I am honored to have the opportunity to serve the ophthalmology community as a trustee-at-large of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. I bring a diverse set of leadership experiences to the role as the current chair of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Review Committee for Ophthalmology and as an Associate Secretary for State Affairs of the Academy.
I graduated from William and Mary and Vanderbilt University School of Medicine followed by a residency at Harvard/Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and cornea fellowship at the Wilmer Eye Institute. My practice focus is cataract surgery and ocular surface disease at the Krieger Eye Institute at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, where I have been the residency program director since 2010.
I am the recipient of the 2022 Straatsma Award for excellence in resident education from the Academy and the Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology (AUPO) for my work across the spectrum of organizations that affect and direct ophthalmic education in the U.S. As chair of the Academy Committee for Resident Education, I addressed areas that were difficult for residency programs to provide, such as ophthalmic pathology, advocacy, study skills, simulation and diversity, equity and inclusion.
As president of the AUPO Program Directors Council (PDC) during the first year of the pandemic, I worked with the Academy to innovate to be able to administer the OKAP exam over several days in an online format, created a monthly PDC Update newsletter to share best practices and decrease email burden, and created working groups for women in ophthalmology training, diversity equity and inclusion, wellness, advocacy, application process and a toolkit for program directors. The latter engaged people who had not previously had leadership opportunities within AUPO, which has had a lasting effect on leadership development for our profession.
My state society nominated me to the Academy Leadership Development Program (LDP) Class XVIII, where I learned the importance of advocating for our patients and our profession. This led to my involvement on the Academy Secretariat for State Affairs, where I enjoy thinking of new ways to engage ophthalmologists to participate in advocacy and how we can protect patients through effective engagement of lawmakers.
I have been dedicated to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion so that we can ensure that our profession meets the needs of all of the patients we serve. I was a founding member and am the current chair of the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Awareness (IDEA) subcommittee of our Graduate Medical Education Committee at Sinai Hospital. I am a Minority Ophthalmology Mentoring mentor, and I actively work in pathway outreach to three Baltimore City public middle schools to expose children to careers in eye care.
Throughout my career, the Academy has provided opportunities for education, engagement, leadership, service and meaning. It is my honor to serve all members of the Academy as a trustee-at-large and to bring my enthusiasm for ophthalmology and the Academy to the Board of Trustees.