Description
As a vitreoretinal surgeon, I see a wide variety of ocular conditions and diseases in adults mostly those with retinal issues. In any given outpatient clinic, I will have managed patients with diabetes mellitus, hypertension, uveitis, retinal tears, retinal detachments, macular degeneration, and cataract surgery related complications. I often perform minor procedures such as injections, lasers and retinal detachment repairs in my outpatient clinics as well. These procedures include panretinal photocoagulation laser, focal/grid laser, laser retinopexy, pneumatic re-attachment procedure, intravitreal anti-VEGF and corticosteroid injections, and periocular corticosteroid injections. In the operating room, I perform numerous surgical procedures which include posterior vitrectomies, scleral buckles, intraocular lens fixation and pars plana glaucoma drainage device placement. I have been involved in medical student, resident and vitreoretinal fellow education throughout my career. In 2015, I took on the role of vitreoretinal fellowship program director at the University of Texas medical branch and MD Anderson Cancer center. With this position came many responsibilities including organizing and creating an effective didactic lecture curriculum, maximizing resident and fellow education and exposure to our busy vitreoretinal service. Since becoming the Fellowship Program Director, I have restructured our vitreoretinal resident education to allow for more resident involvement in both clinic and the operating room allowing the residents to explore a potential career in retina. I have created a curriculum that involved weekly resident lectures that included journal clubs, grand rounds, perioperative lectures and imaging lectures. I also encouraged our residents to participate in scholarly activities during their rotations. I also introduced a retina knowledge assessment tool that improved our resident OKAP (Ophthalmic Knowledge and Assessment Program)
