Assistant Professor

Areas of Interest
comprehensive ophthalmology

UAB Ophthalmology research faculty members Cynthia Owsley, Ph.D., and Chris Girkin, M.D., have been awarded a $3.75 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for their project, "Implementing AI-based Glaucoma Screening within Federally Qualified Health Centers."

Cynthia Owsley, PhD, MSPHThe NIH Common Fund’s Bridge to Artificial Intelligence, or Bridge2AI, program will help set the stage for widespread use of artificial intelligence to solve some of the most pressing challenges in human health. The program will bring together research team members from richly diverse backgrounds and disciplines to generate ethically sourced tools, data and resources, and ultimately bridge the gap between biomedical and behavioral research and artificial intelligence. The goal of the program is to create a multi-dimensional data set that will assist new insight on Type 2 diabetes and its ocular complications.

MoneyGeek.com recently published an article featuring expert advice from Cynthia Owsley, Ph.D., Nathan E. Miles Endowed Chair in Ophthalmology and Professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham

Cynthia Owsley, Ph.D., the Nathan E. Miles Chair of Ophthalmology and Vice Chair of Research Administration in the University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Ophthalmology, has been selected to serve on the Scientific Advisory Panel of Research to Prevent Blindness.

Read more...

Professor; Nathan E. Miles Endowed Chair of Ophthalmology; Director, Clinical Research Unit

Areas of Interest
aging-related vision impairment and eye disease; vision and driving; improving eye care access and quality for underserved populations

Assistant Professor; Residency Program Director; Max and Lorayne Cooper Professor of Ophthalmology Residency Training

Areas of Interest
pediatric ophthalmology and adult strabismus

The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences proudly announces the appointment of Paul Gamlin, Ph.D., and Rafael Grytz, Ph.D., to endowed professorships in recognition of their outstanding contributions to their respective fields.

Paul Gamlin, PhDA recent study in Nature Communications describes the origins of direction selectivity in the non-human primate (NHP) retina. "Origins of direction selectivity in the primate retina" was published by a group of international researchers, including Paul Gamlin, PhD, at UAB and led by his long-time collaborator, Dr. Dennis Dacey, at the University of Washington.

Christine A. Curcio, Ph.D. and Cynthia Owsley, Ph.D., MSPHAge-related macular degeneration (AMD) threatens detailed vision in millions of older persons globally. While current treatments aim to prevent or stabilize advanced disease, the quest for early intervention remains paramount. Christine A. Curcio, Ph.D., and Cynthia Owsley, Ph.D., MSPH, esteemed researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), are at the forefront of groundbreaking research with the NIH-funded Alabama Study on Early Age-Related Macular Degeneration 2 (ALSTAR2).

Many astronauts who come back from space experience poorer vision after flight, some even years after, and researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham are working to see why.

Read more...

Priscilla Fowler, MD, has been named associate professor in the UAB Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences. Dr. Fowler is also the director of the Cornea Service and specializes in refractive cataract surgery, endothelial keratoplasty, infectious diseases of the cornea, and severe dry eye/ocular surface disease. Prior to joining Callahan Eye Hospital Clinics in 2012, Dr. Fowler successfully practiced comprehensive ophthalmology for nearly eight years in Destin, Fla.

She serves on the medical advisory board for Global Sight Network, Alabama Eye Bank, the American Academy of Ophthalmology, and strives to increase public knowledge about eye diseases and blindness prevention by participating in health fairs and other community events.

Dr. Fowler completed her fellowship training in Cornea and External Disease/Refractive Surgery at the Wills Eye Institute in Philadelphia, Penn., and is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons, the Cornea Society, the Alabama Academy of Ophthalmology, and the American Medical Association.

Watching the captivating sight of the moon’s passing between the sun and Earth, where the moon fully or partially covers the sun, could cause serious and potentially long-term harm to the eye if not viewed properly. 

Read more...

Sarah Lee, O.D., MSPH, assistant professor, and Christopher Lee, O.D., clinical instructor, might be relocating out of state, but the framework they built within Callahan Eye Hospital and the University of Alabama Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences will leave a lasting impact on department optometrists and ophthalmologists.

EyeSight Foundation of Alabama and UAB Callahan Eye executives and physicians welcome the new installment.On Wednesday, September 13, 2023, the Quarterbacking Children’s Health Foundation Kids Zone was unveiled in the Suite 410 Clinic at UAB Callahan Eye. This milestone stands as a testament to the profound impact generated by a robust collaboration between the Quarterbacking Children’s Health Foundation, the Monday Morning Quarterback Club, and the EyeSight Foundation of Alabama. The event not only celebrated a generous half-million-dollar partnership but also showcased the unwavering dedication to transforming pediatric care at UAB Callahan Eye.

Associate Professor

Areas of Interest
early detection of glaucoma progression, structure-function relationship and racial differences in glaucoma, adherence to glaucoma treatment 

Rafael Grytz, Ph.D.Rafael Grytz, Ph.D., associate professor of ophthalmology in the UAB Heersink School of Medicine Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, has been awarded tenure. Dr. Grytz joined the department in 2012, and he is proud of his work over the last 10 years. “I’m honored to receive tenure, because, to me, it shows the confidence our department has in me and my laboratory. It means a lot,” said Dr. Grytz. 

Clinical Instructor

Community Partner
TriaVision

Professor

Community Partner
Retina Consultants of Alabama

An international team from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and University College London and Queens University Belfast in the United Kingdom developed a cell culture model that could help to develop earlier treatment strategies for age-related macular degeneration, the third most prevalent cause of vision loss worldwide.

Read more....