Up Close and Personal with 2024 Award Winners

Adrian C. Au MD, PhD

I am deeply honored and humbled to join the Ronald G. Michels Fellowship Foundation family. After obtaining my medical degree from Case Western Reserve University, I completed my combined residency and PhD at UCLA in the EyeSTAR program. I am currently a vitreoretinal fellow at UCLA.

My current research focus is leveraging large databases, genetics, and advanced multimodal imaging to identify novel therapeutic targets for common retinal disorders. I am eager to apply these discoveries in a dynamic clinical practice.

In my spare time, I cherish time spent with my wife and my two kids.

Jason C. Fan, MD, PhD

I am most grateful to the Michels Fellowship Foundation members and all my mentors for the great honor and privilege of joining the Michels family.

I grew up in Maine, attended Williams College, and completed my MD-PhD training at Columbia University, where I first learned about the wonderful field of retina from Drs. Royce Chen and Stanley Chang. I then completed my residency at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute and stayed on for a vitreoretinal surgical fellowship and chief residency. I have been blessed with incredible mentors every step of the way, and I give special thanks to Drs. Flynn, Berrocal, Albini, Townsend, Smiddy, Williams, and Yannuzzi.

My research interests include inherited retinal disease, gene therapy/genome editing, and stem cell therapies for retinal diseases. My wife, Sarah, and our children, Nicola and Howell, are the greatest treasures in my life, and you can often find us in parks, museums, or at the beach.

Lucy Y. Guo, MD, PhD

I am honored to join the Michels family! I went to undergrad at Harvard, then obtained my MD/PhD at UPenn, where I completed a PhD in chromatin epigenetics in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics. I completed my ophthalmology residency at Stanford via the integrated research ("SOAR") pathway, where I led collaborative projects in CRISPR genome engineering with the Department of Bioengineering. I stayed at Stanford for my vitreoretinal surgery fellowship, and I am grateful to have worked with world-class clinical and research mentors throughout my training.

I am passionate about providing excellent medical and surgical care for retina patients, and developing ambitious strategies for ocular gene therapy, such as building "smart" gene therapy that could respond to disease states.

Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my wonderful friends and family, especially chasing my two overly energetic boys (ages 8 and 4).

Tianyu Liu, MD

I am honored and humbled to join the Ronald G. Michels Fellowship Foundation family, and I am deeply grateful to the incredible mentors I have had. I obtained my B.A. from Swarthmore College when I was first exposed to ophthalmology through a program to improve access to ophthalmic care in rural China. I obtained my M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania and completed my residency at the Scheie Eye Institute.

I am currently a vitreoretinal surgery fellow at Associated Retinal Consultants. I have had the opportunity to conduct research on a variety of conditions, including retinopathy of prematurity, suprachoroidal hemorrhage, myopic macular holes, and proliferative vitreoretinopathy. I plan to combine clinical practice with clinical research to improve our understanding and management of difficult-to-treat conditions.

In my free time, I enjoy staying active and spending time with friends and family. My wife and I have recently begun taking equestrian lessons, which has been an exciting new challenge for me.

Michael D. Yu, MD

I am truly honored to be a part of the Michels family! I obtained my BSE in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania, followed by an MD at Jefferson Medical College. I completed my ophthalmology residency at Stanford University and am currently a vitreoretinal fellow at Wills Eye Hospital. Along the way, I have been blessed with incredible mentors who have championed me and given me opportunities to grow as a clinician, surgeon, and researcher. I am eternally grateful for their support.

My clinical and research interests lie at the intersection of retina and oncology. My research to date has focused on describing new imaging biomarkers (on ultra-widefield fundus images and optical coherence tomography) to aid in the diagnosis and prognostication of pigmented choroidal lesions. Following the completion of my fellowship at Wills, I look forward to practicing both retina and oncology.

In my spare time, I enjoy tennis, snowboarding, and drone photography.