THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS 1 elcome to the latest edition of Through the Looking Glass, the alumni newsletter of the University of Pittsburgh Department of Ophthalmology! In this edition, we bid farewell to our graduating residents but welcome the new class. We also have some other exciting news to share!
First, you will read about the establishment of the Department’s FIFTH Endowed Chair, courtesy of Dr. John and Ms. Celia Sheppard. We then provide an update on the new Vision and Rehabilitation Institute, which is nearing completion and move-in. We feature the work of Dr. Anthony St. Leger in unraveling the disease of herpetic keratitis, as well as say goodbye to our friend and colleague Dr. Regis Kowalski as he enters his retirement. Finally, we highlight the remarkable career of alumnus Dr. Claude Burgoyne, who has taught us so much about the ocular biomechanics of the optic nerve. We hope that you are enjoying these updates from the department. We look forward to seeing each and every one of you at a future conference event, or at the grand opening of the Vision and Rehabilitation Institute next year. well, Ian Conner, MD, PhD Chief of the Glaucoma Service Director of the Glaucoma Fellowship Associate Program Director of the Residency UPMC Eye Center of Ian Conner Ian Conner MD,
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In This Issue From the Desk of
PhD Fall 2022
W From the Desk
1 Ophthalmology's New Endowed Chair 2 NewVision Institute Nearing Completion 2 Graduating Residents 3 Graduating Fellows 5 Research Spotlight 7 Incoming Residents 8 Incoming Fellows 9 A Lifetime of Battling Eye Infections 11 Ophthalmology Alumni Spotlight 12 CME Announcement/ Save the Dates/ 13 Social Media Accounts Webinar Information Back Cover Ian Conner,
“We are all so very excited the building construction has reached this milestone,” said Lawton Snyder, CEO of the Eye & Ear Foundation. “We are at a point where we can now see the full structure of the building, and more importantly, we can see the infrastructure that Dr. Sahel is building to do the work within the building, of restoring vision.”
John Sheppard, MD, MMSc, has established the John and Clelia Sheppard Endowed Chair to support research in the Department.
The project should be completed in April 2023.
The momentous occasion started in a tent with about 100 guests and then moved outside to watch the beam being lifted via crane. The beam had an American flag, along with a broom and a tree. These items symbolize a construction project without loss of life.
A former ophthalmology resident at the University of Pittsburgh is giving back in a big way.
The Vision and Rehabilitation Institute at the UPMC Mercy Pavilion reached a big milestone on June 30. The last beam was placed on the new structure, which was recognized in a Topping Off ceremony.
After completing his residency in Pittsburgh and a fellowship in San Francisco, Dr. Sheppard and his wife settled in Virginia Beach, where he has built and expanded a practice from two doctors to 40 doctors, 400 employees, 10 locations, and a six room OR. After several mergers, his practice is now part of EyeCare Partners, the largest integrated network of ophthalmologic and optometric groups in the country.
Department of Ophthalmology Gets New Endowed Chair Thanks to Alumnus
New Vision Institute
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“My academic career blossomed thanks to so many stellar Pittsburgh mentors,” he said. “Creating an endowment for continued teaching and research excellence for those same institutions together on the Bluff creates an incredibly rewarding conclusion to my journey.”
After spending two successive college summers in the Department of Ophthalmology with Chair Ken Richardson, MD, and then in the Department of Otolaryngology with Chair Eugene Myers, MD, Dr. Sheppard spent his third summer as a surgical scrub technician at Mercy Hospital. Dr. Sheppard called his three years in Ophthalmology Residency at Eye & Ear “amazing.”
Speakers at the event included Bishop Zubik and County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, along with University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Dean Anantha Shekhar, MD, PhD, Department of Ophthalmology Chairman José-Alain Sahel, MD, and John Innocenti, President of UMC Mercy. A delegation from the French embassy also attended as part of their visit to Pittsburgh to learn about the research taking place within the Department of Ophthalmology.
John D. Sheppard, M.D., M.M.Sc
“What Dr. and Mrs. Sheppard are doing is amazing and so important,” said Lawton Snyder, Chief Executive Officer of the Eye & Ear Foundation. “Endowed chairs help recruit and support top faculty and are critical to any successful medical department. Dr. Sahel has emphasized the importance of having more endowed chairs in the Department. The Sheppard’s Chair will be the fifth for the Department of Ophthalmology.”
Nearing Completion
Graduating ResidentsJenniferAdeghate, MD Dr. Adeghate was born in Budapest, Hungary and grew up in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates. She returned to Budapest to attend medical school at Semmelweis University, where she discovered her passion for ophthalmology. She also had a fondness for education and was a mentor to many of her juniors as a teaching assistant. After graduating summa cum laude from Semmelweis University, she worked as a clinical research fellow for two years at the Department of Ophthalmology at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York. During this time, she was also a visiting research scholar at the Glaucoma Research Center at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia. Dr. Adeghate completed her internship in general surgery at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical College prior to beginning her residency in ophthalmology at UPMC. In her free time, she enjoys reading, playing the piano, traveling, and spending time with friends and family. Dr. Adeghate will be doing her fellowship in Surgical Retina at Columbia University in New York City.
Ricardo Couso, MD Ricardo “Richie” Couso, MD, a native of New Jersey, graduated Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude from Rutgers University in 2010 with a BS in Exercise Science. He has always had a love for education, and as an undergraduate was an MCAT instructor for the Office for Diversity and Academic Success in the Sciences (ODASIS) at Rutgers. He then pursued his MD at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He cultivated his love for Ophthalmology during a Pediatric Oculoplastics rotation at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. His research in Oculoplastics has led to peer-reviewed publications, including a podium presentation at ASOPRS. He holds academic interests in medical student and resident education, as well as product/device development. He enjoys spending time with his wife Megan, lifting weights, playing squash, playing the guitar, and exploring Pittsburgh.
Patrick Commiskey was born in California to parents from Peru and Maryland. He completed his undergraduate studies in journalism and political science with an economics minor at Indiana University. After college, he helped found a non-profit community radio station in Salt Lake City, ran a brand-marketing firm, and helped to promote countless charitable and community-based organizations in Utah, Michigan, and St. Lucia. Exposure to the world and a desire to make a personally meaningful difference led him to attend medical school. He graduated from the University of Michigan Medical School and intended to become a family medicine doctor. It was there he discovered his love for ophthalmology (and a certain one of his classmates) during late third year that led him to take a sharp turn and pursue ophthalmology (as well as the classmate). He is so grateful for these two blessings: a rewarding career and a loving wife who is an awesome pediatrician. Being at the University of Pittsburgh Department of Ophthalmology meant a rigorous training, exposure to broad and abundant ocular pathology, and an opportunity to continue pursuing his interests in technology, education, and community outreach. Dr. Commiskey is going to Wilmer for a cornea/refractive/external disease fellowship. He will miss Pittsburgh.
Dr. Couso will be joining the Pima Eye Institute in Tucson, Arizona and starting his career as a Comprehensive Ophthalmologist.
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Patrick Commiskey, MD
Caroline Vloka, MD– Chief Resident Caroline Vloka grew up in New Jersey. Before college, she represented the United States on the National Women’s Fencing Team. She attended Harvard University where she majored in Human Evolutionary Biology with a minor in Slavic Languages and Literature. While in college, she won the NCAA Championships in women’s saber in 2010 and was named first team All American in all four years. She went on to medical school at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School after which she completed a Transitional internal year at UPMC. In her free time, she likes exploring new restaurants in the Pittsburgh area, golfing, going to the gym, and playing board games. Dr. Vloka will be going to Denver, Colorado for an ASOPRS fellowship in Oculopalstics. She is looking forward to exploring the Rocky Mountains with her new daughter Kora. Julia Shatten, MD. M. Ed Julia Shatten, MD, M. Ed graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Pennsylvania with a BA in the Biological Basis of Behavior where she did research in sleep science. After graduation she taught middle school science in St. Louis as a part of Teach for America where she earned her Master of Education from the University of Missouri and decided to pursue a career in medicine. She completed her post baccalaureate work at Washington University in St. Louis where she did research in using MRI to detect early signs of demyelination of the optic nerve in mice. She then spent a year doing research in Boston at the Berenson- Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation at Beth Israel. She completed medical school at The Robert Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont as a Schweitzer Fellow and stayed at UVM for her intern year in medicine. Her interests include global health, vision screening, women’s health, aerospace medicine, neuro-ophthalmology and medical education. In her free time, she enjoys dance, yoga, rock climbing, hiking, writing and exploring Pittsburgh on her bicycle. Dr. Shatten will be skiing to work and eating lots of cheese in her yearlong fellowship in the snowy city of Madison, Wisconsin for Cornea, External Disease, and Refractive Surgery.
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Graduating Residents (continued)
Zachary Koretz, MD, MPH
Dr. Zachary Koretz grew up in Los Angeles and graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2011 with a BSc in Biochemistry. At UCSB, Dr. Koretz volunteered with Doctors Without Walls/Santa Barbara Street Medicine and assisted on mission trips to Mexico with Aeromèdicos. In 2013 he began medical school at Tulane University and concurrently completed a master’s in public health with a concentration in Epidemiology from the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. During his time in New Orleans, he helped to establish the Luke’s House Eye Clinic: a free community eye clinic for underserved and undocumented patients in New Orleans. Dr. Koretz graduated first in his class and earned awards including the School of Medicine Dean’s Award for superior academic performance, and the university-wide Tulane 34 award for academic excellence, service and leadership. He was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha honor society during his junior year and served as president of the medical student body. Zachary is a magician member of The Magic Castle/ Academy of Magical Arts in Hollywood, CA, and in his free time he loves photography, cooking, and exploring Pittsburgh with his wife Kirsten and their 2 dogs.
Graduating FellowsPimpiroon
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Dr. Ploysangam spent most of her childhood in Bangkok, Thailand. She graduated with distinction from Boston University and received her medical degree from University of Cincinnati. Her ophthalmology residency was at SUNY University at Buffalo, where she served as chief resident and cultivated her interests in pediatrics and oculoplastics. She has since completed her pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus fellowship at Duke University. During her free time, she enjoys new foods, music, and sketching.
Ploysangam, MD – Oculoplastics
Thomas Berk, MD FRCSC – Glaucoma Dr. Thomas Berk comes to UPMC’s glaucoma fellowship program after completing his undergraduate, medical, and residency training in Canada. He went on to graduate Summa Cum Laude with honors from York University’s psychology program, went on to complete his residency at McGill University in Montreal. During residency, Dr. Berk was recognized multiple times for his natural teaching ability and dedication to furthering ophthalmic education, being voted twice by the McGill medical student body as most outstanding resident teacher and contributing to the department’s educational mission by founding several teaching programs that have since been incorporated into the McGill residency curriculum. When not working, Dr. Berk enjoys spending time with his wife and two daughters, exploring all that Pittsburgh has to offer their young family.
Kanwal Singh Matharu, MD – Cornea Kanwal Singh Matharu traces his love of live music and eclectic cuisine to his birthplace of New Orleans. He learned to love kayaking the bayous in Boy Scouts and the value of service by completing his Eagle Scout Project. He headed to Princeton University where he cofounded Sikhs of Princeton, reinvigorated Princeton Bhangra, and graduated with a BA in molecular biology with certificates in global health/health policy and neuroscience which culminated in a deep dive into basic science and translational research: studying the connectivity of the posterior parietal cortex in a rodent model. Serving on the Princeton Board of Trustees for four years added balance to his medical training at McGovern Medical School in Houston. Here his concentration in Medical Humanities concluded with a photojournalism project titled “Humans of the Hospital.” Kanwal will play any sport and dance to any beat. He enjoys gardening and is a rudimentary cook.
Elizabeth Conner, MD – Pediatrics
Dr. Sabrina Mukhtar was born in Las Vegas, Nevada and at a young age moved to South East Asia. She grew up in several countries including Indonesia, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand and returned to the United States for her undergraduate degree. She received a BA in Public Health from the University of California, Berkeley. She then attended medical school at Virginia Commonwealth University. Before starting residency, she completed a Masters in Public Health from the University of Pittsburgh. During this time she worked in Dr. Ladan Espandar’s Ocular Surface Regenerative Therapy Lab. She completed her internship in Internal Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. During her free time, Sabrina likes to spend time with family and friends, try out new coffee shops, enjoy great restaurants, read, and spin.
Dr. Meghal Gagrani was born and raised in India. She earned her medical degree with distinction from All India Institute of Medical Sciences at New Delhi where she also completed her ophthalmology residency in 2018. She moved to Omaha, Nebraska in 2019 to pursue a research fellowship followed by a clinical glaucoma fellowship at University of Nebraska Medical Center. She has a special interest in pediatric glaucoma. She is passionate about dancing and loves to cook in her free time.
Shelley Mo, MD – Glaucoma
Dr. Conner has come to Pittsburgh from Christchurch, New Zealand. She has interest in corneal surgery and pediatric ophthalmology. After completing a medical degree through the University of Otago, she trained as an Ophthalmologist in the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists training program. Dr Conner completed a BMedSci research degree in the management of diabetic eye disease in 2010. Dr Conner has had extensive involvement with the New Zealand Medical Students Association and is a current member of the New Zealand Medical Association’s ethics committee.
Sabrina Mukhtar, MD – Cornea
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Meghal Gagrani, MD – Pediatrics
Graduating Fellows (continued)
Dr. Shelley Mo graduated summa cum laude from Northwestern University with a B.A. in Biology and Mathematics. She then went on to complete her M.D. at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. During medical school, she held a leadership position in the Ophthalmology clinic within the student-run East Harlem Health Outreach Program and spent a scholarly year between her 3rd and 4th years of medical school conducting research in high resolution retinal vascular imaging at New York Eye and Ear. Her research centered on the validity of optical coherence tomography angiography in normal and pathologic eyes compared to adaptive optics fluorescein angiography. Prior to starting her ophthalmology training at UPMC, she completed a preliminary year in Internal Medicine at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s-West. Her hobbies include cooking and cake decorating.
Dr. St. Leger is an Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology and Immunology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He is the Director of the Ocular Microbiome and Immunity Laboratory.
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A problem with ocular HSV-1 infection is that the virus is never cleared from the host; it remains latent in neuronal cell bodies within ganglia. Upon viral reactivation from latency after periods of immune suppression, stress, or ultra violet light, live virus is deposited in the cornea, which induces an immune response that disrupts the corneal nerve architecture. Repeated reactivation events over the course of one’s lifetime can result significant loss of blink reflex, desiccation stress, corneal damage, and potential blindness. At the completion of this grant, the St. Leger Lab hopes to identify SARM1 as a target to augment during reactivation events to limit the exacerbation of disease and slow or reverse pathology.
In July, the St. Leger Laboratory received word that a five-year R01 grant will be imminently awarded to study the role that Sterile alpha and TIR motif containing 1 (SARM1) plays in herpes stromal keratitis (HSK), one of the most common causes of blindness due to infection in America. Specifically, the focus of this grant is on how SARM1 affects corneal nerves; however, the St. Leger Lab has also found that SARM1 modulates immune cells, which are known to play a role in HSK pathogenesis. By defining how SARM1 may influence viral keratitis, St. Leger hopes that the end result of this grant will open up possibilities to target SARM1 therapeutically to alleviate blinding ocular surface disease.
Recently, SARM1 has garnered a fair amount of interest in the field of neuroimmunology due to its role in causing neuronal axonal degradation. Because of this, many have hypothesized that SARM1 negatively influences disease outcomes in dementia-related diseases like Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD) due to the loss of neuronal connections within the brain. Conversely, in unpublished data, St. Leger and Yun found that SARM1 is beneficial after HSV-1 infection of the cornea. Specifically, SARM1 appears to repress the ingrowth of “unsensing” sympathetic nerves and limits the inflammatory nature of immune cells, which both negatively influence disease. This process allows sensory nerves to remain in the cornea, which encourages the preservation of the optically clear cornea.
Anthony Sy. Leger, PhD
Research Spotlight: Sterile alpha and TIR motif containing 1 (SARM1) as a host factor that determines blinding viral keratitis
Using a mouse model of HSK, Dr. Hongmin Yun (Research Assistant Professor in St. Leger’s Lab)—under the guidance of Dr. Robert Hendricks (UPitt—Professor Emeritus)—showed that sensory nerves are lost from the cornea during HSV-1 infection, which leads to a loss of blink reflex, desiccation stress, and severe keratitis. Yun found that this effect was primarily attributed to vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) disrupting the normal nerve architecture within the cornea. In 2020, Yun was able to use an FDA-approved therapy, bevacizumab, to inhibit VEGFinduced sensory nerve loss, which restored blink reflex and alleviated disease. With that, Drs. St. Leger and Yun wanted to identify other factors that may influence the outcome of disease.
Now, with five years of funding, St. Leger and Yun are focused on understanding how SARM1 may be functioning within immune cells and sympathetic nerves. In preliminary studies, the team has found that SARM1 limits inflammatory profiles within immune cells that respond to the virus within several hours of initial infection. Further, it also appears that SARM1 may restrict the growth of pathogenic sympathetic nerves within the superior cervical ganglion (SCG).
Dr. Doowon Huh graduated magna cum laude from Cornell University with a B.A. in Chemistry and Chemical Biology and completed his M.D./Ph.D. from the Tri-Institutional M.D./Ph.D. program. He received his M.D. from Weill Cornell Medical College and his Ph.D. from Rockefeller University. Prior to starting his ophthalmology training at UPMC, he completed his transitional year at UPMC.
ResidentsPatriciaCampos,MD
Saloni Kapoor, MD
Saloni Kapoor attended medical school at India’s premier medical school All India Institute of Medical Sciences at New Delhi. Subsequently she completed an Internal Medicine residency at UPMC Presbyterian in the International Scholars Track. During her training, she found her niche in researching ocular manifestation of systematic illnesses. She was a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at UPMC Mercy for one year and will now be starting her residency in Ophthalmology at UPMC Presbyterian. Christina Kong, MD Dr. Christina Kong graduated magna cum laude from University of California, Los Angeles with a B.S. in Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology with a minor in Global Studies. She was conferred her M.D. by the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine and completed a one-year research fellowship with the F.I. Proctor Foundation at University of California, San Francisco. Before starting her ophthalmology training at UPMC, she completed her transitional year in Internal Medicine at UPMC as well.
Incoming
Dr. Raven Diacou graduated from Haverford College with a B.S. in Biology and completed her M.D./Ph.D. degree in the MSTP program at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. During her PhD, she investigated the genetics of retinal development. Prior to starting her ophthalmology training at UPMC, she completed a transitional year in Internal Medicine at UPMC.
Doowon Huh, MD
Gideon Nkrumah, MD Dr. Nkrumah graduated from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology with Doctor of Optometry degree honors. He completed post-baccalaureate pre-med classes at the University of Cincinnati and his M.D at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Prior to starting his ophthalmology training at UPMC, he completed a Transitional year in Internal Medicine at UPMC.
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Dr. Campos graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a B.S.E in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and completed her M.D. at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Prior to starting her ophthalmology training at UPMC, she completed a transitional year in Internal Medicine also at UPMC.
Raven Diacou, MD
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Incoming
FellowsFaridaHakim,MD
Farida Hakim, MD is a new cornea fellow at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. She graduated magna cum laude from Haverford College. She then received her medical degree from the University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine. Dr. Hakim completed an internship in internal medicine at Case Western Reserve University. Prior to joining the Department of Ophthalmology, she finished her residency at University of Chicago. Karima Khimani, MD Karima Khimani, MD is a new cornea fellow at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. She graduated summa cum laude from The University of Texas at Austin. She then received her medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine as well as completed an internship. Prior to joining the Department of Ophthalmology, she finished her residency at University of Texas Medical Branch where she was chief resident. Tyler Berger, MD Tyler Berger, MD is a new glaucoma fellow at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He graduated summa cum laude from Mercyhurst University. He then received his medical degree from Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, graduating in the top 10% of his class. Dr. Berger completed an internship in internal medicine at Allegheny General Hospital. Prior to joining the Department of Ophthalmology, he finished his residency at the University of Cincinnati where he was chief resident. Ahmed Abdou, MD Ahmed Abdou, MD is a new glaucoma fellow at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He graduated from Assiut University in Egypt, receiving his bachelor and medical degrees. He also completed a residency at the same University. He was an ophthalmology specialist at Assiut University Hospital prior to completing a clinical/research fellowship at Vissum-Instituto Oftalmologico, Universidad Miguel Hernandez in Alicante, Spain. Prior to joining the Department of Ophthalmology, Dr. Ahmed was an Associate Professor at the Assiut University Hospital in Egypt. Isha Ingle, MD Isha Ingle, MD is a new neuro-ophthalmology fellow at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. She received her medical degree from Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Memorial Medical College, Amravati under Maharashtra University of Medical Sciences, Nasik, India. She then completed Residency in Ophthalmology, at Rabindranath Tagore Medical College, Udaipur, under Rajasthan University of Health Sciences, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India. Dr. Ingle then completed a glaucoma fellowship at the Aravind –Zeiss Centre for Excellence in Glaucoma in India. Prior to joining the Department of Ophthalmology Dr. Ingle completed a fellowship in cornea and refractive surgery at Park Avenue LASEK Center, New York, NY.
Betul Bayraktutar, MD Betul Bayraktutar, MD is a new pediatric ophthalmology fellow at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. She received her medical degree from Ankara University. She then completed a residency at Ankara University. After residency, she was an attending ophthalmologist at Amasya Suluova State Hospital, Turkey then Koc University Hospital, Turkey. Prior to joining the Department of Ophthalmology, Dr. Bayraktutar was a postdoctoral fellow at Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA.
Dr. Tiedemann graduated from Brown University. She then received her medical degree from the George Washington University School of Medicine. Dr. Tiedemann completed an internship in internal medicine at Yale New Haven and Waterbury Hospitals. Prior to joining the Department of Ophthalmology, she finished her residency at New York Medical College.
Incoming Fellows (continued)
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Kyle Fallgatter, MD Kyle Fallgatter, MD is a new retina fellow at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Fallgatter graduated from the United States Naval Academy with a Bachelor of Science degree in Systems Engineering. After serving in the United States Naval Reserve, he received a masters of science degree in medical sciences from the University of South Florida. Dr. Fallgatter then received his medical degree from the University of Florida College of Medicine. Prior to joining the Department of Ophthalmology, he completed his residency at the University of Florida Department of Ophthalmology.
Laura Tiedemann, MD is a new oculo-plastics fellow at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
Kateryna Sanders, OD Kateryna Sanders, OD is one of our inaugural optometry fellows. She received her bachelor’s degree from Washington & Jefferson University and her optometry degree from Salus University. She specializes in ocular disease. Kirsten Winter, OD Kirsten Winter, OD is one of our inaugural optometry fellows. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern Maine and her optometry degree from the State University of New York College of Optometry. She specializes in low vision and has special interest in glaucoma and retinal, neurological and systemic disease.
Mohamed Khodeiry, MD Mohamed Khodeiry, MD is a new pediatric fellow at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Khodeiry received his medical degree from Benha University (Egypt) where he graduated magna cum laude and also received a master of science degree in ophthalmology and vision science. He completed his residency at the Research Institute of Ophthalmology in Giza, Egypt. Prior to joining the Department of Ophthalmology. Dr. Khodeiry completed a clinical and research fellowship at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami.
Laura Tiedemann, MD
A Lifetime of Battling Eye Infections
Upon retirement, Kowalski plans to travel from Pennsylvania to South Carolina, where he and his wife built a family summer home near the beach. He wants to spend time with his family, especially his two grandchildren. He would also like to author a book. He leaves fulfilled.
After 40+ years, Regis Kowalski, MS, M(ASCP), has retired from the University of Pittsburgh and as Executive Director of the Charles T. Campbell Eye Microbiology Laboratory
“I have over 160 peer-reviewed publications, six book chapters, and over 250 abstracts for meeting presentations,” lists Kowalski. “I have presented on the international stage regarding ophthalmic microbiology. Our laboratory has developed a website for the Charles T. Campbell Eye Microbiology Laboratory. Through this website we can communicate with anyone in the world [about] ophthalmic microbiology. Any interested ophthalmic practice in the U.S. can use the information from our laboratory to send ocular samples to [us] for diagnosis of ocular infection.”
Kowalski has seen many positive changes over the years in the field. Molecular diagnostics has made diagnosing eye infections in a timely, definitive manner, he says. Herpes simplex, adenovirus, herpes zoster, cytomegalovirus, chlamydia, and acanthamoeba are being diagnosed within one to three days. Other reference laboratories are now available to detect toxoplasmosis and identify unusual bacteria and fungi.
Kowalski was later promoted to a faculty position in the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. In fact, he cites this as his proudest professional achievement: his promotion to Professor of Ophthalmology based on his merits.
The Campbell Laboratory started as a “Mom and Pop laboratory,” and is still classified as one. The mission is to diagnose ocular infections in patients and to serve the ophthalmic community – both local and national. To meet this objective, they work very closely with in-house and community physicians. The laboratory is the only independent certified ophthalmic microbiology laboratory in the U.S. and is fully certified by the College of American Pathologists (CAP), the Federal government (CLIA), and the State of Pennsylvania.
Regis Kowalski, MS, M(ASCP)
“I will always be a Professor of Ophthalmology,” he says. He is seeking Emeritus status. His long and successful career began when he majored at the University of Pittsburgh in microbiology and biophysics. An opportunity then opened in the Ophthalmic Microbiology Laboratory at what was then called the Eye & Ear Hospital; he joined as a clinical and research microbiologist researching Herpes simplex virus in donor eye tissue.
“Ophthalmology and the University of Pittsburgh provided me with a rewarding livelihood and many people helped me along the way,” Kowalski says. “I thank all of those people who touched my life in a positive manner, and I hope that I had an affirmative impact on others.”
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City:1990-1991Chief1988-1990ResidentResident
Portland, Oregon Family:
Hobbies: I love to cook, read, listen to music, learn about wine, travel, experience architecture and art in all settings, and exercise outdoors. My wife and I enjoy long distance bike rides, cross country skiing, and hiking the beautiful river valleys, lush green forests, and vast high deserts of Oregon and Washington.
Claude Burgoyne, MD
Most important thing about having attended Pitt for Ophthalmology Residency: There are several things that stick in my memory. First, I loved the physical setting of Pittsburgh. I also remember the first-year resident emergency room experience as being a grueling trial by fire. Through the three years of residency there was tremendous pathology in both the resident and private practice clinics and excellent attendings from whom to learn and receive mentoring.
The Chief of the Glaucoma Service, Dr. Vic Jocson, was a mentor to myself and two of my fellow residents, Mike Savitt and Dan O’Connor, who also did glaucoma fellowships. This was also the time when I discovered my primary research interest, thanks to encountering Harry Quigley and his scanning electron microscopic images of the lamina cribrosa at an Armed Forces Institute of Pathology course that the Department sponsored. Inspired by the beauty of the connective tissue architecture of the optic nerve head, I began to recognize that my architecture training had prepared me to think about the optic nerve head and glaucoma within a biomechanical framework and that collaborations with biomechanical engineers would eventually be required.
Career: During my glaucoma fellowship, I learned the non-human primate (NHP) experimental glaucoma model from Harry and spent time in Don Zack’s lab. In 1993 I was recruited to LSU by Herb Kaufman, who took a chance on my ideas by providing a startup package for my research. I collaborated with Rich Hart, PhD, who was then Chairman of the Biomechanical Engineering Department at Tulane. He provided four excellent PhD students, Anthony Bellezza Crawford Downs, Michael Girard, and Hongli Yang, who each were instrumental to my laboratory’s early success. By 1998, we were NIH R01 funded, and by the early 2000s, our biomechanical concepts were beginning to have an impact. In 2005, an ongoing collaboration with Jack Cioffi at the Devers Eye Institute led him to recruit my entire research group to Portland, which led to a difficult transition following Hurricane Katrina.
Training: I grew up in Green Bay, WI, and attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1973-1974 studying pre-med. I left school to spend three years in the Marines to earn the GI Bill, returning to Madison for a year in 1977. Then I transferred to the University of Minnesota to study architecture. After two years, I left to focus on completing my remaining requirements for medical school. I stayed at Minnesota for medical school from 1983-1987 and then did an internship at Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh from 19871988. After my Pitt residency, I completed a two-year research and clinical fellowship in glaucoma at the Wilmer Eye Institute. I was appointed Director of the Glaucoma service within the Department of Ophthalmology at the LSU School of Medicine in New Orleans in 1993. In 2005, I moved to Portland to assume the Van Buskirk Chair for Ophthalmic Research and to direct the Optic Nerve Head Research Laboratory at the Devers Eye Institute, where I have remained.
I have been married to Vicki Smith, an architect, since 2005.
Claude Burgoyne, MD
I feel fortunate that for the past 24 years, my lab has been funded by the NIH to study the effects of aging and experimental glaucoma on the NHP optic nerve head. We have also been able to extend our work in NHPs by using Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) to clinically characterize the human optic nerve head tissues. In these regards, my laboratory has maintained a longstanding research relationship with Heidelberg Engineering. I have also had the honor of serving as the Glaucoma Section Trustee and President of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO). I retired from clinical practice last year and will retire from my lab in 2023 when my current NIH funding ends. How have you been involved with the Department of Ophthalmology since your graduation?
I have followed the tremendous growth of the Department through visits to give lectures. I have also had many interactions with Dr. Ian Sigal, who has built a truly outstanding research program in ocular biomechanics within the Department.
Alumni Spotlight
12 THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS
THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS 13 CME Announcement DID YOU KNOW? Did you know that UPMC Physician Resources provides free online continuing medical education courses? Experts from UPMC and our partners present on the latest clinical advances, bench-to-bedside research, and best practices in care delivery across a variety of specialties. You are able to view two courses before you must register for an official account. Courses are still free once you register. UPMC has utilized several of our recent webinar programs as continuing medical education courses. Please visit the link below to learn more! www.upmcphysicianresources.com Want to keep up to date on all the exciting research happening in the Departments of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology at the University of Pittsburgh? Follow our social media accounts below to see pictures, articles, awards, and more highlighting all the great work taking place at your alma mater. Just click the logos to find our page! AAO Alumni and Friends Reception October 2, 2022 • Chicago, IL Marriot Marquis Chicago McCormick Place 5:30 – 7:30 pm Save The Date Follow the Eye & Ear Foundation Online!
We Want To Hear From You! Webinar Information he Eye & Ear Foundation, in conjunction with the Departments of Otolaryngology and Ophthalmology at the University of Pittsburgh, has a bi-weekly webinar series entitled “Sights and Soundbites.” The webinars are presented by department faculty members and highlight their current research initiatives and treatment strategies. These webinars have proven to be an accessible and interactive way to stay connected with patients, donors, faculty, and alumni. If you would like to register to receive webinar invites, please visit www.eyeandear.org/webinars. To view recent webinar videos, please click on the links below: Otolaryngology • Living with Tinnitus: Clinical Evaluation & Management Strategies • What Makes a Good Surgeon? Advances in Surgical Training • Sight + Soundbites: Breathing Easier: Sinonasal and Allergies • Hearing Aids: Everything You Need to Know • Taking a Tour of the Skull Base Surgery Center • The How and Why of Treating Swallowing Disorders Ophthalmology • Growing Optic Nerve – Progress on Optic Nerve Regeneration • Retinal Dystrophies: Introduction, Therapies and Ongoing Research • Optic Neuropathies: A Crucial Messenger and its Disorders • Refractive Surgery: Everything You Need to Know About Surgically Correcting Your Vision • Understanding Common Eye Infections • Corneal Transplantation: From Donor to Recipient ith the release of our new alumni newsletter, Through the Looking Glass , we want to keep in touch with our alumni. Please share exciting personal or professional news with fellow alumni in future editions of our newsletter. Have you recently changed jobs? Got married? Published some exciting research? Welcomed a new member into your family? We want to know about it! To update your contact information or to share personal and professional news, please visit alumni-updatespitt.edu/alumni-class-photos/http://www.otolaryngology.
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Eye & Ear Foundation of Pittsburgh is a nonprofit 501 (C)(3) organization. Our mission is to support the research and academic efforts of the Departments of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology at the University of Pittsburgh. Donations to support our research initiatives can be made online at eyeandear.org or by returning the enclosed envelope. For more information on the Foundation, our research, or the articles in this newsletter, please contact Katherine Troy, Director of Operations, at katherine@eyeandear.org or 412-864-1300. W T If you no longer wish to receive our newsletter, please submit requests to our mailing address, or email Theoptout@eyeandear.orgofficialregistration and financial information of the Eye & Ear Foundation may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling toll free, within Pennsylvania, 1-800-732-0999. Registration does not imply endorsement. eyeandear.org University of Pittsburgh Department of Ophtahlmology Eye & Ear Institute, Suite 820 203 Lothrop Street Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213 412.864.3283Wallyl@upmc.edu 203 Lothrop Street Suite 251 Pittsburgh,EEIPennsylvania 15213 412.864.1300 O 412.864.1305 F Please consider a donation to the Eye & Ear Foundation to fund our research and academic efforts. MAKE A GIFT
