2015 Symposium
The 64th Annual Symposium, Reflections on the Bayou, was held January 30 through February 1, 2015 at the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel. Our program committee brought in the best and brightest ophthalmologists from around the country to update our attendees on Retina, Oculoplastics, and Anterior Segment.
Click the image to view the 2015 program brochure:
Our esteemed 2015 faculty included the following:
Timothy G. Murray, MD, MBA, FACS
We were honored and excited to have such esteemed ophthalmologists as our faculty for the 2015 Symposium!
For the last 64 years the New Orleans Academy of Ophthalmology (NOAO) puts on an annual meeting which offers hours in category 1 credit towards the AMA Physician’s Recognition Award™. NOAO is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to sponsor continuing medical education for physicians.
Speakers
David Brown, MD
Dr. Brown’s research and clinical interests are focused on diseases of the macula: macular surgery, age related macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy. He serves as a peer reviewer for all 5 major ophthalmology/retina journals as well as the New England Journal of Medicine. In 1993, he was awarded the Ronald G. Michels Fellowship Award as the most outstanding retina fellow in the United States. He is an elected member of both major retina honor societies (the Macula Society and the Retina Society). From 2007-2011, he was selected by his peers, nationwide, as one of “America’s Best Doctors” and is a Texas Monthly “Super Doc”.
Steve Charles, MD, FACS, FICS
Steve Charles, MD is one of the world’s leading vitreoretinal surgeons, having performed more than 34,000 vitreoretinal surgeries and developed many of the techniques and devices used by vitreoretinal surgeons worldwide. He authored a leading textbook in the field which is now in the 5th edition and in 5 languages. A mechanical and electrical engineer with 106 issued or pending patents, he was named by Ocular Surgery News as one of the top ten innovators in the past 25 years. Among many other achievements, he is the founder of MicroDexterity Systems, developing robots for dexterity enhancement for minimally invasive knee and hip replacement, spine surgery, and skull base neurosurgery, and a cofounder of CamPlex LLC, developing advanced visualization technology for surgery. He is consistently listed in Best Doctors in America and Becker’s Top 34 Ophthalmologists in America. He is a Clinical Professor at the University of Tennessee and an Adjunct Professor at Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons.
Eric Donnenfeld, MD, FAAO
Dr. Donnenfeld has achieved so much in the span of his twenty year career that it is hard to know where to begin. He is a recent past president of the ASCRS; was one of the first ophthalmologists to perform laser vision correction on a patient; and has operated on tens of thousands of patients, including over 1,000 of his fellow eye doctors and/or their families. He is also the current National Medical Director of TLC Laser Eye Centers, and continues to participate in the latest research and clinical studies on laser eye surgery. He has patented four surgical instruments and currently serves as a consultant to three major excimer laser manufacturers.
Vikram Durairaj, MD
Dr. Durairaj practices at Texas Oculoplastic Consultants in Austin, TX. Along with cosmetic eyelid and facial surgery, he specializes in eyelid and orbital reconstruction, eyelid and orbital cancer, thyroid eye disease, tear drainage system surgery, orbit and facial trauma, and treatment for the loss of an eye. Dr. Durairaj has given over 250 invited national and international lectures and courses, published over 100 peer-reviewed manuscripts, chapters, and abstracts, and has served as editor and reviewer for 18 scholarly publications.
John McCann, MD, PhD
Dr. McCann has more than 15 years’ experience in ophthalmic plastic surgery and has performed more than 10,000 procedures. He is an expert in eyelid and facial plastics as well as the surgical treatment of disorders of the eyelid, orbit, and tear drain system. Current chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at Intermountain Medical Center, the Division of Ophthalmology at Salt Lake Regional Medical Center, and the education committee for the Utah Ophthalmology Society, he also formerly served as executive editor for the American Journal of Ophthalmology. A world renowned author, educator, and speaker, Dr. McCann has also been named one of the “Best Doctors in America” by his peers and featured on national television in “Celebrity Beauty Secrets Revealed.”
Timothy G. Murray, MD, MBA, FACS
Dr. Murray currently treats patients at the Murray Ocular Oncology and Retina offices in Coral Gables, Florida. Before leaving to found his own practice, he was a Tenured Professor of Ophthalmology and Radiation Oncology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, where he was voted Teacher of the year. Dr. Murray is an Associate Editor at Lasers in Medical Science and a Manuscript Reviewer for the American Journal of Ophthalmology, Archives of Ophthalmology, Current Opinion in Ophthalmology, Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, Ophthalmology, Retina, and Retinal Physician. He serves on committees at the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the Collaborative Ocular Melanoma Study, the NIH/NEI, NIH/NCI, the American Society of Retinal Specialists and the Retina Society. Dr. Murray has also been the principal investigator for several NIH funded research studies.
Jeffrey A. Nerad, MD
Dr. Nerad specializes in Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, which is a subspecialty that combines eye surgery and plastic surgery, correcting cosmetic and reconstructive problems of the eyelids and the tissue of the face surrounding the eyes. He performs a wide variety of operations for drooping eyelids, watery eyes, and eye socket problems, including thyroid eye disease. Dr. Nerad has trained hundreds of resident and fellow physicians worldwide, and is currently President-elect of the American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, as well as an AAO Secretary of Education.
Terrence P. O’Brien, MD
Dr. O’Brien is one of the world’s leading experts in the fields of refractive surgery and ocular infectious disease. He joined Bascom Palmer Eye Institute’s medical staff in October 2005 after 15 years at the Wilmer Eye Institute of John Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore. At the Wilmer Eye Institute, O’Brien was named the Tom Clancy Professor of Ophthalmology, having conducted a refractive surgical procedure on the best-selling author that successfully corrected a rare condition that threatened profound vision loss and eliminated the need for Clancy’s thick trademark spectacles. A professor and researcher, O’Brien holds the Charlotte Breyer Rodgers Distinguished Chair in Ophthalmology and is director of the Refractive Surgery Service at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at Palm Beach Gardens.
Carl Regillo, MD, FACS
Dr. Regillo is the founder and former Director of the Wills Eye Clinical Retina Research Unit, and serves as the Principle Investigator of several major international clinical trials investigating new forms of treatment for macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and a variety of other retinal conditions. He is also the Director of the Retina Service of Wills Eye Hospital, Professor of Ophthalmology at Thomas Jefferson University School of Medicine, and practices at Mid Atlantic Retina. Dr. Regillo has authored over 100 scientific papers, has lectured at numerous national and international meetings, has published eight major textbooks in the field of retina, and has run several instructional courses at the annual American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting. Dr. Regillo has sat on the editorial board for several major journals, including the American Journal of Ophthalmology, Review of Ophthalmology, and Retina Today.
Carol Shields, MD
Dr. Carol Shields is co-director of the Oncology Service at Wills Eye Hospital and Professor of Ophthalmology at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. She has authored or coauthored 9 textbooks, over 1,000 articles in major journals, and nearly 300 textbook chapters and given nearly 600 lectureships. She has received numerous professional awards including the Donders Award, given by the Netherlands Ophthalmological Society every 5 years to an ophthalmologist worldwide who has contributed extensively to the field of ophthalmology. She was the first woman ever to receive this award. She is a member of numerous ocular oncology, pathology, and retina societies and has delivered 30 named lectures in America and abroad. She serves on the editorial board of several journals including Retina, Journal of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, and International Journal of Clinical Oncology.