The Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences' 25th Annual Symposium is set to take place Friday, June 14, 2024, at UAB Callahan Eye Hospital. This symposium features speakers from across the country, as well as research presentations from the department's many residency and fellowship programs. Lectures and events will be held on the third floor around the Smith Education Center, suite 300, with an optional social event at Top Golf after the conclusion of the symposium. Click here to register now.
Guest Speakers
Charles Burnham Lecturer
Courtney Francis, MD
Associate Professor
Division Director, Neuro-Ophthalmology
University of Washington
Medical Director, UW Medical Center - Montlake
Seattle, Washington
8:15 a.m. | Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension - the UW Experience
9:15 a.m. | Ocular Complications of Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapies
Dr. Francis was born and raised in Sacramento, California. She earned her bachelor's degree in neuroscience from Brown University followed by a medical degree at the University of Rochester. She completed her residency in ophthalmology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and then on to do a fellowship in neuro-ophthalmology at the University of Southern California's Doheny Eye Institute. She has been on faculty at the University of Washington since 2010, currently serving as an associate professor in the departments of Ophthalmology and Neurological Surgery. Dr. Francis maintains an active surgical neuro-ophthalmology practice while teaching medical students and residents. She served as the director of medical student education in ophthalmology for the UW School of Medicine for 10 years. Dr. Francis is active in state and national ophthalmology societies - she is the past president of the Washington Academy of Eye Physicians and Surgeons, serves on many committees within NANOS and AAO and volunteers for the ABO in exam development and as an oral board examiner. Dr. Francis works to improve the pipeline of young ophthalmologists entering the field of neuro-ophthalmology. Outside of work, she enjoys exploring the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two sons.
Alumni Lecturer
Carol Karp, MD
Richard K. Forster Chair in Ophthalmology
Dr. Ronald and Alicia Lepke Professorship in Cornea and Ocular Surface Diseases
Professor of Ophthalmology
Co-Director of Cornea Service
Bascom Palmer Eye Institute
University of Miami School of Medicine
Miami, Florida
10:50 a.m. | Update on the Management of Ocular Surface Squamous Neoplasia
11:40 a.m. | The ABCs of OCT for Ocular Surface Lesions
Dr. Karp is an expert in the management of ocular surface tumors and anterior segment surgery. A graduate of Brown University, she did her residency at Kellogg Eye Center at the University of Michigan. Dr. Karp joined the faculty of Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in 1994, after completing a fellowship in cornea and external diseases at the center. In the late 1990s, Dr. Karp pioneered the use of interferon for the treatment of ocular surface squamous neoplasia.
A leader in ocular surface oncology, her research has produced several landmark articles on the topic. Her current interests are in the management of ocular surface tumors and ocular surface imaging using ultra-high-resolution OCT.
Among the significant recognition, Dr. Karp received the Castroviejo Medal for 2022, the highest award bestowed by the Cornea Society. She is the fourth woman to ever get this award. She was named on the 2023 Power list as a top 100 (number 11) ophthalmologist. She was previously in the 2021 Top 100 Women in Ophthalmology, by The Ophthalmologist, and on the 2019 Power list as one of the top 50 most influential ophthalmologists. She was voted one of America’s best Eye Doctors by Newsweek in August 2022 and 2021. In addition, she was given the 2019 Shaler Richardson, MD, Service to Medicine Award from the Florida Society of Ophthalmology, recognized for her personal contribution to quality ophthalmic patient care. In addition, she was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023, the Senior Achievement Award (2015) and the Secretariat Award (2011) from the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) for her accomplishments and service to the AAO, where she served on numerous task forces, and regularly teaches at the annual meetings. She also received the Mentorship Award from Women in Ophthalmology and the American Medical Association Women Physicians Sector in 2013. She was a co-chair of the Cornea Day for 3 years. Along with her service to the AAO, Dr. Karp serves on the executive committee of the Pan-American Academy of Ophthalmology as the secretary of English language and is the President Elect. A member of the prestigious American Ophthalmological Society (AOS), she serves on its program committee. She is the co-director of the Inter-American Course in Clinical Ophthalmology (Curso). She has repeated inclusion in “Florida Superdoctors” and “Best Doctors in America”. Outside of Bascom Palmer, Dr. Karp is an avid athlete, exercising daily in the wee hours of the morning.
Helen Keller Lecturer
Eleonora G. Lad, MD, PhD
Vice Chair - Clinical Research
Associate Professor of Ophthalmology
Duke Eye Center
Durham, North Carolina
1:55 p.m. | Dry AMD, no longer a dry topic: Biomarkers and therapeutic approaches
2:55 p.m. | Unleashing the power of artificial intelligence in AMD and Glaucoma
Eleonora (Nora) Lad, MD, PhD, is a clinician scientist and retinal ophthalmologist with the primary goal of developing novel strategies for early diagnosis and treatment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Dr. Lad’s academic career goal is to translate her doctoral training in neurodegenerative diseases into developing innovative diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for AMD. Her research interests are centered on biomarkers for dry AMD diagnosis and progression:
1) visual function testing in dry AMD with the goal of establishing functional endpoints for clinical studies,
2) investigating the role of neuroinflammation (macrophages/microglia) in AMD pathogenesis,
3) and elucidating the use of novel retinal imaging biomarkers for diagnosis and progression of AMD, including through the use of artificial intelligence (machine and deep learning).
Dr. Lad has served as the Vice Chair of Clinical Research at Duke Eye Center, primary investigator for investigator-initiated and phase 1 through 3 clinical trials at Duke and as director of grading for retina clinical trials at Duke Reading Center. She has fulfilled the role of international lead PI for the Apellis phase 3 OAKS study for geographic atrophy (GA) secondary to AMD, the first large phase 3 trial of GA that met the primary endpoint. Dr. Lad collaborates with industry sponsors on the development of novel, approvable visual function assessments in the context of clinical trials for retinal disease, with particular expertise in dry AMD (intermediate and GA).
Dr. Lad was awarded the Research to Prevent Blindness Ernest & Elizabeth Althouse Special Scholar Award, the VA Clinical Science Research and Development I01 Merit Award, the Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development (K23) Award from the National Eye Institute, the 2016 ARVO/Alcon Early Career Clinician-Scientist Research Award, Duke Health Scholar, and a number of foundation grants.
