September 2023

OPHTHALMOLOGY

WOMEN LEADERS AND INNOVATORS IN OPHTHALMOLOGY

In honor of Women in Medicine Month, we are spotlighting women ophthalmologists who have shaped the Northwestern Medicine Department of Ophthalmology and are transforming the field. Learn more about a few of these inspiring women and the work they are doing to advance patient care and scientific research below.

Meet a Few of the Women Leading the Way in OPHTHALMOLOGY

Brenda L. Bohnsack, MD, PhD
 
Brenda L. Bohnsack, MD, PhD, is chief of the Division of Pediatric Ophthalmology in the Department of Ophthalmology and the Lillian Sherman Cowen Reiger and Harold L.S. Cowen Research Professorship of Pediatric Ophthalmology. She is also the division head of Ophthalmology at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. Dr. Bohnsack is an academic pediatric ophthalmologist and developmental biologist focusing on congenital eye diseases. Clinically, she specializes in managing complex pediatric eye diseases such as: primary congenital glaucoma, Peters anomaly, Axenfeld-Rieger syndrome, aniridia, microphthalmia and congenital ectropion uvea.
Dr. Bohnsack conducts clinical research to uncover new disease-associated genes and outcomes. Her basic science research program uses both in vivo (zebrafish) and in vitro (human embryonic stem cells) systems to model eye diseases. Her lab explores embryonic processes for maintaining and regenerating adult ocular tissues, combining in vivo insights with human stem cells for genetic understanding. This research enhances our knowledge of eye development genetics and blinding diseases, paving the way for targeted treatments to prevent vision loss.
Liza M. Cohen, MD
 
Liza M. Cohen, MD, assistant professor of Ophthalmology, is an orbital and oculoplastic surgeon. She currently serves as Young Ophthalmologist Committee chair at the Chicago Ophthalmological Society. Clinically, Dr. Cohen’s areas of interest include orbital vascular malformations, thyroid eye disease, orbital trauma, orbital tumors, lacrimal surgery, reconstructive surgery, and aesthetic eyelid and facial surgery. Dr. Cohen’s academic focus is on discovering novel ways to improve the care of patients with orbital and periocular conditions. Her clinical research delves into risk factors, imaging and outcomes, with a primary focus on enhancing the diagnosis and management of orbital disorders including thyroid eye disease, tumors, vascular malformations and trauma.
 
Dr. Cohen has published numerous peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, lectured at national and international conferences, taught at various facial and orbital surgery courses, and received many awards, including being inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha national medical honor society, and receiving the Bartley R. Frueh, MD, Award from the American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, and the UCLA Department of Ophthalmology Excellence in Research Award.
Complex Ophthalmology Cases: A Discussion With Neuro-Ophthalmology and Oculoplastics
Dr. Cohen joins Neuro-ophthalmologist Nicholas J. Volpe, MD, to discuss complex cases that overlap their complementary areas of expertise, including thyroid eye disease, orbital trauma and idiopathic intracranial hypertension. They also discuss an interesting case of diplopia due to a metastatic lesion of the lateral rectus muscle.
Amani A. Fawzi, MD
 
Amani A. Fawzi, MD, is the Cyrus Tang and Lee Jampol Professor of Ophthalmology. Her clinical focus is on retinal conditions, including surgical retinal diseases and medical diagnostic dilemmas. Her research involves translational approaches to age-related macular degeneration, ischemic retinal diseases and neurodegenerative diseases through the latest techniques in functional retinal imaging and image-guided interventions.
 
Dr. Fawzi serves on the editorial boards of Scientific Reports (Nature), Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, as well as serving on several NIH study sections. She has authored over 180 publications and has been elected as a member of the Retina and Macula Societies. She has received the Honor Award of the American Society of Retina Specialists and the Achievement Award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO). She is currently the primary investigator on two grants from the National Eye Institute. The first project is studying the process of retinal vascular damage that leads to retinal blindness from lack of oxygen and nutrients. The second project aims to study retinal blood flow, detected by non-invasive imaging, during medical treatments for diabetic retinopathy.
​She has recently led and participated in national committees to develop practice guidelines and clinical recommendations for the management of ophthalmic conditions. 
Debra Anne Goldstein, MD
 
Debra Anne Goldstein, MD, the Magerstadt Professor of Ophthalmology, is director of Uveitis Service in the Department of Ophthalmology. She has published over 200 peer-reviewed publications, with a focus on the diagnosis and treatment for a wide variety of ocular inflammatory disorders. Among many honors and awards recognizing her contributions to ophthalmology, Dr. Goldstein received the Fichman Award at the 2021 Israeli Chapter of ARVO Meeting and the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology’s Silver Fellow Award in 2021.
 
Clinical Follow-Up of Birdshot Chorioretinopathy
In a recent issue of EyeNet Magazine from the AAO, Dr. Goldstein reviews imaging modalities for monitoring disease activity in birdshot chorioretinopathy.
Alice T. Lyon, MD
 
Alice T. Lyon, MD, the Leonard and Bernice Lavin Endowed Ophthalmology Research Professor, is director of Retina Service in the Department of Ophthalmology. Dr. Lyon has served as clerkship director for the Ophthalmology Program at Northwestern Medicine and in various roles — including president — at the Chicago Ophthalmological Society. Today, she is the director of the Chicago Curriculum in Ophthalmology and chair emeritus of Women in Retina. She is also a Scientific Advisory Board Member for the National Eye Institute. An author of numerous peer-reviewed publications, Dr. Lyon studies age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and other retina conditions.

MORE WOMEN ADVANCING THE FIELD OF OPHTHALMOLOGY AT NORTHWESTERN MEDICINe

Javaneh Abbasian, MD
Monique A.Anawis, MD
Michelle E. Andreoli, MD
Jeanine A. Baqai, MD
Kristie Barbaro, OD
Carol L. Barron, OD
Andrea Diane Birnbaum, MD, PhD
Neena R. Cherayil, MD
Minou Colis, MD
Ria D. Desai, MD
Sanja Dragovic, MD
Deborah R. Fishman, MD
Meghan Elizabeth Geiger, OD
Olga German, MD
Manjot K. Gill, MD
Jessica M. Kang, MD
Hong-Gam Le, MD
Mary-Ann Margaret Mathias, MD
Marilyn B. Mets, MD
Dzejna Mezbur, OD
Rukhsana G. Mirza, MD
A. Gwendolyn Noble, MD, PhD
Julie B. Pearlman, MD
Kelly A. Raether, OD
Safa Rahmani, MD, MS
Lisa F. Rosenberg, MD
Jennifer L. Rossen, MD
Mary Kate Russell, MD
Laura K. Sanders, MD
Carol H. Schmidt, MD
Tiffany M. Schmidt, PhD
Ursula Margarethe Schmidt-Erfurth, MD
Karina K. Sigulinsky, OD
Shira S. Simon, MD
Magdalena M. Stec, OD
Preeti J. Thyparampil, MD
Amy W. Vandenbrook, MD
Lisa C. Verderber, MD
Tamara B. Wyse, MD
Zibute G. Zaparackas, MD
Janice Lasky Zeid, MD
Yongling Zhu, PhD

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