The University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine
What is your hometown?
I was born in New York City but raised in Charleston, West Virginia.
When did you join the University of Iowa faculty?
2000
How or why did you choose the University of Iowa?
Tom Weingeist, M.D., Ph.D. (72MD, 76R-Ophthalmology) was the Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology in 2000 and he directly recruited me and my wife Hilary Beaver, M.D. (also an ophthalmologist on staff here) to come to Iowa. Iowa has been and remains one of the top eye institutes in the country and we were impressed by the tradition of excellence, the dedication of the faculty, and the quality of care in the eye clinic.
What interested you to pursue Neuro-ophthalmology within Ophthalmology?
Neuro-ophthalmology to me is one of the most rewarding and challenging subspecialties in ophthalmology. I get to sort through complex and difficult cases and to participate in multidisciplinary evaluation and treatment of neurosurgical and neurologic problems that affect vision. It is a privilege to be able to work in an area that is so clinically fascinating and personally enjoyable.
The University of Iowa’s faculty members are united to provide exceptional patient care while advancing innovations in research and medical education. How does your work help translate new discoveries into patient centered care and education?
In the H. Stanley Thompson Neuro-ophthalmology Clinic we are strong believers in translational clinical applications of all of our research efforts. In addition neuro-ophthalmologists, not only here at Iowa but throughout the country, have always been looked upon as superb teachers who are able to take complex and difficult subjects (like the visual pathways and neuroimaging correlates of vision disorders) and make them understandable and practical for comprehensive ophthalmologists and neurologists.
What kinds of professional opportunities or advantages does being a faculty member at an academic medical center provide?
The major advantage of being an academic neuro-ophthalmologist at Iowa is the opportunity to collaborate with world class neuroradiologists like Wendy Smoker, M.D. (71BS, 72MS, 77MD, 80R, 82F-Radiology), top notch neurosurgery colleagues like Matt Howard, M.D., thought leaders in field of stroke neurology like Harold Adams, M.D. (74R-Neurology), gifted vision researchers like Chris Johnson Ph.D., and many others too numerous to name. We also are blessed to have three full time adult neuro-ophthalmologists, Mike Wall M.D., Randy Kardon M.D., Ph.D. (75BS, 82MD, 82PhD, 87R, 89F-Ophthalmology) and myself, as well as a pediatric neuro-ophthalmologist, Steve Stasheff M.D., Ph.D., who together form a critical mass of neuro-ophthalmology that results in outstanding patient care and clinical research that is matched by few centers elsewhere in the country or the world.
Please describe your professional interests.
My main area of interest is in graduate medical education and specifically in improving patient care by expanding our teaching and assessment of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) competencies. My interest in neuro-ophthalmology in particular is in the study of tumors affecting the optic nerve. I also have a cross cutting interest in geriatric ophthalmology.
Please describe your interests in education and your work with the fellowship program.
My major area of interest within Graduate Medical Education is in the evaluation and improvement of the structure-process, and now outcomes assessments, for residents and fellows in training. I enjoy working at the grass roots level in developing and testing educational tools for assessing the new ACGME competencies, writing test questions for our national in service examinations as well as reviewing residency programs, not only within the University, but also nationwide for the ACGME.
As Director of the Fellowship Training Program in Ophthalmology, what changes do you see in medical training from your residency and fellowship training?
In my residency and fellowship training, the accreditation process was based upon evaluations of structure (e.g., physical plant, number of faculty, buildings) and process (e.g. lecture schedule, numbers of surgical cases, patient volume) and the teaching model was the “apprenticeship model” (e.g., learning from observation under the direction of a master). Certification occurred as an end of training “event” with a written and oral examination that resulted in a “life-long certificate” of board certification. In the evolving and future models of education, residents will be assessed not only on structure and process but also on educational and patient outcomes (e.g., patient satisfaction, quality measures, and performance benchmarks). Certification will be based on maintenance of certification involving an ongoing life-long process rather than a single end of training testing “event”.
How does working in a collaborative and comprehensive academic medical center benefit your work?
Working with like minded and highly talented peers makes me a better doctor and improves the overall care delivered to the patient by offering a breadth and depth of expertise at all levels. The ability to call upon the expertise and experience of trained colleagues is the best part of working in an academic medical center the caliber of the University of Iowa.
What are some of your outside interests?
I enjoy traveling in the United States and abroad, and in particular being able to combine my interest in improving education worldwide with the chance to visit new places and see the world through the eyes of local people, local doctors, and local educators. I learn as much from the places that I visit as they learn from me when I travel to lecture. I also have two young children (Virginia, age 4 and Rachael, age 6) who keep us extremely busy but also remind me of what is truly important in this world.
Do you have an insight or philosophy that guides you in your professional work?
I have always believed that innovation and excellence requires some risk; in particular moving outside of one’s comfort zone. I pride myself on being an early adopter of new ideas and novel technologies that might have application in my two areas of interest, graduate medical education and neuro-ophthalmic patient care.
What is the biggest change you've experienced in your field since you were a student?
Advances in neuroimaging (e.g., MRI and CT scanning techniques), endovascular neuroradiology (e.g., angioplasty, aneurysm stenting and coil embolization), neurology (e.g., immunomodulatory treatments), and neurosurgery (e.g., microscopic and endoscopic surgical procedures) have brought exciting and innovative changes to neuro-ophthalmology which has moved from a “diagnosing” only specialty towards a “diagnosing and treating” specialty. This has been quite exciting for me personally and professionally.
What one piece of advice would you give to today's students?
The students of today need to seek and find balance in their lives and careers. When I was a medical student, medicine (just as it was for my father and mother before me) was “your life”. Today’s medical student needs to find personal and professional balance so that medicine is an important part of your life, but not your whole life. For me, having children convinced me that there are some things in life more important than medicine.
What do you see as "the future" of Ophthalmology?
Ophthalmology is an evolving and exciting field with a bright future. New technologies in laser therapy, medical treatments, and surgical techniques have brought new opportunities to ophthalmologists including laser refractive surgery, telemedicine, and sutureless surgery. Evolving medical and surgical treatments for previously untreatable eye diseases continue to push the frontiers of science in gene therapy and molecular biology.
In what ways are you engaged with the greater Iowa public (i.e. population based research, mentoring high school students, sharing your leadership/expertise with organizations or causes, speaking engagements off campus, etc.)?
I enjoy allowing high school and college students interested in medicine for a career to “shadow” me in the clinic. My wife, Hilary Beaver, M.D., and I serve as the faculty advisors for the Ophthalmology Interest Group for the College of Medicine students who are interested in ophthalmology as a career. As I mentioned briefly before, I enjoy bringing our expertise in neuro-ophthalmology and graduate medical education to our colleagues throughout the world. We all benefit from sharing our enthusiasm for educational innovation.