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UIC Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences
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Spring 2018
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PUBLICATIONS
To learn more about our faculty and their work, check out our annual report!
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Happy Spring to all of our Faculty, Staff, Alumni and Colleagues!
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US News Best Hospitals Nominations
Please take a moment to vote for IEEI!
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2018 Gift of Sight Honoree: Elmer Y. Tu, MD
June 28, 2018
Eversight (previously the Illinois Eye-Bank) is a non-profit organization whose stated mission is to restore sight and prevent blindness through the
healing power of donation, transplantation and research. They recover, evaluate and provide human eye tissue for transplantation; support research into the causes and cures of blinding eye conditions; promote donation awareness through public and professional education; and provide humanitarian aid to people around the world in need of sight-restoring therapies.
Eversight's 20th Annual Gift of Sight Gala will honor IEEI faculty member, Elmer Y. Tu, MD as the 2018 Gift of Sight Honoree. Dr. Tu was selected by his peers as a physician who stands out as a worldwide leader among Cornea Specialists.
Dr. Tu is dedicated to eye banking and has served as a Medical Director of Eversight, Chicago location, for 15 years ensuring that Eversight operates in compliance with the Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA) Medical Standards and with state and federal regulations.
The 2018 Gala will be held on June 28, 2018 at The Peninsula Chicago. Please visit the Eversight website for tickets and more on the Gala and watch a special video conversation with 12-year-old Liliana, one of Dr. Tu's cornea transplant patients.
Congratulations to Dr. Tu for this recognition and for exemplifying the spirit and work of Eversight!
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Ophthalmic Care in Azerbaijan: Mark Rosenblatt, MD, PhD, MBA
As part of an ongoing initiative to cultivate international collaborations, delegates from the University of Illinois returned to Baku, Azerbaijan this April to attend the international scientific conference
"Actual problems of ophthalmology" hosted by The National Ophthalmology Center named after Zarifa Aliyevam. Dr. Mark Rosenblatt, Professor and Head of the Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary at UIC, was invited to present his topic "Corneal Nerves in Health Disease," and was interviewed by a local television station to discuss the quality of ophthalmic care in Baku.
Zarifa Aliyevam was a renowned ophthalmologist whose greatest distinction was leading the fight to eradicate trachoma in Azerbaijan. "In the beginning of her medical activity, Zarifa Aliyeva was in the forefront of fighting trachoma, leading groups on combating this disease in the regions. She has significant merits in organizing the ophthalmology section of healthcare. Currently, the Ophthalmology Center is named after her and is the biggest one in the Caucasus," said Mushfig Karimov, a department head at the National Ophthalmology Center. Read
CBC TV's article to learn more about Zarifa Aliyeva and The National Ophthalmology Center's commitment to honor her legacy.
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In the Media: Deepak Shukla, MD
Deepak Shukla, MD, the Marion Schenk Professor of Ophthalmology and Professor of Microbiology and Immunology in the UIC College of Medicine, has recently been featured in a variety of publications and articles. Shukla and colleagues recently published a study in Science Translational Medicine on a new class of drug to treat herpes simplex virus-1 in the eye. These infections are a leading cause of blindness, and people taking existing medications often develop resistance, leaving them with few alternatives. Shukla's paper describes a new drug that works differently than existing options on the market. Below are links to the articles featuring Dr. Shukla's comments and his research.
Becker's Hospital Review
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11th Annual Illinois Eye Review
The 11th Annual Illinois Eye Review (IER) took place this year the week of February 24 to March 2.
Residents, fellows and practicing ophthalmologists from the US and abroad attended the program which offers comprehensive coverage of factual information, case presentations and in-depth discussions on advanced concepts in ophthalmology. The IER covers the clinical essentials of each subspecialty in ophthalmology and is taught by Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary physicians, known worldwide for their management of difficult and complicated cases in all major ophthalmologic subspecialties. In addition, guest speakers who are nationally and internationally recognized leaders in the field and known as outstanding educators, lend their knowledge and expertise to the program. This year the IER offered 80 hours of CME credit. Congratulations to Dr. Nathalie Azar and Dr. Nalin Kumar for hosting another successful meeting!
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11th Annual Retina Symposium
The 11th Annual Retina Symposium was held on Friday, April 6, 2018. This year's theme was
"Recognizing Retinal Findings and Improving Clinical Outcomes." Dr. Jennifer Lim, Director of the Retina Service, organized the course. The Gerhard Cless Endowed Lecture was given by Johanna Seddon, MD, ScM, Professor of Ophthalmology at Tufts University School of Medicine and Founder and Director of the Ophthalmic Epidemiology and Genetics Service, Tufts Medical Center, New England Eye Center in Boston. The title of her lecture was, "Macular Degeneration: A Story about Nature and Nurture-Genes and Environment," which was enthusiastically received. Dr. Richard Rosen from New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, Dr. Lee Jampol from Northwestern University, Kirk Packo from Rush University, Dr. Dimitra Skondra from University of Chicago were the other invited guest speakers. These invited professors joined our UIC retina group to comprise the Retina Symposium faculty. There were over 80 attendees, who enjoyed this learning experience.
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Above:
Director Jennifer Lim, MD, recognizes Johanna Seddon, MD, ScM for giving this year's Gerhard Cless Endowed Lecture.
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Pediatric Ophthalmology for the Non-Ophthalmologist Symposium
The much anticipated Pediatric Ophthalmology for the Non-Ophthalmologist Symposium, hosted by Dr. Nathalie Azar, Director of the Pediatric and Adult Strabismus Service at UIC, took place Saturday April 7, 2018. Pediatricians, family practitioners and other physicians who treat children experienced a full day of ophthalmology. The morning lectures offered basic information on the most essential pediatric ophthalmology disorders and diseases. In the afternoon participants were given the opportunity to practice direct ophthalmoscopy and acquire the skills necessary for pediatric visual assessment. The course was taught by IEEI pediatric ophthalmology faculty, ophthalmology residents, the pediatric ophthalmology and adult strabismus fellow, and certified orthoptists.
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Search for Vision and Parent Petroleum
On Tuesday, March 20, the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences welcomed back representatives from Search for Vision and Parent Petroleum to witness first-hand how their philanthropic support has impacted retinal degenerative disease research in the department.
Dr. Mark Rosenblatt welcomed the group of supporters, followed by research presentations by Drs. Michael Grassi and David Pepperberg, both of whom received philanthropic support from Parent Petroleum, Inc., and Search for Vision in 2017.
At the close of the meeting, Dr. Rosenblatt presented Mr. Peter Mancini, retired Co-Founder and President of Parent Petroleum, Inc., a plaque for his outstanding contributions to retinal degenerative disease research in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at University of IL.
Top left: Drs. Pepperberg, Mancini, Grassi, and Rosenblatt.
Bottom: The visiting group from Search for Vision and Parent Petroleum.
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The Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, in collaboration with the Chicago Bulls, hosted yet another successful screening event on Wednesday, March 28th at the Advocate Center (the Chicago Bulls Training Facility). The partnership with the Chicago Bulls provides greater awareness of the importance of sight, vision health and treatment of eye diseases to families in the Chicago area.
More than 100 men, women, and children were invited to attend this screening
event. Thank you to all the wonderful IEEI volunteers who helped make this event possible! We appreciate your commitment to bettering public health in Chicago!!
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Above:
Guests receive free eye screenings
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As of April 9th,
callers to the General Eye Clinic can expect more prompt and consumer oriented service, thanks to a partnership with the Chicago Light House. This partnership improves patient access by helping callers make appointments in several of our primary care eye clinics. The call center employees provide general information and assist with patient registration - including insurance eligibility. As our
call
volume increases, this provides greater capacity to answer
calls
in a timely manner and leads to improved satisfaction for our patients. In addition, this has freed up time for our departmental Customer Service employees to provide the attention needed when patients arrive for their appointments.
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Above:
The new GEC Call Center employees
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2018 Spring Glaucoma Symposium
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42nd Annual Alumni Resident Day
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2018 Alumni Reception at the AAO
October 28, 2018
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For more information and our full list of courses and events, visit:
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Exciting News Begins with You!
Our dedicated news team needs your exclusive insight! Honored with the task of sharing your remarkable stories, we are calling you to "Submit the News that Deserves the Views."
Wondering what is newsworthy? We want all of your patient stories, donor stories, alumni updates, milestones, staff highlights, research awards, conference updates, and everything else that deserves the spotlight. Just click on the News Submissions link and send us your story!
You can also find our News Submissions link on our Department website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.
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Thank you to all of our patients and donors for their invaluable support in our mission to improve the quality of treatment for people suffering from vision loss.
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Proud Community Partner of the
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