Up Close and Personal with 2007 Award Winners

Margaret A. Chang, MD, MS

Margaret Chang graduated summa cum laude in piano performance from the University of Washington at age 18. She received her MD and MS in biostatistics from Columbia University, where she was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha. She went on to the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins for both residency and fellowship, where she was awarded the Heed and Michels fellowships.

Margaret is a partner at Retinal Consultants of Sacramento, and is the principal investigator on multiple clinical trials.

When not busy at the office, Margaret bribes her family by perfecting the art of sourdough bread and French patisserie.

Stephen J. Kim, MD

Dr. Stephen Jae Kim joined the Vanderbilt Eye Institute in the 2008-2009 academic year and was rapidly promoted to full Professor of Ophthalmology in the 2017-2018 academic year. Dr. Kim is the Phyllis G. and William B. Snyder, MD Endowed Chair in Ophthalmology. He received his undergraduate degree in Biology with Distinction at Duke University where he graduated with summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa honors. He received his medical degree from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and spent a year in the Laboratory of Experimental Immunology at the NEI in Bethesda MD as a Howard Hughes sponsored research fellow. He then returned to Johns Hopkins to continue his ophthalmology training at the Wilmer Eye Institute and then completed a 1-year fellowship in uveitis at Johns Hopkins and a 2-year medical and surgical retinal fellowship at Emory University. Dr. Kim is a nationally recognized expert in the medical and surgical management of retinal disease and uveitis, including the use and monitoring of systemic immunosuppression and actively engages in basic, translational, and clinical research.

His R01-funded lab focuses on inflammatory biomarkers in the early diagnosis, risk stratification, and prevention of diabetic retinopathy. Dr. Kim is a frequent invited lecturer at major ophthalmic meetings and has authored or co-authored over 230 journal articles and published abstracts. He is a leading authority on NSAIDs for the treatment of ocular inflammation and on the emergence of antibiotic resistance and has been recognized as one of America's Best Doctors by Castle Connolly Top Doctor, Best Doctors, and Nashville Lifestyles Top Doctor. He is a member of the prestigious Macula and Retina Society. He was awarded the prestigious Carl Camras Translational Research Award by the ARVO Foundation in 2017 and has received both the Secretariat Award, Achievement Award, and Senior Achievement Award by the AAO.

Dr. Kim currently is Chief of the Retina Division. He has an exemplary record of service for the AAO and is recent past chair of the Ophthalmology Technology Assessment Committee of the AAO which reviews the safety and efficacy of procedures and technologies to determine what constitutes best practice pattern. Dr. Kim is also recent past chair of the writing committee for the retina section of the Basic and Clinical Science Course (BCSC) of the AAO.

Szilárd Kiss, MD

Szilárd Kiss, MD, FASRS received his undergraduate degree with honors from Columbia College and medical school training at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons. He then moved to Boston for his ophthalmology residency and surgical vitreoretinal fellowship at Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary. Szilárd was recruited to the Department of Ophthalmology at Weill Cornell in 2008, where his is now the Bob and Dolores Hope - Robert M. Ellsworth, M.D. Distinguished Professor in Ophthalmology, Professor of Genetic Medicine, and the Chief of the Retina Service. Szilárd is the past Chair of the General Faculty Council, where he now serves as Senior Councilor. Additionally, Szilárd is the Associate Dean of Clinical Compliance at Weill Cornell, overseeing all healthcare related compliance and regulatory matters at Cornell University.

Szilárd’s research career started as an undergraduate at Columbia, where, in conjunction with the NASA and the Department of Defense, he was part of a team that evaluated the implications of microgravity on early developmental patterning with experiments launched on the space shuttles Discovery and Columbia. Since coming to Weill Cornell, Szilárd has garnered an international reputation as a pioneer, leader and a prominent clinical expert who has had a significant impact on the practice of retina. Szilárd has authored over 350 publications (23,459 citations on Google Scholar, with an h-index of 77), given over 300 invited lectureships worldwide, and serves on the Editorial Board and as a scientific reviewer to numerous journals. In addition to his scientific efforts, Szilárd is a renowned medical and surgical vitreoretinal specialist; his clinical practice draws patients from all regions of the world.

When the international publication, The Ophthalmologist, selected Szilárd as one of the Top 40 Under 40 world-wide, they cited his work on ‘…retinal imaging, ocular gene therapy, novel therapeutic targets for ocular neovascularization, and genetic markers for retinal diseases.’ In parallel with this selection, Szilárd was chosen to be part of the charter class ‘…of significant living and posthumous contributors to our field…’ and inducted into The Retina Hall of Fame. Szilárd was the youngest inductee, recognized for ‘a lifetime of…innovation and dedication to patient care, research, education, and leadership.’ Additionally, Szilárd was named by Ocular Surgery News: Retina as one of the 150 Innovators in Medical and Surgical Retina worldwide, ‘…a compilation of specialists who either work to educate their colleagues or innovate by developing novel technologies and techniques to advance the specialty.’