Lions Grant to Fund Pediatric Eye Care

The Mid-South Lions Sight and Hearing Service has coordinated a grant in the amount of $200,000 to the Pediatric Service of the Department of Ophthalmology at UT Memphis. These funds will be used to obtain specialized equipment to advance the diagnosis and treatment of children with visual diseases and disabilities. The Lions Club International Foundation provided matching funds to those raised by Lions

Clubs throughout the four state area of Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri and Mississippi, and both the Memphis Downtown Lions Club and the Methodist LeBonheur Heathcare Foundation were major contributors. Dr. Natalie C. Kerr, Chief of the Pediatric Service, thanked the Lions for their generous contribution: "This gift will allow us to identify visual abnormalities with greater certainty and expand our ability to treat these children." Dr. Alessandro Iannaccone, whose Retinal Electrophysiology Laboratory will receive a highly sophisticated instrument capable of detecting retinal degenerative and hereditary disorders, echoed Dr. Kerr's comments: "The Lions Club helped establish the Retinal Electrophysiology Laboratory

with its previous awards. This grant will increase
the benefit this unique and invaluable service makes
available to the children of the Mid-South."

In addition to the electrophysiology equipment, the funds will be used to obtain surgical instrumentation for the treatment of congenital and traumatic cataracts, and vitreo-retinal disorders resulting from systemic disease or trauma.

Dr. Peter Spiegel, on behalf of the Department, accepted the gift from Mr. Henry Lamb, Ms. Jean Duncan and Mr. B.G. Tatum, representing Lions Clubs in the Mid-South. Dr. Barrett Haik, Chair of the Department stressed the importance of this award: "Support from the Lions will help us to make this service the best pediatric center in the Mid-South, and possibly the entire United States."

The Promotion of three such gifted clinician / educators is cause for considerable pride and celebration in the Department.

Richard D. Drewry, Jr., MD, FACS, Vice-Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology, completed his medical degree at UT Memphis and his residency in Ophthalmology at the US Public Health Service Hospital in Baltimore. His fellowship in neuro-ophthalmology was taken at the Wilmer Institute of Johns Hopkins Hospital. He joined the faculty at UT in 1973 and served as Acting Chair prior to the recruitment of Dr. Barrett Haik. Dr. Drewry is a nationally recognized specialist in the diagnosis and treatment of abnormalities of the visual pathways.

Jerre M. Freeman, MD completed both his medical degree and his Ophthalmology residency at UT Memphis, and his specialty training as a Heed Fellow the Howe Laboratory of Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School. He joined the faculty in 1968. He is the Founder and Chairman of the Memphis Eye and Cataract Associates, the first outpatient surgical center of its kind in Tennessee. Dr. Freeman is an internationally renowned specialist in cataract surgery, intraocular lens implantation and refractive surgery. He is extremely active in outreach medical programs to improve the eye care in underdeveloped countries.

Thomas C. Gettelfinger, MD received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School and completed his Ophthalmology residency at the University of Washington in Seattle. He joined the faculty of UT Memphis and the clinical staff of Memphis Eye and Cataract Associates in 1976. Dr. Gettelfinger has shared his outstanding diagnostic and surgical expertise in cataract surgery and external eye disease during skills transfers in India, China and South and Central America.

ANNUAL ALUMNI - RESIDENTS DAY

David G. Campbell, MD, Professor of Ophthalmology and Surgery at Dartmouth Medical School was the 8th Annual Kambara Distinguished Professor during the Annual Ophthalmology Alumni-Residents Day on May 29, 1998. Dr. Campbell presided over case presentations by the faculty and residents and presented "Secondary Glaucomas" as the Kambara Lecture.

Graduating residents Drs. Ingrid Ellison, Philip Fraterrigo, William Mallon and William Mitchell were honored at a banquet that same evening. Drs. Ellison and Mitchell entered private practice in Atlanta and Huntsville respectively, Dr. Fraterrigo joined the practice of Dr. Steve Charles, and Dr. Mallon joined the practice of Dr. Howard Beale, both here in Memphis.

Dr. Mitchell's presentation " Complication Rates in Phacoemulsification performed by Senior Residents", co-authored with Dr. R. Christopher Walton, was selected as the best resident paper of the meeting.

Dr. Thomas O. Wood was honored as the Distinguished Alumni, recognizing his contributions to the Department.

Dr. Peter A. Netland received the Hiatt Award as the faculty member most appreciated by the residents for his teaching contributions, while Dr. James Freeman was presented with the Lewis Award as clinical faculty member who contributed most generously to the teaching program.

FACULTY FOCUS

Monica M. Jablonski, PhD, Assistant Professor, has been selected as a Research to Prevent Blindness William & Mary Greve Scholar. Dr. Jablonski is one of only five scientific investigators to receive this extremely prestigious award, which will be used to pursue promising scientific leads in Dr. Jablonski's field of photoreceptor development. Dr. Jablonski also published: "Storage of Human Corneas in Dextram and Chondroitin Sulfate-Based Corneal Storage Medium" in the May, 1998 issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology

Alessandro Iannaccone, MD has received a grant in the amount of $20,000 from the Knights Templar Foundation. These funds will be used to support his research on "Visual Evoked Potentials in Children with Neurofibromatosis Type I: Neurophysiological and Neuroanatomical Correlates". Dr. Iannaccone has recently been promoted to Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology.

Two young researchers have received awards from the UT Center for Neuroscience. Dr. S. T. Kitai, as Head of this Center of Excellence, announced funding support for Dr. Jorge Calzada, a post-doctoral fellow working with Drs. Dianna Johnson and Peter Netland, and Amira Wohabrebbi, a graduate student working under the direction of Dr. Monica Jablonski.

Barrett G. Haik, MD, FACS has received a grant from the Richard and Gail Siegal Foundation to fund investigation into improved diagnosis and management of eye disorders in patients with thyroid disease. This award will help fund activities to further understanding into the immunologic basis of this disease.

Peter A. Netland, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, served as the 33rd C. S. O'Brien Visiting Professor at the Department of Ophthalmology, Tulane University Medical School in New Orleans. Dr. Netland's lecture, "Management of Difficult Glaucomas: Now and Then" summarized new advancements in the medical and surgical treatment of this challenging clinical condition

Dr. Stephen V. Scoper, Associate Professor, is serving as the Vice-Chair of the Accreditation Committee of the Eye Bank Association of America. This committee sets standards and verifies procedures in eye banks responsible for the tissues used in corneal grafts.

Dr. R. Christopher Walton, Assistant Professor, has been elected to the Students Members Committee of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.

Dr. Barrett G. Haik, Professor and Hamilton Chair, presented the Inaugural William C. Edwards, MD Memorial Lectureship at the University of South Florida in Tampa. Dr. Haik spoke on "Pediatric Orbital Tumors". Dr. Haik has also been chosen to serve as the Surgical Forum Representative to the Advisory Council of the American College of Surgeons, the History Committee of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, and to chair a special task force for the American Joint Committee on Cancer.

Dr. Natalie C. Kerr, Assistant Professor, co-authored "Ocular Disease in Children with Vertically Acquired Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection", published in the Journal of the American Association of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus.

DEPARTMENT WELCOMES NEW RESIDENTS, FELLOW

Three new residents entered the training program on July 1st:

Dr. Mary Ellen Beck received her undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University, where she graduated summa cum laude and received her MD from UT Memphis. Dr. Matthew A. Goldman received an honors degree in Biology from the University of Texas at Austin and was an AOA Chapter President at Texas Tech School of Medicine in Lubbock, where he received his MD. Dr. T. Sunny Khamapirad graduated magna cum laude with honors from the University of Houston prior to completing his medical degree at Baylor College of Medicine.

Dr. Samuel A. Gallo is our first post-graduate fellow in oculoplastics and reconstructive surgery. Dr. Gallo received a BS with high distinction from Ohio Northern University. He was AOA at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and completed his residency in Ophthalmology at the Jules Stein Eye Institute of UCLA Medical Center.


HOW TO HELP UT OPHTHALMOLOGY ACHIEVE OUR GOALS

Without the continuing generosity of the alumni and friends of the Department, it would be impossible for us to complete our current educational and research objectives or undertake additional projects. You can help by contributing to existing drives, specifically the completion of endowed professorships honoring Dr. Roger L. Hiatt and Dr. Philip M. Lewis, or by underwriting a project of particular interest to you or your family.

For additional information on charitable donations to the Department of Ophthalmology at UT Memphis, please contact Ms. Glenda O'Connor or Ms. Bettye Speake at the Office of Development and Alumni Affairs, UT College of Medicine, 901-448-5516 or 1-800-733-0482 or our Department offices at 901-448-5883.