Pittsburgh Ophthalmology Society: September 14 and October 5 Meeting Details

The Pittsburgh Ophthalmology Society will host their first meeting of the 2023-2024 monthly meeting series on September 14, 2023.

The meeting (and all future meetings) will take place at the new monthly meeting location, the PNC Champions Club at Acrisure Stadium (100 Art Rooney Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15212). The venue is centrally located on the North Side with parking available in several lots that are within walking distance of the stadium. Please visit the POS website for additional details.

Registration begins at 4:00 pm with the first lecture beginning at 4:30 pm. Members will receive registration information, including the link to register by email. Please note, registration is required (no walk-ins, please) and will be managed on-line only. The Society would like to thank Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, RxSight, and Sight Sciences for sponsoring the program.

After completing her cornea fellowship at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, Dr. Saeed stayed on as faculty for 5 years where she was program director of the cornea fellowship, director of the pediatric cornea service, and associate director of the ocular surface imaging center, before joining the University of Illinois last year.

Her lab conducts research on the characterization and management of Stevens Johnson syndrome, with a focus on genetic epidemiology and risk factors. She is an international expert on SJS/TEN and has standardized treatment for ocular disease in SJS/TEN. Dr. Saeed is also PI and a collaborator on several NIH-funded programs to study genetic risk factors in the development of SJS/TEN with and without ocular disease. Her clinical practice is focused on providing expert care for adult and pediatric patients with severe ocular surface disease. Her other clinical and research interests include pediatric corneal disease, including keratoconus, imaging of the ocular surface, public health, and eye banking in the developing world.

Dr. Shields completed her ophthalmology training at Wills Eye in 1987 and subsequently did fellowship training in ocular oncology, oculoplastic surgery, and ophthalmic pathology. She has authored or coauthored 12 textbooks, over 1400 articles in major journals, over 300 textbook chapters, given over 700 lectureships, and many awards. The 5 most prestigious honors include:

• The Donders Award (2003) given by the Netherlands Ophthalmological Society every 5 years to an ophthalmologist worldwide who has contributed to the field of ophthalmology. She was the first woman to receive this award.

• The American Academy of Ophthalmology Life Achievement Honor Award (2011) for contributions to the field of ophthalmology.

The Society gratefully acknowledges support of the program from the following:

CARR Healthcare Realty, First National Bank and Thea Pharma, Inc.

The September meeting features guest faculty Hajirah Saeed, MD, MPH, Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, Illinois Eye and Ear, University of Illinois Chicago, IL; Research Associate Professor, Loyola University Medical Center; Lecturer (part-time), Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. Thank you to Srinivas Kondapalli, MD for inviting Dr. Saeed.

On October 5, 2023 the Society welcomes Carol L. Shields, MD - Chief Ocular Oncology Service, Wills Eye Hospital Professor of Ophthalmology, Thomas Jefferson University of Philadelphia. Thank you to Pamela Rath, MD, for inviting Dr. Shields.

There is no meeting in November as the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s national meeting will take place November 3-6, 2023.