- Climbing the National Rankings
- New Grants Awarded
- Dumitrescu Received Endowed Professorship
- First Ever Dr. Lee Alward Award for Teaching Excellence Presented to Dr. Jaclyn Haugsdal
- New Residents and Fellows
CLIMBING THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Our department moved up one spot to #6 in this year’s US News & World Report rankings! This is in addition to our residency program being ranked #3 nationally by Doximity and #5 by Ophthalmology Times—who also ranked us #4 in clinical care and #9 in research.
“We are pleased by this acknowledgment, as it demonstrates the high regard Iowa holds among our ophthalmology peers and colleagues. Our high-quality patient care helps create opportunities for research advancements, as well as unique learning experiences for our trainees. This distinction is a testament to the collective effort of our physicians, researchers, and staff and reflects our continued commitment to providing the best training environment and clinical care possible." — Dr. Keith Carter, Lillian C. O'Brien and Dr. C.S. O'Brien Chair in Ophthalmology
NEW GRANTS AWARDED
Dr. Elaine Binkley has received funding to participate in a retrospective study with Castle Biosciences and Cleveland Clinic, comparing risk profiling for uveal melanoma using different modalities of the 15-gene expression profile DecisionDx-UM.
Dr. Arlene Drack has received funding to participate in a Phase III multi-center NIH-funded clinical trial run by John Hopkins evaluating the efficacy and safety of Oral N-Acetylcysteine in treating retinitis pigmentosa.
Dr. Oliver Gramlich has been awarded an R01 from NIH to study the contribution cholesterol homeostatsis in eyes affected by MS-related optic neuritis.
Dr. Ying Hsu has been awarded a grant from the Knights Templar Foundation to evaluate th the effect of subretinal adeno-associated viruses (AAV) injections on innate and adaptive immune systems in mice and pediatric patients.
Dr. Erin Shriver has received funding for an industry-funded clinical trial studying the safety, tolerability and efficacy study of the humanized monoclonal antibody VRDN-001 on subjects with thyroid eye disease.
Dr. Elliott Sohn has been awarded an R01 from NIH to study the role of the enzyme MMP9 in neovascular age-related macular degeneration.
Dr. Kelly Mulfaul has received a Bright Focus Foundation three-year grant for investigating human choroidal macrophage recruitment and activation in Age-related Macular Degeneration.
Dr. Narendra Pandala has received a Bright Focus Foundation two-year grant for autologous choroidal endothelial cell replacement for the treatment of AMD.
Drs. Robert Mullins, Budd Tucker, Ed Stone and Ian Han have been awarded a renewal of their Choriocapillaris Protection and Replacement in AMD RO1.
Drs. John Fingert and Todd Scheetz have received funding for an RO1 for the Genetic Factors in Glaucoma in the OHTS; Risk, Progression and Mechanism.
DUMITRESCU RECEIVED ENDOWED PROFESSORSHIP
Dr. Alina Dumitrescu was recognized as the recipient of the Chakraborty Family Professorship in Pediatric Genetic Retinal Diseases at the 2023 Fall CCOM Investiture Ceremony.
The Chakraborty Family Professorship in Pediatric Genetic Retinal Diseases was established by Sayan Chakraborty and Julia Franklin. In addition, Chakraborty’s colleagues at the system software company Workday—including company co-founder and co-CEO Aneel Bhusri, co-founder and CEO emeritus David Duffield, and chief operating officer Jim Bozzini—contributed to the family’s gift commitment. Chakraborty and Franklin’s son, Jag, inspired this gift to support researchers focused on advancing diagnostic, preventive, and therapeutic treatments for juvenile X-linked retinoschisis.
From the program:
“Alina Dumitrescu, MD, is an accomplished ophthalmologist with an impressive and diverse educational background. Graduating from the “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Timisoara, Romania, in 1999, she commenced her early ophthalmology training at the same institution before relocating to the United States in 2007.
From 2007 to 2009, Dumitrescu pursued specialized postgraduate medical education in molecular ophthalmology and glaucoma through the Postdoctoral Research Scholar Fellowship at the University of Iowa Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences. She then expanded her expertise by completing the Pediatric Ophthalmology and Adult Strabismus Fellowship and the Fellowship in Pediatric Ophthalmic Genetics, both at the UI.
Her ophthalmology training reached fruition during the residency program at the University of Kansas Medical Center Department of Ophthalmology from 2012 to 2015. In 2015, Dumitrescu joined the faculty of the UI Department of Ophthalmology focusing on pediatric ophthalmology and pediatric inherited eye disorders. Throughout her career, Dumitrescu has been devoted to advancing the field of pediatric ophthalmology through research, clinical practice, and education, exemplifying her passion for high-quality patient care.”
FIRST EVER DR. LEE ALWARD AWARD FOR TEACHING EXCELLENCE PRESENTED TO DR. JACLYN HAUGSDAL
Chief residents Matthew Field, Caroline Yu, Tirth Shah, Maggie Strampe, and Zachary Mortensen presented Dr. Jaclyn Haugsdal with the inaugural 'Dr. Lee Alward Award for Teaching Excellence' at the 2023 Resident and Fellow Graduaton ceremony.
NEW RESIDENTS AND FELLOWS
New Transitional Interns/Residents (PGY1)
Education
- MD, Meharry Medical College
- BS, Biochemistry, Loras College
Education
- MD, Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine, University of South Alabama
- BS, Biomedical Sciences, University of South Alabama
Education
- MD, Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine, University of Utah
- BS, Exercise Science, Brigham Young University
Education
- MD, Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa
- BA, Biochemistry, University of Iowa
Meet Dr. Adetayo Oladele-Ajose
Education
- MD, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, SUNY - Buffalo
- BS, Biomedical Engineering, University of Iowa College of Engineering
Education
- MD, Texas A&M Health Science Center
- BS Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University
- MEng, Interdisciplinary Engineering, Texas A&M University School of Engineering Medicine (EnMed)
New Fellows
- Dr. Judith Brody
- Neuro-Ophthalmology
Education
- Residency, Department of Ophthalmology, Rabin Medical Center, Petach Tikva, Israel
- Internship, Baruch Padeh Medical Center, Priya, Israel
- MD, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Israel
- Lindsay Chun, MD
- Neuro-Ophthalmology
Education
- Residency, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Chicago
- Internship,Loyola Medicine MacNeal Hospital
- MD, University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine
- BS, Microbiology/Immunology, University of California, Los Angeles
- Dr. Kyle Green
- Surgical Retina
Education
- Ophthalmology Residency, University of Rochester, Flaum Eye Institute, Rochester, NY
- Internship, Kaweah Health Medical Center, Visalia, CA
- MD, Keck School of Medicine of USC, Los Angeles
- BS, Harvard University
- Dr. Christian Mays
- Glaucoma
Education
- Ophthalmology Residency, Virginia Commonwealth University Health System, Richmond, VA
- Internship, Brookwood Baptist Health, Birmingham, AL
- MD, University of Alabama School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL
- BA, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL
- Dr. Taariq Mohammed
- Surgical Retina
Education
- Ophthalmology Residency, University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, MD
- Internship, University of Maryland – Mercy Hospital, Baltimore, MD
- MD, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY
- BS, Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
- Dr. Rupin Parikh
- Oculofacial Plastic, Orbit, and Reconstructive Surgery
Education
- Ophthalmology Residency, Dean Mcgee Eye Institute, Oklahoma City, OK
- Ophthalmic Pathology Fellow, Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Research Fellow, Scheie Eye Institute, Philadelphia, Pa.
- MD, Albany Medical College, Albany, NY
- BS, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
- Dr. Marina Peskina
- Cornea and External Disease
Education
- Research Fellowship, Massachusetts Eye Research and Surgery Institution,Waltham, MA
- Ophthalmology Residency, Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, Richmond Hill, NY
- Transitional Year, Southern Hills Hospital and Medical Center, Las Vegas, NV
- Ophthalmology Residency, Fyodorov Eye Microsurgery Hospital, Moscow, Russia
- Internship, General Surgery, Moscow State University and Dentistry, Moscow, Russia
- MD, Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU), Moscow, Russia
- Dr. Margaret Strampe
- Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus
Education
- Ophthalmology Residency, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
- MD, University of Minnesota Medical School - Minneapolis, MN
- BA, French, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN