Up Close and Personal with 2017 Award Winners

Christopher M. Aderman, MD

After graduating from fellowship at Wills Eye Hospital, I started as an associate at Eye Health Northwest in Portland, Oregon and I'm enjoying life and work in the Pacific Northwest.

I have long been interested in the adoption and application of technology to advance research and clinical care. In the lab prior to medical school, I studied confocal microscopy and methods to quantify neovascularization in a mouse retinopathy model. In residency, I led a collaboration with software developers using the Oculus Rift, a virtual reality head-mounted display, to test a treatment for amblyopia in adults and remotely monitor visual parameters. In fellowship, I was involved in several projects, including a translational collaboration testing a cell death pathway in retinal detachment and other retinal disorders. At EyeHealth Northwest, I helped start a clinical trials program which is growing quickly.

In my spare time, I enjoy being outside and enjoying nature, visiting national parks, traveling, cycling, golfing, and skiing.

Avni P. Finn, MD, MBA

I am currently an Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at the Vanderbilt Eye Institute, where I serve as the Vitreoretinal Fellowship Program Director and Medical Director of Imaging. I am honored to work with a stellar group of vitreoretinal surgeons providing state-of-the-art care to our patients with diseases of the retina, pushing the boundaries of retinal research, and teaching the next generation of leaders in vitreoretinal surgery. As an academic retina specialist, I enjoy participating in continued research into new treatments through clinical trials and collaborative research with those across the university. My research endeavors focus on leveraging OCT biomarkers to better prognosticate surgical diseases, the use of intraoperative OCT imaging, and understanding drivers of costs of care in ophthalmology.

Outside of work I enjoy spending time with my husband and two children, and our families. We love to explore the outdoors - hiking and skiing - and love traveling to new places. I feel fortunate to be part of the Ron Michel's family along with this illustrious group of retina specialists.

Anton M. Kolomeyer, MD, PhD

After fellowship, I joined the Philadelphia Retina Associates - a thriving University of Pennsylvania associated hybrid private practice at which I have an opportunity to continue to work closely with residents, fellows, and my fellowship attendings.

I have continued to foster my diverse academic interests. I am proud to have published projects on different topics, including opioid usage after incisional ocular surgery, association of peripapillary and geographic atrophy in CATT, fireworks-related ocular injuries (with my wife, Natasha Nayak Kolomeyer, a Glaucoma specialist at the Wills Eye Hospital), and clinical utility of beta-D-glucan testing in fungal ocular infections. In addition, I have participated in a number of advisory boards for several pharmaceutical companies focusing on product marketing and development.

Outside of work, my wife and I spend all our spare time chasing after our 20-month-old daughter (Maya), who apparently has boundless energy - and we wouldn't have it any other way!

Akshay S. Thomas, MD, MS

After completing my vitreoretinal fellowship at Duke and a uveitis fellowship at OHSU, I joined Tennessee Retina, where I am currently director of the uveitis service, director of the vitreoretinal surgery fellowship and director of the clinical research fellowship. My research interests are broad; I currently serve as the principal investigator on multiple clinical trials evaluating novel therapeutics for inflammatory eye diseases. I enjoy spreading awareness on the diagnosis and management of various forms of uveitis through a podcast that I co-host.

I continue to be involved in international community outreach. My current focus is towards the development of a sustainable infrastructure to bring consistent vitreoretinal care to nations in the South Pacific.

In our free time, my wife Erin and I enjoy cooking, traveling and spending time with our children and two dogs.