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Victor Elner, M.D., Ph.D., receives the Dortzbach Teaching Award
In October 2023, Kellogg oculoplastic surgeon Victor Elner, M.D. Ph.D., was awarded the Richard K. Dortzbach Teaching Award from the American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (ASOPRS).
As the highest teaching honor in the specialty, the award recognizes the significant teaching contributions and scholarly achievements Dr. Elner has made throughout his career. This is the fifth ASOPRS award Dr. Elner has received. He has previously been recognized with four awards: the 1989 Research Award, the 2000 Merrill Reeh Pathology Award, the 2008 Lester T. Jones Surgical Anatomy Award, and the 2016 Merrill Reeh Pathology Award.
“This recognition is particularly meaningful to me because Drs. Richard Dortzbach, Bradley Lemke, and Russell Gonnering were my mentors in oculoplastic surgery at the University of Wisconsin,” says Dr. Elner. “Their philosophical approach applies anatomic, surgical, and medical principles to devise treatments to obtain optimal results. This philosophy, together with that of my mentors in pathology, Drs. Robert Wissler, Seymour Glagov, and Werner Kirsten at the University of Chicago and Drs. Lorenz Zimmerman, Ian McLean, and Ahmad Hidayat at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, who stressed the importance of basic principles, was formative for me.
“During my career, their teaching permitted me to combine oculoplastic and pathologic principles to further optimize the understanding of disease and enhance treatment,” he continues. “These inspiring educators set excellent examples for the teaching of residents and fellows. This award validates years of work by my colleagues and me to advance oculoplastic surgery.”
