President
Doheny Professional Alumni Association
Greetings, and happy Spring!
Doheny Eye Institute is in the midst of one of our busiest seasons of the year. This is also a period in which we enjoy several opportunities to reconnect in person with our Doheny Professional Alumni Association members.
It was a pleasure to see many of you last month at the Annual Doheny CME Conference, Society of Scholars Ceremony and Distinguished Alumni Dinner. Highlights from these events are included in this newsletter.
Two weeks ago Doheny Eye Institute hosted the 14th annual Ryan Initiative Macular Research conference. More than 100 researchers from various disciplines and backgrounds attended to generate ideas and solutions with the goal of eliminating vision loss due to AMD.
We hope to see more of our alumni next month at the Annual Doheny-UCLA Breakfast Forum and the Annual Alumni Reception during the ARVO Annual Meeting in Seattle, WA. As you all know, this is the largest and most important meeting that highlights the latest in vision research. I am proud to say Doheny will have a strong presence. Doheny will once again be onsite with a booth in the exhibition hall, and most Doheny scientists will be onsite to present posters and give talks. SriniVas Sadda, MD, will also step into his role as president of ARVO at the conclusion of this year’s meeting. More information on our presence at ARVO is included below.
In addition to these opportunities to connect in person, we encourage you to reach out to us throughout the year to share your professional and personal achievements, subspecialty updates, or suggestions on editorial to be included in an upcoming newsletter.
As a reminder, we’d also like to include a “Where are you now?” section in a future newsletter. We’re putting out a call to all alumni whose class graduating year ends in a “4” (i.e., class of 2014, 2004, 1994, etc.) to please share updates with us on your current practice, about your family and any pictures from your time at Doheny!
I look forward to hearing from you and thank you for your continued support of Doheny Eye Institute.
Doheny Looks Forward to a Busy, Insightful ARVO
It will be a busy ARVO meeting for Doheny Eye Institute. More than 30 Doheny scientists were selected to present posters and give talks at the upcoming ARVO Annual Meeting in Seattle from May 5-9.
We will once again be onsite sharing a booth with Stein Eye Institute, which was recognized last year for its outstanding design. Visit us at booth #4515.
We also look forward to hosting the Annual Doheny-UCLA Breakfast Forum on Sunday, May 5. This year’s theme of the forum is Fresh Perspectives on Retinopathy. Experts making significant strides in understanding the pathogenesis of retinopathy including innate immune cells, genetic risk factors, and retinal lipids with novel perspectives that are propelling further exploration into previously unrecognized determinants of retinopathy will convene at this forum. For more information and to RSVP for the Breakfast Forum, click here.
The Annual Alumni Reception is scheduled for Monday, May 6. Don’t miss this opportunity to catch up with old friends, meet new colleagues, and enjoy delicious food and drinks. For more information and to RSVP for the Alumni Reception, click here.
SriniVas R. Sadda, MD, to Step into Role of ARVO President Next Month
We are pleased to share that SriniVas R. Sadda, MD, will officially step into his role as president of ARVO at the conclusion of this year’s Annual Meeting, when he will share the theme for the 2025 ARVO Annual Meeting. Over this past year, he served as president-elect of the organization. We look forward to seeing him lead and contribute to the success of ARVO.
Doheny Events
Highlights from the Annual Doheny CME Conference, Society of Scholars Ceremony
On March 23, more than 75 attendees participated in our annual CME conference to engage in a rich lineup of topics including NAION, ophthalmic manifestations of multiple sclerosis, herpes keratitis, ocular graft versus host disease, the future of corneal crosslinking, and more.
Enlightening discussions included topics such as prevalent neuro-ophthalmic inquiries and challenges, the anterior segment section delved into optimizing the use of Scheimpflug imaging modalities, enhancing routine cornea and external disorder management.
Additionally, the Society of Scholars portion of the program featured uveitis specialists who offered insights into the underlying pathophysiology of intraocular inflammation, along with updates on clinical and surgical outcomes of uveitic complications.
Highlights of the day included a special ceremony to induct Narsing Rao, MD, into the Doheny Society of Scholars as well as Neil Miller, MD from Johns Hopkins University delivering the Irvine Memorial Lecture. Dr. Rao has dedicated over five decades to advancing eye care through exemplary achievements in education, research and clinical practice. Late Doheny President, Stephen Ryan, MD, established this elite society to honor scholars whose skill and dedication have advanced the field of ophthalmology.
Distinguished Alumni Dinner
On the evening of March 23, a special celebration dinner was held honoring Lawrence P. Chong, MD, who was named the 2024 Doheny Distinguished Alumnus. Dr. Chong was chosen by the alumni association board of directors for exemplifying the spirit of Doheny Eye Institute and embodying the values and principles that define our institution.
Dr. John Irvine, Doheny Alumni Association President noted, “We are honored to present this award to Larry Chong in recognition of his outstanding contributions. Throughout his 20-year tenure at Doheny, he played an instrumental role in nurturing the next generation of ophthalmologists, leading the retina clinical fellowship program. He trained over 30 fellows in vitreoretinal surgery and his international outreach efforts have significantly expanded access to knowledge and resources in ophthalmology, leaving a lasting impact on the global community.”
During a heartfelt acceptance speech, Dr. Chong thanked his former Doheny colleagues Drs. Steve Ryan, Ron Smith, Jennifer Lim, and Christina Flaxel for their support and making Doheny a second home.
You can read more about Dr. Chong’s and Dr. Rao’s achievements in the Winter 2024 issue of the Eye on Doheny Alumni newsletter here.
Benefits of Joining the Doheny Professional Alumni Association
It’s time to join or renew your Doheny Professional Alumni Association (PAA) membership. There are numerous benefits to joining, including providing resources to research and clinical fellows – such as our annual ARVO Travel Awards. In a few weeks, we will announce the fellows who were selected to receive a $500 travel award acknowledging their outstanding efforts in research presented at the ARVO Annual Meeting.
Additional PAA member benefits include:
- Invitation to the alumni receptions at the Annual American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) and the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) meetings
- Invitation to the Annual Alumni Dinner to honor the Distinguished Alumnus
- Free registration to Doheny CME conferences of your choice (a savings of at least $200)
- Alumni eNewsletter to keep you connected to Doheny
Over the coming year, the PAA plans to use funds generated through dues to expand support to clinical and research fellows through scholarships, underwriting courses and lectures, and gifting educational material.
Highlights from the 14th Annual RIMR Conference
From April 4-6, more than 100 world-class researchers gathered in Irvine, CA, for the 14th annual RIMR Conference. This annual gathering of participants from different backgrounds and disciplines aims to generate new ideas and solutions to overcome roadblocks in eliminating vision loss due to AMD. Michael F. Chiang, MD, director of National Eye Institute, delivered the Pepperberg Memorial Lecture.
Alumni Notes
We’re proud to see Doheny Alumni continue to be recognized and make impactful contributions to their field.
Doheny Alumnus Honored by President Biden
Doheny alumnus David Huang, MD, PhD, was presented with the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, the nation’s highest honor for technological achievement, by President Joseph Biden during a ceremony held at the White House.
Dr. Huang and his co-inventors James G. Fujimoto, PhD, and Eric A. Swanson, MS, developed optical coherence tomography (OCT), which has transformed the way eye disease is diagnosed and managed.
Dr. Huang completed his residency at Doheny Eye Institute USC, a cornea fellowship at Emory University, and is currently the Director of Research of Casey Eye Institute and Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the Oregon Health & Science University. Read more here.
Construction Update: Doheny Eye Center UCLA Pasadena
Construction continues on what will become the new home of the Doheny Eye Center UCLA Pasadena. Scheduled to open in early-2025, the state-of-the-art facility will be located on the first floor of the Doheny Pasadena campus at 150 N. Orange Grove Boulevard in Pasadena. Members of the Doheny Board of Directors recently gathered for a walkthrough of the space, which offers an array of new features that will elevate patient care:
- 36 fully equipped exam lanes with 2 convenient in office procedure rooms, 3 advanced laser and injection rooms, and 3 certified clinical research lanes
- Spacious central imaging center, housing over 20 state-of-the-art diagnostic and imaging devices, and dedicated electrophysiology lab
- A dedicated Pediatric Ophthalmology suite with a focus on the care and treatment of children’s eye diseases and conditions
- A range of services from world-class clinicians that support many different ocular diseases and patient needs, including age related macular degeneration, retinal disease, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, vitreoretinal surgery, Graves’ disease, optic nerve disease, corneal transplantation, cataract surgery and more
The development of the new clinic space strengthens the collaboration between the groundbreaking research undertaken by Doheny Eye Institute and the innovative care offered at Doheny Eye Center UCLA clinical sites by bringing both clinicians and scientists together under one roof.
