The University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences will host its 27th Annual Research Symposium on Friday, June 12, 2026, in the UAB Altec/Styslinger Genomic Medicine and Data Sciences Building (ALGEN).
This full-day event will showcase cutting-edge research and clinical advancements in ophthalmology, featuring distinguished guest speakers from across the country. In addition to invited lectures, the symposium will highlight research presentations and posters from UAB ophthalmology residents and fellows, providing a platform for emerging leaders in the field. Attendees will also participate in specialty-focused panel discussions and roundtable conversations addressing key areas including retina, uveitis and glaucoma.
The annual symposium offers a unique opportunity to exchange ideas, foster collaboration and celebrate innovation in vision science.
Charles J. Burnham, M.D., Endowed Distinguished Lectureship in Ophthalmology
Amol Sura, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology
Department of Ocular Immunology
Duke University — Duke Eye Center
Durham, North Carolina
Amol Ashwin Sura, M.D., is an ocular immunologist and uveitis specialist at Duke Eye Center, where he serves as assistant professor of ophthalmology. He joined Duke after completing subspecialty training in uveitis and ocular immunology at the F.I. Proctor Foundation at the University of California, San Francisco. He previously completed his ophthalmology residency at UAB.
Sura’s clinical expertise spans the spectrum of inflammatory eye disease, including uveitis, scleritis, cicatricial pemphigoid and inflammatory ocular surface disorders. His work also includes complex cataract surgery in patients with immune-mediated disease.
He serves as an investigator on multiple multicenter clinical trials evaluating emerging therapies for conditions such as atopic keratoconjunctivitis, uveitic macular edema and neurotrophic keratitis, as well as innovations in high-risk keratoplasty. His scholarly contributions include peer-reviewed publications focused on peripheral ulcerative keratitis, intraocular infections and systemic inflammatory disease with ocular manifestations.
As a clinician-scientist dedicated to advancing care for patients with complex immune-mediated eye disease, Sura brings expertise in both translational research and patient-centered treatment. His lectureship will provide insight into the evolving landscape of ocular immunology and collaborative care models in academic medicine.
UAB Ophthalmology Alumni Association Sponsored Lecturer
Evan Schoenberg, M.D.
Cataract | Cornea | Dry Eye | LASIK | Refractive Surgery
Georgia Eye Partners
Atlanta, Georgia
Evan D. Schoenberg, M.D., is a board-certified, fellowship-trained ophthalmologist and director of refractive surgery at Georgia Eye Partners. He specializes in cataract surgery, LASIK, PRK, implantable collamer lenses, refractive lens exchange and advanced corneal transplantation, as well as the management of complex corneal disease.
Schoenberg was named one of America’s Top 100 Ophthalmologists by Newsweek in 2021 and 2023 and has been recognized as a Top Doctor by Atlanta Magazine and Castle Connolly. He participated in U.S. Food and Drug Administration trials for corneal cross-linking and leads a refractive keratoconus clinic offering corneal cross-linking, INTACS, CAIRS and topography-guided PRK.
He is among a limited number of surgeons in Georgia with extensive experience performing Descemet’s membrane endothelial keratoplasty, an advanced partial-thickness corneal transplant associated with improved visual outcomes and faster recovery. He also performs deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty, keratoprosthesis implantation and full-thickness corneal transplantation, and teaches advanced surgical techniques to fellow cornea specialists.
A summa cum laude graduate of Vanderbilt University, Schoenberg earned his medical degree from Emory University, completed residency training at Tulane University and pursued fellowship training at Price Vision Group in Indianapolis. His lecture will reflect his commitment to surgical innovation and individualized vision correction.
Helen Keller Lecturer
Nieraj Jain, M.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Ophthalmology
Emory University School of Medicine
Atlanta, Georgia
Nieraj Jain, M.D., is an associate professor of ophthalmology at Emory University School of Medicine and a member of the vitreoretinal surgery and diseases service at Emory Eye Center. His clinical and research work centers on macular disease, retinal detachment and inherited retinal disorders, including Stargardt disease and retinitis pigmentosa.
Jain earned a bachelor’s degree in biological and environmental engineering from Cornell University and his medical degree from Duke University. He completed an internal medicine internship at the University of Rochester, an ophthalmology residency at Duke University — where he served as chief resident — and a vitreoretinal surgery fellowship at the University of Michigan. He later completed fellowship training in ophthalmic genetics at Casey Eye Institute, supported by a Career Development Award from the Foundation Fighting Blindness.
His research explores the use of advanced retinal imaging technologies to assess disease progression and evaluate outcomes from novel therapies, including retinal gene therapy. In 2018, his discovery of pentosan polysulfate maculopathy received Best Paper honors at the American Academy of Ophthalmology Annual Meeting.
Through his work at the intersection of imaging innovation and translational research, Jain continues to advance understanding of inherited and degenerative retinal disease. His Helen Keller Lecture will highlight the expanding role of precision diagnostics in shaping the future of retinal care.
Additional program details, including schedule and registration information, will be shared in the coming weeks on the Annual Symposium webpage.