basic and/or translational […]

Welcome Eric Ricker, OD

Eric Ricker, OD recently joined our team of staff optometrists. Dr. Ricker has over four years of clinical experience in optometry. He also serves as a Co-Management chair of the Saint Louis Optometric Society and on the emerging leadership committee with the Missouri Optometric Association.

Congratulations Dr. Ryo Terao

Ryo Terao, MD, PhD, post doc in Dr. Apte’s lab, has been selected as the 2021 International Retinal Research Foundation Alston Callahan, MD Postdoctoral Scholar for his project, “Dysregulated Lipid Metabolism and Senescence in Age-Related Macular Degeneration.” This prestigious award honors one of the International Retinal Research Foundation (IRRF) founders.

Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study After 20 Years of Follow-up

Congratulations to Michael Kass, MD, Mae Gordon, PhD, and the Ocular Hypertension Study Group on their latest publication discussing their findings after 20 years of follow up! More than 20 years after the launch of a landmark clinical trial, follow-up examinations and analyses found that not all patients with elevated eye pressure need pressure-lowering treatment […]

Congratulations Dr. Ryo Terao!

Dr. Ryo Terao, post doc in Dr. Apte’s lab has received a grant from Bayer Japan to conduct Retinal Research in the Apte lab

New Vice Chair of Research

Congratulations to Daniel Kerschensteiner, MD on becoming the new Vice Chair of Research for Ophthalmology effective March 1, 2021.

Third Year Residents match with their fellowships!

Congratulations! Third Year residents, Karen Hong, Hayley James, Janani Sigaravelu, Hui Zhao and Jennifer Enright matched with their fellowships this week! Karen Hong, MD, MPhil–Glaucoma–Mass Eye and Ear Hayley James, MD– Surgical Retina-University of Kentucky Janani Singaravelu, MD –Ocular Oncology-Cleveland Clinic Hui Zhao, MD -Cornea–UCSF Jennifer Enright, MD, PhD– Chief of Ophthalmic Trauma–Washington University in […]

Dr. Hwang receives Vitreoretinal Surgery Foundation (VRSF) research grant

Christopher Hwang, MD, PhD has received a research fellowship grant from the Vitreoretinal Surgery Foundation (VRSF). The VRSF has established a competitive Research Award/Fellowship to encourage young physicians to pursue a career in retinal disease. Projects with a potential for additional funding, presentation and publication are encouraged. The Research Award/Fellowship is open to residents, fellows, […]