UCLA Faculty and EyeSTAR Residents Shine at AUPO

UCLA Department of Ophthalmology faculty, Drs. Anne Coleman, Deborah Ferrington, Lynn Gordon, Mitra Nejad, and Stacy Pineles, were key presenters at the Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology (AUPO) annual meeting January 25–28, 2023, in San Diego, CA. The event promotes excellence in ophthalmic education, research, and ethical practice.

EyeSTAR residents Ken Kitayama, MD, PhD, and Elise Ma, MD, PhD, were honored as AUPO Resident and Fellow Research Forum Awardees and presented their research at the meeting. Dr. Kitayama analyzes ocular health disparities and the downstream effects of structural inequities on vision outcomes. Dr. Ma’s research interests include glial cells in the retina and optic nerve and utilizing molecular transcriptomics to identify dynamic neuronal-glial interactions within the visual system.

EyeSTAR, which stands for Eye Specialty Training and Advanced Research, is a six-year MD/PhD curriculum in the UCLA Department of Ophthalmology chaired by Dr. Joseph L. Demer that combines a residency in ophthalmology with training in an academic field of science. EyeSTAR is recognized by the National Eye Institute and AUPO as a model training program.