Seenu Hariprasad, M.D.
Founding Member
Board of Directors
Associate Professor of Surgery
Director, Ophthalmic Clinical Research
Director, Surgical Retina Fellowship Program
Dr. Seenu M. Hariprasad, MD is Associate Professor of Surgery at the University of Chicago, Department of Surgery, Pritzker School of Medicine, where he serves as Chief of the Vitreoretinal Service.
After receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree from Cornell University and graduating with Distinction in Neuroscience, Dr. Hariprasad went on to receive his Medical Degree from the University of Pennsylvania where he was elected into AOA. He completed both his transitional internship and ophthalmology residency at Baylor College of Medicine's Cullen Eye Institute where he received numerous research awards. Dr. Hariprasad then spent 2 years at Washington University's Barnes Retina Institute where he completed a Fellowship in the Diseases and Surgery of the Retina, Macula, and Vitreous.
Dr. Hariprasad is actively involved in clinical research, having been principal investigator or sub-investigator in more than 35 clinical trials evaluating new drugs, devices, surgical innovations, and drug delivery for age-related macular degeneration, retinal vascular occlusion, endophthalmitis and diabetic eye disease. His efforts in research have resulted in more than 80 peer-reviewed publications, meeting abstracts and textbook chapters. He currently holds the position of Director of Ophthalmic Clinical Research at the University of Chicago.
In addition to serving on the Editorial Board for the American Journal of Ophthalmology, Dr. Hariprasad is also a Scientific Referee for 6 major ophthalmology journals. Additionally, he serves on the Editorial Board for Retinal Physician and EyeTube.net, an ophthalmic surgical video website. He is also co- founder of the CONNECT Network, a collaborative association of academic vitreoretinal specialists devoted to furthering the vitreoretinal subspecialty through various research endeavors.
Dr. Hariprasad has presented a vast number of lectures at scientific meetings, as well as guest lectureships both nationally and internationally. He has trained numerous residents and currently is Director of the Surgical Retina Fellowship Program at the University of Chicago.
Dr. Hariprasad is Board certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology and is a member of the American Medical Association, American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Society of Retinal Specialists, Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, and The Chicago Ophthalmological Society. From
2007 to 2010, the Consumer Research Council of America selected him as one of "America's Top Ophthalmologists." In 2010 was the recipient of Achievement Awards by both the American Society of Retina Specialists and the American Academy of Ophthalmology. In 2011, he received the Chicago Top Doctors Award.
Michael David Ober, M.D.
Founding Member
Board of Directors
Retinal Consultants of Michigan
Southfield, Michigan
Michael David Ober practices vitreoretinal surgery with Retina Consultants of Michigan. He joined RCM from Henry Ford Hospital where he served as the Director of Retinal Research as well as Senior Staff Ophthalmologist. He completed a fellowship in vitreoretinal surgery at the Edward S. Harkness Eye Institute of the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons as well as the Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital. He performed his residency in Ophthalmology at the Cornell University Medical Center campus of New York-Presbyterian Hospital, where he also served as Chief Resident. He is a graduate of Wayne State University School of Medicine and holds a bachelor's degree from Cornell University in Chemistry.
Dr. Ober is board certified in Ophthalmology. He has published over 50 research articles and book chapters in addition to being invited to lecture at national and international meetings. He is a member of the Editorial Advisory and Review Board for Retinal Physician as well as the Board of Advisors for the eyetube.net website. He has served as a principal investigator or sub-investigator on over 20 clinical trials and reviews articles for 6 major ophthalmology journals. He has received several local and national awards for his work including The Margherio Award for outstanding work in macular diseases for surgery given at the annual meeting of The Retina Society, The Hanna Obertynski Award for the most outstanding research paper published in ophthalmology by a resident or medical student at the Kresge Eye Institute, and The Dong H. Shin Outstanding Ophthalmology Research Award for his work at the Wayne State University School of Medicine.
Dr. Ober is a member of the Retina Society, the American Society of Retina Specialists, the American Academy of Ophthalmology, Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Michigan Society of Eye Care Physicians and Surgeons, European Society of Retina Specialists, and is a founding member of CONNECT Network.
View Dr. Ober's presentations here.
Sophie J. Bakri , M.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Ophthalmology
Mayo Clinic
Rochester, Minnesota
Dr Sophie Bakri is an Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA. Her special interests are in diseases and surgery of the retina and vitreous, in particular, diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, intravitreal anti-VEGF agents,
and repair of complex retinal detachments. She undertakes both clinical and translational research in drugs for choroidal neovascularization and other VEGF mediated diseases.
Dr Bakri completed a 2 year vitreoretinal fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio, USA. She did her residency at the Albany Medical College, New York, USA, where she was elected Chief
Resident. She graduated from the Queen's Medical Center, University of Nottingham Medical School, England, where she obtained her degree in medicine and surgery, and bachelor of medical sciences. Dr. Bakri is Board-Certified by the American Board of
Ophthalmology.
Dr Bakri has authored more than 60 peer-reviewed papers and 12 book chapters on retinal diseases. She is an investigator on numerous multicenter clinical trials on new medications for retinal disease. Dr. Bakri is the current Editor-in-Chief of the book
"Mayo Clinic on Vision and Eye Health". She is an invited reviewer for many journals including Ophthalmology, Archives of Ophthalmology, the American Journal of Ophthalmology, the British Journal of Ophthalmology, and Retina. Dr Bakri has presented her work and been an invited speaker at national and international meetings on numerous occasions.
Diana Do, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology
The Wilmer Eye Institute
The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Diana Do, MD, is an Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology and Assistant Head of the Retina Fellowship Education Committee at the Wilmer Eye Institute (Department of Ophthalmology), the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Do graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of California, Berkeley with a Bachelor's degree in molecular and cellular biology. She obtained her medical degree from the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine and was elected into the Alpha Omega Alpha honor society. After her internship at the Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, she completed both her ophthalmology residency and surgical/medical retina fellowship at the Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
In addition to her leadership role in the retina fellowship education committee, Dr. Do also serves as a member of the Admissions Committee for the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and on the Residency Selection Committee for the Wilmer Eye Institute. Her academic achievements have been recognized with numerous national awards including the Heed Ophthalmic Foundation Clinician-Scientist Award, the Ronald G. Michels Fellowship Foundation Award, and the Achievement Award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
Anne Fung, M.D.
Board of Directors
Pacific Eye Associates
Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology
California Pacific Medical Center
San Francisco, CA
Anne E Fung MD is a partner in private practice with Pacific Eye Associates specializing in macular degeneration, diabetic eye disease and other medical diseases of the retina.
A native of San Francisco, Dr. Fung received her undergraduate degree with honors from Wellesley College and her Doctor of Medicine degree at Cornell University. After completing an ophthalmology residency at Stanford University, Dr. Fung pursued fellowship training in Medical Diseases of the Macula Retina and Vitreous at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami. There she served as an investigator on clinical trials of Lucentis (ranibizumab), Avastin (bevacizumab), and Macugen (pegaptanib) for Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD). She presented the first results of the PrONTO trial – a study of the pharmacodynamics of Lucentis treatment for AMD - at the American Society for Retinal Specialists (ASRS) meeting in Montreal, July 2005 and continues to be active in clinical research.
In addition to her clinical activities, Dr. Fung has authored several journal publications and book chapters. She is an invited reviewer for medical journals including Retina, Archives of Ophthalmology and the British Journal of Ophthalmology. She is a member of several professional organizations including the ASRS, American Academy of Ophthalmology and the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, and serves as the Alumni Director for Stanford University Department of Ophthalmology.
Dr. Fung is currently the principle investigator on clinical research studies of ranibizumab in pigment epithelial detachment, novel formulations of steroids, and nutritional supplementation for prevention of vision loss in AMD.
Tamer Mahmoud, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Ophthalmology
Wayne State University School of Medicine
Kresge Eye Institute, Detroit, Michigan
http://www.kresgeeye.org/physicians/vitreoretinal.html
Dr. Tamer Mahmoud received his medical degree from Ain-Shams University School of Medicine, where he graduated Valedictorian, summa cum laude. He went on to complete an internship and residency at the same institution, where he earned a Master of Science degree in Ophthalmology. He furthered his education by completing a retina research fellowship at the Duke University Eye Center, during which he prepared a Doctorate of Philosophy degree thesis involving his research work in retinal degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa. He then completed an internship at the Duke University Department of Surgery, and a residency in Ophthalmology at the Duke University Eye Center. Dr. Mahmoud stayed on faculty at Duke as a clinical associate and completed a clinical fellowship specializing in medical and surgical diseases of the vitreous and retina.
His clinical and research interests include macular degeneration, angiogenesis, retinal vascular diseases, diabetic retinopathy, complex retinal detachment, retinal degeneration, macular diseases and degeneration, small gauge retinal surgery, uveitis, and implantation of long-acting intraocular devices for a multitude of retinal diseases.
Dr. Mahmoud is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the Association of Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, the American Society of Retina Specialists, and the United States Masters Swimming Association. He authored many peer-reviewed publications, is a reviewer for many Ophthalmology journals, is the principal investigator on many clinical trials sponsored by the industry and the National Eye Institute, and has been invited as a guest speaker at many lectures. Dr. Mahmoud is certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology and is licensed in the states of California, Michigan, and North Carolina. He received the Edward K. Isbey, Jr., M.D. Resident Award for "Excellence In Clinical Care, Ethics, and Research", the Retina Research Foundation/"Joseph M and Eula C. Lawrence" award from the Association of Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, and the prestigious Robert A. Machemer research award from the Duke University Eye Center.
Andrew A. Moshfeghi, M.D.
Board of Directors
Andrew A. Moshfeghi, MD is the Medical Director of the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at Palm Beach Gardens and is an Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Additionally, Dr. Moshfeghi serves as the Medical Director of the Bascom Palmer Surgery Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
In his capacity as Medical Director, Dr. Moshfeghi manages the clinical activities of nearly 90 employees at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at Palm Beach Gardens. The $25 million facility is located on a 7-acre site in Palm Beach County, Florida and is comprised of a 65,000 square foot clinical and surgical complex with 52 examination lanes, 8 full-time sub-specialty ophthalmologists, 15 visiting ophthalmologists, 3 post-graduate clinical fellows, 3 sub-specialty research groups, 3 ophthalmic ambulatory surgical center suites, a state-of-the art conference theater with telemedicine capabilities, and the most modern keratorefractive laser technology.
Education and Training
Dr. Moshfeghi received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Chicago and a Doctor of Medicine degree from Tulane University School of Medicine. This was followed by a rotating Transitional Medicine Internship at MetroWest Medical Center/Harvard Medical School Program in Framingham, MA. He then completed his Ophthalmology Residency at North Shore University Hospital, a teaching affiliate of New York University School of Medicine.
Dr. Moshfeghi's three-year clinical fellowship training included both Medical Retina and Vitreoretinal Surgery fellowships at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Miami, FL.
In 2005, he was a recipient of the Ronald G. Michels Fellowship Foundation Award, which is granted annually to one or more outstanding senior vitreoretinal surgical fellows.
Dr. Moshfeghi is currently completing an Executive MBA program in Health Administration and Policy, for which he received a full-tuition academic scholarship at the University of Miami Graduate School of Business Administration.
Clinical and Research Interests
Dr. Moshfeghi's clinical practice encompasses comprehensive surgical and non-surgical diseases of the retina, macula, and vitreous. His research interests include new treatment approaches for age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy as well as evaluation and development of novel intraocular pharmacotherapeutics and retinal imaging techniques. Dr. Moshfeghi has served as Principal Investigator on 5 clinical trials and as a co-investigator on 20 clinical trials.
Prithvi Mruthyunjaya, M.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Ophthalmology
Duke University
Durham, North Carolina
Prithvi Mruthyunjaya, M.D. is an Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology in the Vitreoretinal Surgery Service of the Duke University Eye Center. He leads the Ocular Oncology efforts at Duke and specializes in the management of primary ocular cancers, including ocular surface and iris tumors, malignant uveal melanoma, and retinoblastoma., as well as complex vitreoretinal diseases.
A graduate of Albany Medical College, Dr. Mruthyunjaya completed his residency training at Duke University Eye Center, where he was Chief Resident. He completed fellowship training in Vitreoretinal surgery at Duke and then in Ocular Oncology at the Moorfields Eye Hospital and St. Bartholemew's Hospital, London, England.
He has been recognized for his research and clinical accomplishments by the Heed, AOS-Knapp, and Ronald G. Michels Foundations and the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.
His research interests are in developing novel targeted treatment strategies for ocular melanoma and sustained drug delivery for retinal diseases. His current research is funded by the National Eye Institute.
Sunil Srivastava, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology
Section of Vitreoretinal Surgery and Disease
Emory University Eye Center
Dr. Srivastava is board certified in ophthalmology. He is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.
His interests include uveitis and ocular inflammatory diseases, age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, retinal vascular diseases and retinal detachments.
Undergraduate
Cornell University, Bachelor of Science in Economics
Summa Cum Laude, 1994
Medical School
State University of New York at Buffalo
School of Medicine
Summa Cum Laude, 1998
Internship
St. Vincent's Hospital, NYC: 1998-1999
Residency Training
Ophthalmology
Emory University: 1999-2002; Chief Resident 2001-2002
Fellowship Training
Uveitis, Ocular Immunology and Medical Retina Fellowship
National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, 2002-2003
Vitreo-Retinal Diseases Fellowship
Duke University Eye Center, 2003-2005
Jay Stewart, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology
University of California, San Francisco
Jay Stewart, MD is assistant professor of clinical ophthalmology at the University
of California, San Francisco. He completed his vitreoretinal training at the Doheny
Eye Institute of the University of Southern California. His research program focuses
on drug delivery for retinal disease and scleral biomechanics.
David Telander, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology
University of California, Davis
Dr. Telander is a specialist in the diseases and surgery of the retina, vitreous, and macula. He received his undergraduate degree in Biology and History at Stanford University in Stanford, CA. He completed medical school and PhD work in immunology at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, MN. He also completed his ophthalmology residency at the University of Minnesota and Hennepin County Medical Center.
Dr. Telander completed his residency surgical retina fellowship training at UCLA/ Jules Stein Eye Institute in Los Angeles. Dr. Telander was intimately involved in numerous clinical trials investigating treatments for Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) and Diabetic Retinopathy. He joined the UC Davis in Sacramento, CA in 2005, and continues to study novel ways to treat and prevent AMD, inherited retinal degenerations, and retinal scarring processes related to retinal detachment.
Dr. Telander is Board certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology. He is an active member of multiple professional societies including the American Academy of Ophthalmology, Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, and the American Society of Retina Specialists.
Howard F. Fine, MD MHSc
Assistant Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology
Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Dr. Fine is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Ophthalmology at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. He previously served as the Medical Director of the Gerstner Clinical Research Center at the Edward S. Harkness Eye Institute of Columbia University Medical Center and remains on voluntary faculty at Columbia.
Dr. Fine completed a double major at MIT with BS degrees in chemical engineering and biology. He graduated cum laude with an MD from Harvard Medical School and also received a master’s degree in clinical trials from Duke. He completed his two-year medical and surgical retina training at Columbia and also a one-year uveitis clinical research training program at the National Eye Institute.
Dr. Fine has over 60 peer-reviewed publications and textbook chapters and hundreds of scientific presentations and abstracts. He serves on the editorial board of the journal Retina. He is a recipient of the prestigious Ronald G. Michels Foundation Fellowship, a two-time recipient of the Heed Foundation Fellowship, and the American Society of Retina Specialists Honor Award. He has been elected into the “Best Doctors” in New Jersey and currently serves as President of the NJ Retina Society.
Dr. Fine’s research interests include retinal imaging, ocular pharmacotherapy and drug delivery, and vitreoretinal surgical tools. He is the named inventor on two US patents pending and is the co-founder and chairman of the scientific advisory board of Auris Robotics, Inc., a company designing robotic platforms for human microsurgery.
Szilárd Kiss, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology
Director of Clinical Research
Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York
Dr. Kiss is a board certified ophthalmologist with a primary
focus on the medical and surgical management of adult and
pediatric disorders of the retina and vitreous. He strives for
excellence in patient care, medical education and ophthalmic
research.
Dr. Kiss's clinical interests include vitreoretinal surgery (e.g.
retinal detachment repair, epiretinal membrane pealing,
macular hole repair, retained lens fragment removal), and
surgical and medical treatment of age-related macular
degeneration and diabetic retinopathy.
Dr. Kiss has participated as an investigator in numerous
clinical trials and laboratory investigations. He has presented
the findings of his research at local, national and international
scientific meetings. Dr. Kiss is also highly active in professional
societies and serves as a scientific reviewer to major journals.
As part of his commitment to future generations of
ophthalmologist, Dr. Kiss provides direct supervision and
instruction to medical students, ophthalmology residents,
clinical vitreoretinal fellows and research fellows.
Dr. Kiss’s clinical and translational research focuses on
three broad areas: retinal imaging, ocular gene therapy, and
genetic markers for retinal disease.
Dr. Kiss has developed a fully-immersive, totallyinteractive,
virtual-reality, high-resolution optical coherence
tomography for better visualization of retinal diseases as well
as for pre-surgical planning.
His current work with ocular gene therapy involves both
gene replacement (with Batten’s disease) and gene addition (with anti-vascular endothelial growth
factor for the long-term treatment of diabetes and macular
degeneration). It is hoped that the need for repeated
intraocular injections may be alleviated by means of this
ocular gene therapy.
In conjunction with the Weill Cornell Medical College in
Qatar, Dr. Kiss is working to better
understand the possible genetic basis of retinal disorders
such as diabetic retinopathy.
Dr. Kiss has published over two dozen articles including
publications on innovative surgical techniques and novel
treatment paradigms for retinal disorders. A full list of Dr.
Kiss’s publications can be found on www.PubMed.com.
Thomas A. Albini, MD
Assistant Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology
Bascom Palmer Eye Institute
Miami, Florida
Dr. Thomas Albini currently serves as Assistant Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute and the University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine in Miami, FL. He is certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology, and is an active member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, the American Society of Retina Specialists, and the American Uveitis Society. He currently instructs residents and fellows in medical retina, surgical retina and uveitis.
Dr. Albini received a Bachelor of Arts degree, Magna Cum Laude, from Princeton University and a Doctor of Medicine degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He completed an ophthalmology residency at Doheny Eye Institute of the University of Southern California. He then completed a uveitis clinical and research fellowship at Doheny Eye Institute and a vitreoretinal fellowship at Cullen Eye Institute of the Baylor College of Medicine.
Dr. Albini has authored more than 40 papers in the peer-reviewed literature dealing with vitreoretinal disease, particularly posterior segment inflammatory disease. He has authored four book chapters and has been an invited lecturer at national and international ophthalmology meetings. He is co-editor of a bimonthly column on surgical techniques in Retina Today.
Amani A. Fawazi, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology
University of Southern California
Doheny Eye Center
Doheny Retina Center
Clinical Specialties
Surgical and medical management of complex retinal disease
Surgical and medical management of posterior uveitis
Academic Degrees
M.B.,B.Ch. Cairo University Medical School, Egypt, 1986-1992
M.Sc. Cairo University Medical School, Egypt, 1997
D.Sc. Cairo University Medical School, Egypt, 2000
Residency
Cairo University Hospitals, 1994-1997
Jules Stein Eye Institute, UCLA, 2001-2004
Fellowships
Research and Medical Retina ( Retinal Degenerations), Jules Stein Eye Institute, UCLA, 1998-2000
Vitreoretinal disease and surgery, Doheny Retina Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, 2004-2006
Research Activities
Functional retinal imaging in health and disease
High-speed, high-resolution OCT imaging in retinal disease
Novel therapeutic approaches to ischemic retinal disease
Electrophysiology and Retinal Degenerations
R.V. Paul Chan, MD, FACS
St. Giles Assistant Professor of Pediatric Retina
Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology
Director, Retina Service
Director, Surgical Vitreoretinal Fellowship
Weill Cornell Medical College/New York-Presbyterian Hospital
Dr. R.V. Paul Chan is the St. Giles Assistant Professor of Pediatric Retina, Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology, and Director of the Retina Service at Weill Cornell Medical College. Dr. Chan received his bachelor’s from the University of Pennsylvania, his MD from the Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, and received a Masters in Clinical Investigation at Weill Cornell Medical College. After completing his Ophthalmology residency at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Medical College of Cornell University in New York City, he went on to a Fellowship in Vitreoretinal Surgery at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary at Harvard Medical School where he was Chief Clinical Fellow of the Retina Service.
Dr. Chan's primary research interests focus on the pathogenesis and management of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). He received an NIH K30 Clinical Research Curriculum Award from Weill Cornell Medical College and works with numerous investigators worldwide to address the growing burden of ROP. Dr. Chan has committed himself to global health initiatives, having established clinical, teaching, and research collaborations in Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Africa. He is currently working with his collaborators and ORBIS on developing ROP educational programs in developing countries with the goal of providing better access to care for children with this blinding condition.
Dr. Chan has won numerous academic awards including a Heed Ophthalmic Foundation Fellowship, the Ronald G. Michels Foundation Fellowship, and the Paul Kayser International Fellowship. For his efforts and commitment to pediatric retina and ROP, he was awarded an endowed chair by Weill Cornell Medical College.
Dr. Chan is an assistant editor for Retina and serves on the editorial board for Ocular Surgery News and the Journal of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus. In addition to being on the scientific review committee for Fight for Sight, he serves as a reviewer to several major journals. He also remains active in a number of major ophthalmic societies including the American Eye Study Club, the Retina Society, the Macula Society, and the American Society of Retina Specialists.
As Fellowship Director of the surgical vitreo-retinal program at Weill Cornell Medical College, Dr. Chan provides direct supervision and instruction of medical students, ophthalmology residents, and vitreo-retinal fellows. Recently, he has been working with the American Academy of Ophthalmology Young Ophthalmologist International Sucommittee on international educational initiatives.
John Kitchens, M.D.
John W. Kitchens, MD is an ophthalmologist and vitreoretinal surgeon in Retina Associates of Kentucky located in Lexington, Kentucky. His focus is in the management of medical and surgical diseases of the retina. His interests include angiogenesis, innovations in retinal imaging, and ocular trauma.
Training
Dr. Kitchens graduated with honors from the Indiana University School of Medicine. He performed his residency in ophthalmology at the University of Iowa Department of Ophthalmology. Following his residency, he completed a retina fellowship at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. He then served as Chief Resident, Instructor of Ophthalmology, and the Direct of the Trauma Service at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute.
Honors
Dr. Kitchens has received numerous honors. He has been named to the Best Doctors in AmericaTM and as one of America’s Top OphthalmologistsTM. He was nominated for the Golden Stethoscope Award given to the best resident in the state of Florida. He also served as co-editor of Ophthalmology Times Grand Rounds. Dr. Kitchens won first place in the Bloomberg Resident Cataract Video Competition sponsored by the American College of Eye Surgeons in 2003 and was awarded the coveted Rhett Buckler Award given to the outstanding surgical video presentation at the 2008 annual meeting of the American Society of Retina Specialists meeting. He has been featured on the Discovery Channel’s “Mystery Diagnosis” and the Learning Channel’s “Diagnosis X”.
John has been very involved in state medical affairs. He has served as PAC chair for the Kentucky Academy of Eye Physicians and Surgeons (KAEPS), Treasurer of the KAEPS (Kentucky Academy, and is currently the President Elect of the KAEPS. He was also honored to participate in the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s 10th annual Leadership Development Program in 2008.
Research
Dr. Kitchens is involved as an investigator in multiple clinical trials for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy, retinal vascular occlusive disease, ocular histoplasmosis syndrome, and visual rehabilitation. His research includes papers and presentations on ocular imaging, macular holes, ocular histolasmosis, AMD, innovations in surgical techniques and instrumentation, and other topics. He has presented at local and national meetings including AAO, ARVO, ASRS, and Angiogenesis.
Technology
Dr. Kitchens serves as an editor for Med Rounds (www.medrounds.org) and is an advisor/consultant for My White Coat (www.mywhitecoat.com). He is also a co-founder of Convene, LLC. He was the retina section editor for Ophthalmology Web (www.ophthalmologyweb.com). He currently is on the American Academy of Ophthalmology Communications Advisory Board and is chair of the AAO Online Community Task Force.
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