2022 Ophthalmology Times survey results mark a return to the Top 10 for EEC
The Emory Eye Center has once again been recognized as a Top 10 institution in the annual Ophthalmology Times survey. The 2022 poll of academic chairs and residency directors, released late last month, ranked the Emory Eye Center's residency program at #5 (up from #12 last year), its research program at #10, its clinical program at #6, and its overall stature at #8.
This is the first time in more than five years that any of the Emory Eye Center's programs have placed in OT's much-coveted Top 10 - a fact that was not lost on Center director Dr. Allen D. Beck, MD the F. Phinizy Calhoun, Sr. Chair of Ophthalmology.
The Emory Eye Center has always focused on strengthening our research, teaching, and clinical programs - the bedrock of our 150-year legacy,
he said.
That our efforts were recognized and lauded by our peers in 2022 sends an especially encouraging message to the men and women who've remained steadfast to our mission, even as a world-wide pandemic challenged us on every level.
Maximizing the potential of talented residents
Beck reserved special praise for his colleague, Dr. Jeremy K. Jones, MD, whose masterful coordination of the Center's residency program resulted in one of EEC's highest-ever OT rankings in that category.
We have been fortunate to attract some of the brightest minds to the Emory ophthalmic residency program. Jeremy does not let that potential remain undeveloped,
he said.
His energetic, hands-on approach to mentoring the next generation of ophthalmologists has graduated talent that has benefited the entire vision care community, nation-wide.
For his part, Jones was quick to credit the expertise, commitment and compassion of his colleagues.
I am very proud to be a part of a team that is being recognized nationally. And make no mistake about it, we are a team. Resident education is a top priority of Dr. Beck, our chair, and our chiefs at Grady and the VA Center, doctors [Yousef] Khalifa and [Steven] Urken. We are all very fortunate to work with top-tier residents who go on to take leadership roles in their practices, their communities, and in professional organizations nationally. The Ophthalmology Times survey also recognized their skill and their talent.
Expanding the breadth and depth of ophthalmic research
Beck was also thrilled that OT survey respondents recognized the Eye Center's reinvigorated commitment translational and basic research.
Garnering a ranking of 10 from such esteemed and accomplished peers is a tremendous vote of confidence,
he said. And it's confidence well-placed. We've always been committed to cutting edge research, and we're poised to dig even deeper in the coming years.
That said, 2022 was a busy year for the Emory Eye Center's research division. The vice chair for translational research, Hans Grossniklaus, PhD, MBA, was appointed to a one-year term as president of the premier ophthalmologic research organization, ARVO. The research division received one of only six unrestricted challenge grants awarded by Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB). Those funds will give EEC researchers more freedom to take smart risks in their bid for treatment and prevention breakthroughs.
The Center also began working with two new researchers -Sayantan Datta, PhD and Andrew Feola, PhD - recruited a new director, and made plans to continue expanding its research staff.
Clinical care that puts patients first
But, for this still-practicing glaucoma specialist, the most important of the Ophthalmology Times announcements revolves around the people he sees each day - as patients and as colleagues.
As the largest tertiary ophthalmic care facility in a city of six million people, our ultimate success is measured by the care we deliver each day - in routine exams, complex surgeries, and countless consults,
Beck said.
That's what makes the #6 clinical care ranking so very important to me - and to our entire medical team. And it's why we will continue to recruit only the best to join our team, now, and in the future.
-Kathleen E. Moore