Meet
Deena Shaath, MD
Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences Cornea Fellow 2024-2025
Where are you from?
Dodge City, KS
Where did you attend Medical School?
Where did you complete your residency?
Why did you choose Ophthalmology and your specialty?
Ophthalmology and cornea/external disease offers a mix of all aspects of medicine that I enjoy most! Corneal pathology can result in significant visual loss to patients, and I appreciate the variety of surgical procedures and techniques that have tangible and direct clinical outcomes. Many of our treatments offer improvement in a patient’s quality of life!
Why did you choose WashU?
It has a variety of pathology and lots of surgery! Faculty, fellows, residents, and staff are all very nice and easy to work with. There’s such a great/positive culture! All my mentors are amazing teachers, and there’s lots of opportunities for learning.
Favorite memory of your residency?
My favorite memory of residency was the first patient who left the operating room crying because he was so happy his vision had improved!
What did you learn in your residency that impacted you the most?
The importance of taking care of yourself and making time for things outside of medicine to keep a positive attitude and a healthy mindset.
What excites you most about starting your fellowship at WashU?
Learning to perform more specialized surgery!
What do you look forward to about living in St. Louis?
Trying out all the different restaurants and coffee shops and visiting the parks!