The Macula Foundation
210 E. 64th Street
New York, N.Y. 10065
(212) 605-3777
info@retinal-research.org
Dr. Yannuzzi is founder of VRMNY as well as vice-chairman and director of the LuEsther T. Mertz Retinal Research Center of the Manhattan Eye, Ear & Throat Hospital. He is also founder and president of The Macula Foundation, Inc., which has distributed several million dollars to eye research across the country.
Jerry is a renowned financial analyst and investor and brings over forty years of Wall Street experience to The Macula Foundation’s Board of Directors. The former Director of Equities Research for the Americas for Merrill Lynch, Jerry has extensive expertise in leading initial public offerings, debt and equity transactions, mergers, acquisitions and global financings in electronics, advanced manufacturing and distribution services. Jerry was named to Institutional Investor magazine’s famous All-American Research team an impressive 24 times and ranked first on 14 of those occasions — an honor only 50 of approximately 18,000 analysts have received. In his last year as an analyst, The Wall Street Journal named him No. 1 in his sector for picking stocks. He remains an active investor and sits on the board of directors of several private companies. Jerry received a B.A. from New York University Gallatin School of Individualized Study and has been a member of the New York Society of Securities Analysts and Chartered Financial Analysts Institute for over 35 years.
Former clinical professor of ophthalmology at Tulane and Louisiana State Universities. Prior president of the Macula Society. Director of Retinal Research Foundation of New Orleans. Prior Chief of Ophthalmology of Touro Infirmary Hospital in New Orleans.
Matthew J. Trachtenberg is an attorney, and Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Orchestral Association. In 2006, Mr. Trachtenberg retired from a career in banking, having held a variety of senior officer positions, most recently as a Senior Vice President with U.S. Trust. He also served as a Managing Director of First Republic Bank, held private banking positions with both Fleet Bank and PNC, and for over two decades served in various executive capacities for Manufacturers Hanover Corporation, including Secretary of the Board and Officer-in-Charge of the Manufacturers Hanover Foundation.
Mr. Trachtenberg has been an active volunteer for many non-profit organizations. In addition to his leadership role with the National Orchestral Association, he served for almost two decades as a Trustee of the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, where he was Treasurer and Chairman of the Finance Committee. In 1998, he was a recipient of the United Hospital Fund of New York’s Distinguished Hospital Trustee Award. He also served as a Trustee of Continuum Health Partners, was a member of the Education Advisory Committee for the Lighthouse for the Blind, a trustee of the Joffrey Ballet, and is a former President of the USO of Metropolitan New York.
Currently, Mr. Trachtenberg is Chairman of the Audit Committee of the Macula Foundation, and serves as Treasurer of the Pat Palmer Foundation.
Nicolas A. Yannuzzi is a vitreoretinal surgery fellow at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at the University of Miami where he also completed in residency in ophthalmology. Dr. Yannuzzi completed his undergraduate education at Harvard College where he majored in biochemical sciences. He attended medical school at Weill Cornell Medical College where he was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha honors society and received the Edward Norton prize for excellence in ophthalmology. He then completed a transitional internship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Yannuzzi has written over 40 peer reviewed publications and presented his research at a number of national meetings. He also serves as a reviewer for multiple journals in his field.
Mark S. Blumenkranz, M.D., MMS, is HJ Smead Professor in the Department of Ophthalmology at Stanford University. He received his Undergraduate, Masters degree in biochemical pharmacology, and MD at Brown, Ophthalmic residency training at Stanford, and a Fellowship in vitreo-retinal diseases at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. He was appointed to serve as the Department Chairman at Stanford from 1997 until 2015. He played a leading role in the planning, fundraising and construction of the Byers Eye Institute at Stanford and served as inaugural Director beginning with its opening in September 2010 through June 2015.
He is an internationally known vitreo-retinal specialist, with notable contributions in the area of new laser systems, novel pharmaceuticals for macular diseases, ocular gene therapy and ophthalmic tele-health and technology development. He has served on the Editorial Boards of The American Journal of Ophthalmology, Retina, Ophthalmology, and Graefe¹s Archives for Ophthalmology. He is a past President of the American University Professors of Ophthalmology (AUPO), and a past President of the Retina Society and the Macula Society. He is a member of the Steering Committee of the Audacious Goals Initiative of the NEI, and is a Fellow of the Corporation of Brown University, where he is the Chair of the Medical School Committee. He is the recipient of multiple honors and awards in the field. These include the American Academy of Ophthalmology Lifetime Achievement Award and Edward Jackson Lecture, the Heed Award, The Schepens Medal, the Pyron Award, the Wacker Prize and the Gass Award amongst others.
Dr. Blumenkranz has a longstanding interest and expertise in university corporate technology transfer and early stage biomedical company and is the author of more than 150 peer reviewed articles and 18 patents. He was a director of Oculex Pharmaceuticals, a privately held pharmaceutical company that pioneered the use of bio-erodable polymers for extended release of ocular steroids. At Oculex he was also Chairman of the SAB and the principal designer of the successful phase 2 Ozurdex trial, leading to its acquisition by Allergan in 2003. He served as a co-founder, Director and Chairman of the SAB of Macusight, an ophthalmic pharmaceutical company developing proprietary mTor inhibitors for ophthalmic disease, which was acquired by Santen in 2010. He was a founder and director of Peak Surgical, an innovator in pulsed plasma mediated electro-surgery that was acquired by Medtronics in 2011. In 2004 he co-founded Optimedica Corporation for which he co-wrote the foundation IP for the PASCAL and Catalys lasers, and which was acquired by AMO in 2013. In 2006 co-founded Adverum Biotechnologies (ADVM; NASDAQ) a gene therapy company and served as Chairman of the Board until 2016. He was a co-founder and director of Oculeve, a dry eye company employing a neuro-modulatory approach to therapy, which was acquired by Allergan in August of 2015. He is a co-founder and serves as a director of Digisight Corporation, a venture financed ophthalmic digital health company and Lagunita Biosciences LLC an early stage biotechnology and medical investment company.
Irene A. Barbazetto, MD is a vitreoretinal surgeon and macular disease specialist board certified in the United States and Europe. She is an internationally recognized expert in the treatment of macular degeneration, retinal vascular disease, hereditary retinal disease, and diabetes. The author of more than 40 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, she serves on the Editorial Board of the prestigious journal Graefe’s Archive of Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology. Dr. Barbazetto is the recipient of the 2009 Achievement Award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Her patients voted her one of America’s “Most Compassionate Physicians” and she received the “Patient’s Choice Award” in 2010. Her academic affiliations include Columbia University, NYU, and Manhattan Eye and Ear Hospital. A graduate of Hamburg University, Germany, Dr. Barbazetto’s doctoral thesis investigated a newly developed vision-screening test (H-Test) for pre-school children and was awarded cum laude. She completed her ophthalmology residency in Lübeck, Germany, where she participated in the development of photodynamic therapy for the treatment of macular degeneration. In 2000, she came to New York for a research fellowship with Dr. Stanley Chang at Columbia University, focusing on the role of oxygen in the development of cataract after vitreoretinal surgery. She completed an internship in general surgery at the Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan and an ophthalmology residency at Columbia University. She was awarded a medical and surgical vitreoretinal fellowship at Manhattan Eye, Ear & Throat Hospital and Columbia University. In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Barbazetto serves as an investigator on several national and international medical trials. She is a pioneer in the use of photodynamic therapy in the treatment of choroidalhemangioma and other ocular tumors and an active reviewer for several ophthalmologic publications. Dr. Barbazetto is a member of The American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS), Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), European Vision and Eye Research (EVER), New York State Ophthalmologic Society (NYOS), and The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO).
Michael Engelbert, M.D. Ph.D. joined Vitreous-Retina-Macula Consultants of New York in 2010. He is a vitreoretinal surgeon and macular disease specialist, with a special interest in age-related macular degeneration and retinal detachment surgery, as well as sight-threatening infections of the eye. Dr. Engelbert received his medical degree Magna Cum Laude from Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich, Germany, after which he dedicated himself several years to basic research in the study of endophthalmitis, a vision-threatening infection, that can occur after eye surgery. He earned a Ph.D. for this work and is considered a leader in this field. Dr. Engelbert is continuing this research at the Skirball Center for Molecular Pathogenesis at NYU in cooperation with Dr. Richard Novick, a member of the National Academy of Sciences. Before joining the residency program at Columbia University, Dr. Engelbert served his internship at Griffin Hospital, a Yale-affiliated center in Connecticut, where he was granted the Vincent D. DeLuca award for the best medical intern. Afterward, he was resident and chief resident in the Department of Ophthalmology of Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons at the Edward S. Harkness Eye Insitute on the Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center Campus. Following his residency training, Dr. Engelbert was awarded a medical and surgical vitreoretinal fellowship at Manhattan Eye, Ear & Throat Hospital and Columbia University. Dr. Engelbert is a member of The American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS), The European Society of Vitreoretinal Specialists (EVRS), the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), and The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO). He has published numerous papers on retinal disease, received several awards and has been granted permanent resident status in the United States in the category “outstanding scientist”. He serves as a reviewer for the premier journals in the field, including the Archives of Ophthalmology, Ophthalmology, Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Retina, Eye, and Graefe’s Archives of Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology. He is a Research Assistant Professor at New York University and Clinical Instructor at NYU and New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, where he is actively involved in instructing residents and fellows in the art of medical retina and retinal surgery.
Bailey Freund, MD specializes in all retinal disorders including macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and retinal vascular diseases. He is an expert in retinal imaging and diagnostically challenging and rare conditions. For those reasons, he routinely evaluates patients and images from around the world. Dr. Freund has initiated and conducted many clinical trials for treatments for retinal diseases. He is a Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at New York University School of Medicine. He is a senior partner at Vitreous Retina Macula Consultants of New York, a single-specialty group with eleven retinal physicians. He is an attending surgeon at Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital and New York Presbyterian Hospital. Dr. Freund is a founding member and trustee of the International Retinal Imaging Society. He is also a member of the Retina Society, Macula Society, and the American Society of Retina Specialists. He is on the Editorial Board of the journal Retina and is an Associate Editor for Retinal Cases & Brief Reports. He has authored over 400 peer-reviewed scientific manuscripts and has written numerous books and book chapters, most notably the second edition of The Retinal Atlas. He has received numerous awards including the prestigious Young Investigator Award from the Macula Society and the Senior Achievement Award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology. He is a graduate of Williams College and the New York University School of Medicine and completed his residency training in general ophthalmology and fellowship in medical and surgical retina at the Manhattan Eye, Ear, and Throat Hospital. Dr. Freund is also a prominent collector of vintage magic apparatus and a proud husband and father of two.
Dr. Slakter is an internationally recognized retinal disease specialist with over 29 years of experience in clinical practice. He created the Digital Angiography Reading Center (DARC), which is one of the largest centers for image evaluation for clinical trials of posterior segment disease with over 1,000 certified clinical sites in over 44 countries worldwide, serving as a key resource for industry-sponsored studies of new treatments for retinal disorders. Dr. Slakter is also a Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at NYU School of Medicine and has published more than 100 papers and book chapters. Dr. Slakter serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Ohr Pharmaceutical, Inc. a pharmaceutical company focused on developing new therapeutics to meet unmet needs for a variety of ocular conditions.
Dr. Richard Spaide was recently picked as one of the best doctors in New York by New York Magazine, one of the best physicians in the United States by “The Best Doctors in America”, and he received the Gass Award, a prestigious international accolade at the Macula Society meeting in Singapore in June 2017. In July he won first prize in the Maculart meeting in Paris, which is a competition for medically themed artistic images and is awarded every two years. Dr. Spaide also won first prize in that competition in 2015.
Alexander Brucker was educated at the University of Maryland and received his M.D. degree at New York Medical College. After completing a residency at the Fridenwald Institute of Maryland General Hospital, he did a Fellowship in Diseases of the Retina and Vitreous under the mentorship of Dr. Arnall Patz and Dr. Ronald G. Michels at The Wilmer Ophthalmologic Institute of the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. In 1977, Dr. Brucker relocated to the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine where he was appointed to the faculty as Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology, and in 1994 became Professor of Ophthalmology, a position which he holds since that time. He serves as Chief of the Retina and Vitreous Service at the Scheie Eye Institute/Department of Ophthalmology as well as a Vice-Chair of the Department. During his career, which spans 40 years at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Brucker has served in many administrative roles in the Department of Ophthalmology as well as for the medical center. These positions include Head of the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee of the Presbyterian Medical Center, as well as a member of its Capital Budget Committee and its “OR” committee. He is presently the Chair of the Laser SafetyCommittee of the Penn-Presbyterian Medical Center and presently a member of the Institute on Aging (IOA) External Advisory Board, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. During the course of his career, Dr. Brucker has served in many leadership capacities, too numerous to list in this short biography. He is a member of multiple societies and organizations such as the Macula Societyof which he served as President,the Retina Society, the American Society of Retina Specialists, Club Jules Gonin, and the American Uveitis Society. He served as Chairman of the Board of the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation of Philadelphia, the founding chapter of JDRF, for two consecutive terms. Dr. Brucker has received numerous awards which have acknowledged his leadership in education, research, and patient care. He has been named one of Philadelphia’s “Best Doctors” by Philadelphia Magazineevery year for the past 30 years. Hehas received the Golden Apple Award for outstanding teaching in the Department of Ophthalmology of the University of Pennsylvania on three occasions. He is the recipient of the Albrecht von Graefe Award for distinguished contributions in ophthalmology by the American Society of Contemporary Ophthalmology. He was the recipient of the Life Achievement Award from the Greater Philadelphia Ophthalmic Society and received the Life Achievement Honor Award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Hewas awarded the J. Donald M. Gass Medal by the Macula Society and has been the Guest of Honor of the American Academy of Ophthalmology at its annual meeting.He is the recipient of the J. Donald M. Gass Award from The Retina Society for his contributions to the field of retinal and vitreous surgery. Dr. Brucker has been invited to give numerous Named Lectureships throughout the world, some of which include the C.S. O’Brien Professorship Lecture at Tulane University, the Nachazel Lecture at William Beaumont Hospital, the Albert C. Snell Memorial Lecture at the University of Rochester as well as the Professor Guy H. Chan Lecture at the International Symposium in Hong Kong. He has recently been the Guest of Honor at the 4thInternational Congress – OCT Angiography and Advances in OCT(Optical Coherence Tomography) in Rome, Italy, where he received the Coscas Medal for outstanding achievement in retinal diseases. Dr. Brucker is the Editor-in-Chief of the international journalRETINA,the Journal of Retinal and Vitreous Diseases, a position he has held and currently holds since 1981. He is also currently Editor of Retinal Cases and Brief Reports and is a member of the Editorial Board of The Chinese Journal of the Ocular Fundusas well as Advisor to the Journal of the Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology. Dr. Brucker has received innumerable invitations to bemoderators of panels and honored guest lecturers locally as well as worldwide in such venues as Cape Town, Berlin, Sydney, Milan, Geneva, Bali, and Bangkok, just to name a few. He has authored and co-authored over 130 papers in peer-reviewed journals and has been the author of published books, texts, and book chapters, His special interests have been the surgical treatment of vitreoretinal disorders, diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration and vascular occlusive diseases. During his career he has developed multiple instruments used by vitreoretinal surgeons throughout the world. Dr. Brucker has taken a special interest in randomized clinical trials to evaluate treatment of retinal diseases.Dr. Brucker has been Principal Investigator ofmany clinical trials including the Diabetes Control andComplicationsTrial (DCCT), the Age-Related Eye Disease Study II, the MacTel Study, and a multitude of other randomized controlled trials of retinal and vitreous diseases. He has served as the Principal Investigator of two multicentered randomized clinical diabetic retinopathy trials sponsored by the DRCR.net of the National Eye Institute. He served on the Executive Committee of that organization for five years. Dr. Brucker also served for seven years as a voting member of the Department of Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Ophthalmic Device Panel, an important regulatory panel for ophthalmology, and continues to serve on the FDA’s list of consultants. Dr. Brucker has been a role model for generations of medical students, residents, fellows, and colleagues, many with whom he continues to be in contact. He has taken great pride in the relationship he continues to have with his past residents and fellows.
Dr. Cunningham is an internationally recognized specialist in infectious and inflammatory eye disease with over 300 publications. He is Director of the Uveitis Service at California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco; Adjunct Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at Stanford University School of Medicine, Research Associate, The Francis I. Proctor Foundation, UCSF School of Medicine, a Partner at West Coast Retina Medical Group, and a Managing Director at Clarus Funds. Dr. Cunningham was Clinical Professor and Director of the Uveitis service at NYU from 2002 to 2005, and was Director of both the Uveitis Service and the Kimura Ocular Immunology Laboratory at the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) from 1995 to 2001. Dr. Cunningham received an MD and MPH in epidemiology and statistics from Johns Hopkins University and a PhD in neuroscience from the University of California at San Diego (UCSD) for work done at The Salk Institute. He completed both a residency in ophthalmology and fellowship training in Corneal Disease and Uveitis at UCSF and The Francis I. Proctor Foundation, a medical retina and uveitis fellowship at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, and a fellowship in public health ophthalmology at the Wilmer Eye Institute in Baltimore.
Jay S. Duker, MD, is the Director of the New England Eye Center (NEEC) and Professor and Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at Tufts Medical Center and the Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, Massachusetts , USA.Dr. Duker received his medical degree magna cum laude from Jefferson Medical College. He completed his residency and fellowship in vitreo-retinal diseases at the WillsEye Hospital. His clinical practice is limited to medical and surgical diseases of the posterior segment with particular emphasis on macular diseases, posterior uveitis, and intraocular tumors. He has published over 250 journal articles, with his major research interests includingretinal imaging, retinal vascular diseases, and drug delivery to the posterior segment. His book, Yanoff and Duker’s Ophthalmology, is one of the best selling ophthalmic texts over the past decade. Dr. Duker serves as the co-editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Retina and Vitreous (IJRV). He is a founder of a clinical stage biotechnology company, Hemera Biosciences, developing a gene therapy treatment for dry macular degeneration.
Harry W. Flynn Jr., M.D is the J. Donald M. Gass Distinguished Chair in Ophthalmology at the University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine. He is Professor of Ophthalmology at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute and specializes in medical and surgical treatment of diseases of the retina and vitreous. He received a Bachelor of Science Degree at Wake Forest University and his Doctor of Medicine Degree at the University of Virginia, School of Medicine. After an internship at the California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC) in San Francisco, Dr. Flynn returned to UVA for residency and to CPMC for retina fellowship. Dr. Flynn completed two years of active duty in the United States Army at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. He joined the faculty at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in 1978. Dr. Flynn has been author or co-author of more than 543 peer-reviewed publications as well as 99 book chapters. He has edited or co-edited more than 6 books including Diabetes and Ocular Diseases: Past, Current, and Future Therapies and Vitreoretinal Disease: The Essentials. Dr.Flynn had held numerous administrative positions including President: The Vitreous Society (1992-1993), President: The Miami Ophthalmological Society (1999) and President: The Retina Society (2002-2003). Dr. Flynn has served as Senior Editor for Section 12 (Retina) of the Basic and Clinical Science Course for the American Academy of Ophthalmology. He has also served as Co-Director of the Retina Subspecialty Day for the American Academy of Ophthalmology. He serves on the Editorial Board of numerous journals including the American Journal of Ophthalmology, RETINA, OSLI: RETINA, and Evidence Based Ophthalmology. He has served on the Data and Safety Monitoring Committees for DRCR Network, SCORE Study, Regeneron VIEW 1 and VIEW 2 Studies and Neurotech MacTel Study. He received the AAO Life Achievement Honor Award in 2008. Dr. Flynn received the Shaler Richardson, M.D “Service to Medicine Award” from the Florida Society of Ophthalmology. He received the Hermann Wacker Award from the Club Jules Gonin in 2012. He has delivered 24 named lectures including the “J. Donald M. Gass Lecture” at the Retina Society in 2012. In 2014, he received the “Honorary Alumnus” recognition from AOA of UVA School of Medicine. In October 2016, he delivered the Charles L. Schepens, MD/AAO Award Lectureship. Most recently he delivers the Relja Zivojnovic Award Lecture at the European Vitreoretinal Society, September 2017. Dr. Flynn has been married to his wife Donna Flynn for 43 years. They have two children, Mollie and Patrick, and two grandchildren, Parker and Lily.
Morton F. Goldberg, AB (Harvard, magna cum laude); MD (Harvard, cum laude); honorary doctorate (University of Coimbra, Portugal); honorary fellow (Royal Australian College of Ophthalmologists). Dr. Goldberg was born in Lawrence, Mass. (6/8/1937), and, following Harvard College and Harvard Medical School, was a medical intern at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital and a resident and Chief Resident at the Wilmer Eye Institute. He also served a chief residency at the Yale-New Haven Hospital and a medical genetics fellowship with Prof. Victor McKusick at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Immediately following his genetics fellowship, and at age 32, Dr. Goldberg became Professor and Head of the Department of Ophthalmology for 19 years at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago. Following that, he became the William Holland Wilmer Professor of Ophthalmology and Director of the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkinsfor 14 years. Following this, he has remained on the fulltime academic faculty, to the present, at Johns Hopkins as the Joseph Green Professor of Ophthalmology. His major fields of interest include vascular retinal diseases (such as sickle cell anemia, diabetes, and others); persistent fetal vasculature; laser photocoagulation; ocular trauma (including hyphema); Incontinentiapigmenti; and other inherited and congenital eye diseases. Honors have included the Howe Medal of the AOS, membership in the National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine), chief editor (for 10 years) of the Archives of Ophthalmology; membership on numerous other editorial boards (including the Japanese Journal of ophthalmology); and presidencies of The Macula Society, The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology; The Chicago Ophthalmological Society, and The Association of University Professors in Ophthalmology. He has received the Weisenfeld Prize of ARVO, the Arnall Patz Medal of the Macula Society, the Isaac Michaelson Prize of the Israel Academy of Sciences, the David Paton Medal of Baylor College of Medicine, and the Fight For Sight/Mildred Weisenfeld Lifetime Achievement Award. He is an emeritus member of the Academia Ophthalmologica Internationalis. Other honors include the Inaugural Cunha-Vaz Lectureship in Portugal, the Inaugural Ida Mann Lectureship in Oxford, and the Inaugural Dr. Venkataswamy Endowment Oration Award in Madurai, India. Dr. Goldberg has co-authored or edited over 500 original articles and chapters, and has written or edited 10 books on ophthalmic subjects. Endowed professorships in his name have been established at the University of Illinois College of Medicine and at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. In 1999, Ophthalmology Times selected him as one of the “ten greatest living ophthalmologists.” Currently, Dr. Goldberg is: Chairman of the Clinical Research Institute of the Foundation Fighting Blindness, Inc.; Co-founder and trustee of the ryr-1 Foundation, Inc. (www.ryr1.org); and a member of the Board of Directors of Eyegate Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Myrna D. Goldberg, MSW is Dr. Goldberg’s wife. She is a volunteer docent at the Baltimore Museum of Art. Two sons, Matthew Falk Goldberg, LLB and Michael Falk Goldberg MD, MPH, are now fathers of their own young sons. Personal interests include art, music, the outdoors, and current ophthalmic literature.
Dr. Lee M. Jampol is a full-time faculty member at Northwestern University. His career has focused on clinical trials, inflammatory diseases of the retina, cystoid macular edema, pharmacology of the retina and central serous chorioretinopathy. He has been extensively involved in clinical and research work on diabetic retinopathy and age related macular degeneration. Since 1985, when he became a member of the Data Monitoring Committee of the Macular Photocoagulation Study, he has been extensively involved in data monitoring and planning of clinical trials. He has been on the data monitoring committee of the MPS, SST, SCORE and the DRCR. He has been involved with the DRCR since its conception as an active member of the data monitoring committee, helping to monitor data but also to plan the clinical trials. He is presently the Chair of the Diabetic Retinopathy Clinical Research Network (DRCR.net), a U-10 from the NIH supporting research on diabetic retinopathy. He has also served on the external advisory committee of the Latino Eye Study and the Beaver Dam Study. Clinically, he remains active particularly in the area of white spot syndromes of the retina. Administratively, he has been president of the American Ophthalmological Society, trustee and vice president of ARVO, president of the Chicago Ophthalmological Society. He was Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at Northwestern University from 1983-2010. Dr. Jampol has also been involved in data monitoring for pharmaceutical companies, including the treatment of uveitis, age related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. In view of conflict of interest concerns, he is presently only a consultant to Stem Cell Organization for their studies of age related macular degeneration.
Dr. Mieler is the Cless Family Professor of Ophthalmology, and Vice-Chairman for Education, in the Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), Chicago, IL. He also serves as the Director of Vitreoretinal Fellowship Training. Dr. Mieler recently received the UIC 2016 College of Medicine Faculty of the Year Award. His specialty areas include diseases and surgery of the retina and vitreous, along with ocular oncology. Dr. Mieler received his Doctorate of Medicine degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Medical School (1979). After completion of his Internship at Mercy Hospital Medical Center in San Diego, CA (1980), he completed his three-year ophthalmology residency at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami, Miami, FL (1980-83). This was followed by a one-year vitreoretinal fellowship at the Eye Institute, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI (1983-84). He then returned to the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute where he served as Chief Resident and Clinical Instructor (1984-85). Dr. Mieler then completed a second fellowship in Ocular Oncology, at Wills Eye Hospital, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA (1985). In 1985, he joined the full-time faculty at the Medical College of Wisconsin, where he became Professor of Ophthalmology (1992) and was awarded the Jack A. and Elaine D. Klieger Chair in Ophthalmology (1998). Dr. Mieler then joined the faculty at the Baylor College of Medicine, in Houston, TX, as Professor of Ophthalmology (1999-2004). He then accepted the position of Professor and Chairman, Department of Ophthalmology, at the University of Chicago (2004-08), prior to his current position at the University of Illinois at Chicago (2008-present). Dr. Mieler has authored or co-authored 350 scientific papers, 86 book chapters, and 7 textbooks, including The Retina Atlas, 2nd edition (2017), along with presenting 25 named lectures. He is/has been the Principle Investigator or co-Investigator of more than 60 Scientific Grants and Collaborative Studies. He has served the American Board of Ophthalmology (ABO) as a Board Director (1998-2005), Chairman of the Board (2005), as Associate Executive Director (2006), and as Emeritus Director (2006-present). He also served on several committees with the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS). Dr. Mieler is also the past President of the Macula Society (2003-04), and he received the Gass Medal (2013). He has served on the Executive Committees of the Retina Society and the American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS). In 2011, he received the Golden Apple Award from the ASRS, and in 2011, he was named recipient of the Founders Award. He is a past member of the Pan-American Board of Directors (2001-08), and he has chaired the PAAO Foundation Grants Committee (2006-11). Dr. Mieler has served on the ARVO Board of Trustees (2010-16), representing the Retina section, and was President of ARVO (2014-15). He received the Distinguished Service Award from ARVO (2016). He has served on the Editorial Board of Archives of Ophthalmology, RETINA, and Current Eye Research, and currently serves on the Editorial Board of The Asia Pacific Journal of Ophthalmology, and the American Journal of Ophthalmology Case Reports. He also serves as a scientific reviewer for 34 additional scientific journals. From the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), he has received the Honor Award (1992), the Lifelong Education for the Ophthalmologist Award (2000), the Senior Honor Award (2001), and the Life Achievement Honor Award (2011). He also has served as a member of the AAO Council (2001-08), the EyeNet Editorial Advisory Board (2003-07), and the Chair of the Schepens Award (2007-10). He also has served the AAO as a Media Spokesman, as a member of the CME Committee, and as Associate Secretary for the AAO Subspecialty Day programs (2011-15). Most recently, he was elected to serve on the AAO Board of Trustees (2017-20).
Dr. Jose S. Pulido is a professor and consultant in the Departments of Ophthalmology and Molecular Medicine, College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota. He has served as the chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois. He completed his residency at the University of Illinois and had the honor of being Chief Resident there. He has completed two fellowships, the first in vitreoretinal surgery at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami, Florida, as well as an ocular oncology fellowship at the Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Dr. Pulido has also completed a master’s degree in chemistry, an MPH, and an MBA. Dr. Pulido’s current research is focused on melanoma imaging and vaccines and the use of induced pluripotent-derived RPE cells for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. He has published over 300 scientific papers, book chapters, as well as three books.
Dr. David Sarraf is Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at the Stein Eye Institute at UCLA and member of the Retinal Disorders and Ophthalmic Genetics Division. He has published upwards to 200 research papers, case reports, reviews and book chapters and is co-author for the second edition of the Retina Atlas. Dr. Sarraf’s focus of research interest is the dry and wet forms of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and specifically the evaluation of pigment epithelial detachment and retinal pigment epithelial tears. He was nominated to the American Ophthalmological Society because of his research work on the subject of PED and AMD. Dr. Sarraf is a world leader in the field of advanced retinal imaging and has published extensively in the area of spectral domain OCT analysis of AMD and other novel and established macular disorders. He was one of the first researchers to describe ischemia of the deep retinal capillary plexus using advanced SD OCT imaging and is an international expert on the clinical application of OCT angiography. Dr. Sarraf is an associate editor for the journal Retinal Cases and Brief Reports and is an editorial board member of the journals Retina and OSLI Retina. He has served on the BCSC section of the AAO that has completed the most recent edition of the Retina volume and has been awarded Achievement and Secretariat awards by the AAO. Dr. Sarrafis also co-director of the Pacific Retina Club and the International Retinal Imaging Symposium and is a member of the ASRS, Retina Society and Gass Club and has served as an executive board member in the Macula Society. He also serves as an advisory board member ofthe DRCR Network and Optovue Inc.
Dr. Lawrence J. Singerman completed his retinal training at the Wilmer Eye Institute of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and founded Retina Associates of Cleveland, a retina group practice that now includes 9 other retinal specialists and over 130 employees in 9 offices. He has been a principal investigator in more than 120 multicenter clinical research trials, given more than 600 presentations at national and international courses and symposia on macular and retinal vascular disease, and authored over 370 publications. In 1977, Dr. Singerman founded the Macula Society, an international association of leading investigators and clinicians in the field of retinal diseases, and he has been continuously re-elected as the society’s Executive Secretary. He is the recipient of the Macula Society’s Arnall Patz Medal and J. Donald M. Gass Medal and the first recipient of the Lawrence J. Singerman Medal for Outstanding Contributions in Clinical Trials. He was honored with the Retina Society’s J. Donald M. Gass lectureship. He is also a Charter Inductee of the Retina Hall of Fame. Dr. Singerman is Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute of the University of Miami School of Medicine. He also was president of the Ohio and Cleveland Ophthalmological Societies and has received Lifetime Achievement Awards from the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the Diabetes Partnership of Cleveland. He was Vice-chair of the Council of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Dr. Singerman has been named to the “Best Doctors in America” list every year since 1998.
Born in Pride Station, Kentucky, Dr. Jerry A. Shields attended the University of Michigan Medical School. He completed an internship at Denver General Hospital, and served a year as Battalion Surgeon with the United States Marine Corps in Vietnam. He earned a residency in ophthalmology at Wills Eye Hospital and completed fellowships in ophthalmic pathology at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology and retinal surgery at Wills Eye Hospital. Dr. Jerry Shields is currently the Director Emeritus of the Oncology Service, Wills Eye Hospital and Professor of Ophthalmology at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. For more than 40 years he has been an integral pioneer in the diagnosis and management of ocular melanoma. In 1973, Dr. Jerry Shields established the Ocular Oncology Service at Wills Eye Hospital. Dr. Shields has served on editorial boards for the American Journal of Ophthalmology, British Journal of Ophthalmology, Cancer, Retina, International Ophthalmology, Graefe’s Archives of Ophthalmology, German Journal of Ophthalmology, Journal of Pediatric Ophthalmology, and Evidence-Based Medicine. He was an organizer and first president of the International Society of Ocular Oncology, President of the Ophthalmic Club of Philadelphia, President of the Medical Staff of Wills Eye Hospital, and President of the Macula Society. He has authored or co-authored 1364 articles in scientific journals and 616 textbook chapters for a total of 1980 scientific publications. He has authored or co-authored 13 textbooks including the highly popular Atlas of Intraocular Tumors and the Atlas of Eyelid, Conjunctiva, and Orbital Tumors. He has given 1560 national and international lectures and 82 named lectures. He has also received more than 40 national and international awards for his scientific contributions. Among his many accolades, Dr. Shields was named National Physician of the year award for Clinical Excellence by Castle Connolly Medical LTD, New York, NY in March 2013. He was the 2014 recipient of the annual Laureate Award at the American Academy Ophthalmology (AAO), the most prestigious honor given by the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Dr. Shields was also the recipient of the 2015 Distinguished Humanitarian Award from the University of Michigan Medical School. Dr. Shields practices ocular oncology with his wife Dr. Carol L. Shields and associates on the Oncology Service of Wills Eye Hospital. A few of Dr. Shields’ hobbies include butterfly collecting, tennis and family vacations. He also enjoys Michigan and Notre Dame football. He and his wife Carol are the parents of 7 children ranging from ages 17 to 29 years.
Born in Sharon, Pennsylvania, Dr. Carol Shields attended the University of Notre Dame for undergraduate pre-medical studies and played 4 years of Varsity basketball on the Women’s basketball team, serving as captain for 3 years. She completed her medical school at the University of Pittsburgh and residency in ophthalmology at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia in 1987. She subsequently completed fellowship training in ocular oncology, oculoplastic surgery, and ophthalmic pathology. Dr. Carol Shields is currently the Director of the Oncology Service, Wills Eye Hospital, and Professor of Ophthalmology at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. Dr. Carol Shields has authored or coauthored 12 textbooks, over 1600 articles in major peer-reviewed journals, over 320 textbook chapters, given over 800 lectureships, and has received numerous professional awards. Some of her awards include The Byron Kanaley Award (1979) given to the top student-athlete at the University of Notre Dame, (she was the first woman to receive this award) and The Donders Award (2003) given by the Netherlands Ophthalmological Society every 5 years to an ophthalmologist worldwide who has contributed extensively to the field of ophthalmology. She received an Honorary Doctorate of Science Degree from the University of Notre Dame (2005) and Catholic University (2011). She was bestowed the American Academy of Ophthalmology Life Achievement Honor Award (2011) and induction into the Academic All-American Hall of Fame (2011) for lifetime success in athleticism and career. She was the President of the International Society of Ocular Oncology (2013-2015) – this is the largest international society for study of ocular tumors. She was the first elected President of this society. Dr. Shields has also been cited on the Ophthalmology Power List – nominated by peers as one of the top 100 leaders in the field of ophthalmology in 2014 and 2016. She is a member of numerous ocular oncology, pathology, and retina societies and has delivered 52 named lectures in America and abroad. She has been active in the American Academy of Ophthalmology. She serves on the editorial board of several journals including JAMA Opthalmology, Retina, Journal of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, and International Journal of Clinical Oncology. Dr. Carol Shields practices ocular oncology on a full time basis with her husband, Dr. Jerry Shields and associates on the Oncology Service at Wills Eye Hospital. She is an avid sportswoman with interest in basketball, tennis, downhill skiing, biking and others. She also enjoys watercolor and oil painting. She maintains farm hobbies of raising chickens, goats, dogs, and cats. She and her husband Jerry are the parents of 7 children, ranging from ages 17 to 29 years.
Jack M. Dodick has devoted his professional life to teaching, innovation and patient care. He has served as Chairman of Ophthalmology at the Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital for 22 years and The New York University School of Medicine for 14 years. In his capacity as Chairman, he has overseen the training of several resident eye surgeons who now practice throughout the United States and abroad. Many of these residents have gone on to render eye care to countless numbers of people worldwide and many have become teachers in academic institutions. In addition, he has trained several fellows in his designated specialty – cataract and implant surgery. He is a past president of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, the world’s largest organization of Cataract and Refractive surgeons. Additionally he has served as President of numerous Ophthalmological Societies throughout his career Dr. Dodick is the author of several publications and book chapters on the subject of Cataract and Implant surgery. He has presented over three hundred lectures on this subject worldwide and has performed live surgery to teach his techniques in over twenty countries. His innovations include several surgical instruments and the first laser technology to remove cataracts.
