Alumni Highlights

Encouraged by the mentorship they received during their training, three Kellogg Eye Center graduates have gone on to impressive positions at top institutions throughout the United States.

Steven E. Brooks, M.D. (Fellowship, 1992-1993), recently become the William S. Hagler Professor of Ophthalmology and Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at the Medical College of Georgia, the academic health sciences center for the University of Georgia. Prior to accepting this role, he was the Anne S. Cohen Professor of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Chief of Pediatric Ophthalmology at Columbia University Medical Center and the Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of New York.

Dr. Brooks’ clinical focus is on all aspects of pediatric ophthalmology and adult strabismus. He is a national leader in the field of complex strabismus, strabismus surgery, pediatric ophthalmology and retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). An excellent clinician and physician scientist, he has made a number of important contributions to the field, including his work on fat adherence syndrome and his description of a new modification for muscle transposition surgery in the field of strabismus.

“I was a fellow in pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus with Dr. Monte Del Monte and Dr. Steven Archer in 1992-93. The fellowship training I received at Kellogg was second to none and I hope, in return, that I have made my mentors proud.”

Jonathan M. Holmes, M.D. (Fellowship 1992), was appointed Professor and Chair of Ophthalmology and Vision Science at the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Tucson on July 31, 2020. Prior to accepting this position, Dr Holmes was the Joseph E. and Rose Marie Green Professor of Visual Sciences and Professor of Ophthalmology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

Dr. Holmes is currently the co-chair of the Pediatric Eye Disease Investigator Group, a NIH-funded network conducting clinical trials in pediatric eye care and strabismus. He has additional NIH funding to develop patient-reported outcome measures across the spectrum of childhood eye conditions. Dr. Holmes is also an internationally recognized strabismus surgeon focusing on complex ocular misalignment and double vision in children and adults.

“My fellowship with Dr. Monte Del Monte and Dr. Steven Archer at Kellogg gave me the toolbox I needed to carry into the rest of my career. More than anything, they taught me how to think, how to approach novel problems in strabismus and pediatric ophthalmology. I am forever indebted to them.”

Brenda L. Bohnsack, M.D., Ph.D. (Residency, 2007-2010), was recently appointed new Division Head of Ophthalmology at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and associate professor of ophthalmology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Bohnsack was previously a faculty member at Kellogg after having been a resident at Michigan. She served as the Pediatric Ophthalmology and Adult Strabismus Fellowship Director and was the Helmut F. Stern Career Development Professor.

Her clinical interests include diagnosis and management of congenital eye diseases and childhood glaucoma. A renowned vision researcher, Dr. Bohnsack’s work involves investigating molecular mechanisms underlying ocular development in the embryo to better understand congenital eye diseases and pave the way for new treatment strategies.