Karen Hong, MD, MPhil
(Third Year Resident)
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 manage patients as possible. Adopt each attending’s preferences and see what happens. Then, when you see patients on call, you’ll have multiple ways to address the same problem. This applies in the OR too!
Favorite memory of your residency?
Co-resident group bonding trip to Nashville, Tennessee. I will not divulge any more details.
How did you survive during quarantine?
Tiger King, group texts, and audiobooks.
How did you deal with the stress of your residency?
Talking with my coresidents. It’s a once in a lifetime bonding experience.
Favorite thing about living in St. Louis?
Living in Central West End, you have everything at your fingertips: Forest Park for long runs, Whole Foods for healthy eats, and Jeni’s Ice Cream for dessert! Also, it’s nice to roll out of bed and be at Barnes in no time.
Favorite service and why?
Glaucoma service of course! Have you met a friendlier bunch?
Favorite teacher and why?
Dr. Lubniewski taught me to believe in my own abilities. And how to tai chi my surgical instruments.
What did you learn in your residency that impacted you the most?
Taking care of one patient requires a whole army. Every person from the greeters, to the front desk, to the technicians, to the physician, to the schedulers, impact the patient’s experience.