2025 Annual Report

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Message from the Chair

Brian Samuels, MD, PhD

As we reflect on the past year, I am filled with pride and gratitude for the continued growth and accomplishments of the UAB Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences and UAB Callahan Eye. Fiscal Year 2025 has been a year of transformation, collaboration, and renewed strength across all areas of our mission: education, research, and patient care.

On August 1, 2025, UAB Callahan Eye’s hospital operations officially integrated into UAB Hospital, joining the largest and most comprehensive health system in Alabama. This milestone positions us for long-term sustainability and growth, giving us access to the system’s vast resources and economies of scale while allowing us to maintain our focus on ophthalmology. This integration strengthens our ability to deliver exceptional patient care and expand access to specialized eye services throughout the state and region.

In tandem with this evolution, UAB Callahan Eye has welcomed several new executive leaders whose experience and vision are helping shape the next chapter of our growth. The Department’s leadership has been working closely with this refreshed executive team to align strategies and ensure a strong, unified direction for the future.

Our education programs remain among the strongest in the nation. We are proud of our 2025 residency graduates, who secured competitive fellowships and private practice opportunities across the country. As we look ahead, we are excited to welcome a promising new group of residents for the class of 2030 and to continue attracting top candidates who will carry forward our legacy of clinical and academic excellence.

Our 26th Annual Research Symposium showcased cutting-edge work and featured nationally recognized experts from across the country. It remains a cornerstone of our department’s culture of discovery and collaboration. Our faculty also continue to make meaningful contributions to the field, publishing 93 papers in high-impact journals through October, 2025.

We are pleased to welcome new clinical and research faculty members who are enhancing our depth and expanding access to care in key subspecialties. Our research enterprise continues to flourish, supported by $9.1 million in funding in FY25, advancing critical work in areas such as glaucoma, retinal disease, and neuroinflammation.

Our faculty were again recognized on the national stage for their excellence in vision science, with several earning major honors from leading organizations in ophthalmology and vision research. These achievements underscore the exceptional talent and dedication of our team and reaffirm our standing as a national leader in vision research and education.

As we look to the year ahead, we remain steadfast in our mission to preserve and restore sight through world-class patient care, groundbreaking research, and the training of future ophthalmic leaders. With continued support from our partners, alumni, and friends, the UAB Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences and UAB Callahan Eye will continue to shape the future of eye health.

Brian C. Samuels, MD, PhD
The EyeSight Foundation of Alabama Endowed Chair
Dennis Endowed Professor in Glaucoma Research
Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences

Graduates

Residency Class of 2025

Poojitha Balakrishnan, M.D., Ph.D., MPH — Glaucoma Fellowship, Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins

Caroline Beasley, M.D. — Cornea Fellowship, Scheie Eye Institute, University of Pennsylvania

Veena Danthuluri, M.D. — Comprehensive Ophthalmologist, Eye Consultants of Atlanta

Malcom Kates, M.D. — Oculoplastics Fellowship, Medical College of Wisconsin

Scott McClure, M.D. — Retina Fellowship, Retina Consultants of Alabama

Fellowship Class of 2025

Cary R. Baxter, M.D. — Vitreoretinal Surgery, Retina Consultants of Alabama

Brook Gibson, O.D. — Low Vision, UAB Center for Low Vision Rehabilitation

Connor Dugan, M.D. — Glaucoma, UAB Callahan Eye

Nathan Fischer, M.D. — Vitreoretinal Disease and Surgery, Retina Consultants of Alabama

Caleb Z. Rivera, M.D. — Glaucoma, UAB Callahan Eye

Education

Sahawneh and Stoffer Named Chief Residents for 2025–2026

The UAB Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at UAB Callahan Eye is pleased to announce the selection of the chief residents for the 2025-2026 academic year. Morghan Sahawneh, M.D., and John Stoffer, M.D., have been chosen by their peers to lead the residency program in their final year of training.

Meet Our First-Year Residents

Our first-year residents are well underway in their integrated intern year, building the medical foundation that will shape them as future ophthalmologists. They share why they chose UAB Callahan Eye, what they’ve learned so far, and what they’re looking forward to in the years ahead.

When Purpose Meets Practice in Glaucoma Care

As a glaucoma fellow at UAB Callahan Eye, Tim Johnson, M.D., came to Birmingham with a clear sense of purpose. A Tuscaloosa native and accomplished comprehensive ophthalmologist, Johnson practiced for nearly a decade before seeking advanced fellowship training. His decision to hone this specialty at UAB was driven by a commitment he saw reflected across the glaucoma service.

Advancing Vision Science: Highlights from the 26th Annual Research Symposium

The UAB Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences hosted its 26th Annual Research Symposium on Friday, June 13, 2025, at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, drawing together faculty, trainees, alumni, and national experts for a full day of education, discovery, and collaboration in vision science.

UAB Callahan Eye Welcomes Six New Providers

The UAB Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences and UAB Callahan Eye are excited to welcome six outstanding clinicians to the practice this year. Their clinical expertise, research interests, and dedication to compassionate, patient-centered care continue to further strengthen the Department’s mission to lead in eye care, education, and discovery.

Finding Hope After Decades: UAB Callahan Eye helps patient reclaim her confidence

On August 7, 1997, Jennifer Creswell and her sister were driving when they were hit by a large truck, flipping their vehicle five times. Creswell was hospitalized with serious injuries and remained unconscious for five days, sustaining a fractured skull, short-term memory loss, and near-total vision loss in her right eye. Despite these ailments, nothing prepared her for what she saw when she regained consciousness.

Welcoming Gramlich to The UAB Research Faculty

The UAB Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences welcomed Oliver Gramlich, Ph.D., as an associate professor in April 2025, further strengthening the department’s growing research enterprise. Gramlich is an internationally recognized scientist whose work explores the pathobiology of vision loss in optic neuropathies and autoimmune demyelinating disorders.

Grant Receives Recognition for Breakthroughs in Retinal Disease Research

Maria Grant, M.D., FARVO, professor and Eivor and Alston Callahan, M.D., Endowed Chair in Ophthalmology, continues to shape the future of retinal disease research through her pioneering contributions to stem cell-based therapies and targeted approaches to vascular repair.

The Power Principle: Power of Collaboration

It was the mid-1980s when two young vision scientists found themselves on converging paths that would reshape how the world understands age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a disorder of the retina that is a leading cause of vision loss in older adults.

Lewis Offers Hope Studying Photoreceptor Death

Tylor Lewis, Ph.D., assistant professor in the UAB Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, is a cell and developmental biologist whose research centers on the mechanisms that drive inherited retinal diseases (IRDs). His work combines cellular, genetic, biochemical, and proteomic approaches to better understand how retinal cells function, why photoreceptors degenerate, and how those pathways might be targeted to slow or prevent vision loss.

Myopia And Indigo Light: Grytz Pushes Boundaries in Vision Research

Can indigo light help protect children’s vision? That’s one of the questions guiding the work of Rafael Grytz, Ph.D., Dennis Endowed Professor of Glaucoma Research in the UAB Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences. His lab is uncovering new ways to understand and treat prevalent eye conditions, with discoveries that span from childhood myopia to adult glaucoma.

Solving the Unsolvable: Downs Engineers Insights into Glaucoma and Beyond

At a Starbucks inside UAB Hospital, J. Crawford Downs, Ph.D., Professor of Ophthalmology, Biomedical Engineering and Computer Science at UAB, met with Marshall Holland, M.D., M.S., Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery. Holland led with a vexing question: “Is it possible to wirelessly monitor pressure within the brain in patients before they get to the hospital?”

Forward Focus

As we look ahead, the UAB Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences stands on a foundation of strength and shared purpose. The past year has marked a new chapter in our partnership with UAB Callahan Eye and UAB Hospital — one defined by collaboration, innovation, and a unified commitment to improving access to world-class, vision-saving care across Alabama and beyond.

In the year ahead, we will continue to work closely with the UAB Callahan Eye executive leadership team and our partners at UAB Hospital to align operations, expand patient services, and build new pathways that enhance the delivery of ophthalmic care. Together, we are developing strategies to strengthen our clinical footprint and ensure that every patient has access to the highest quality eye care, supported by the vast resources of the UAB Health System.

Education remains at the heart of our mission. This year, we look forward to the opening of our new The EyeSight Foundation of Alabama Surgical Skills Laboratory — a state-of-the-art training space designed to expand and elevate the hands-on learning experience for our residents. This investment in surgical simulation and procedural training will further equip our trainees with the technical expertise needed to excel in the operating room and in practice.

We are also preparing to welcome a new class of residents and fellows while celebrating the accomplishments of those moving on to the next stage of their careers. Their success reflects the strength of our programs and the dedication of our faculty mentors who continue to shape the next generation of ophthalmologists.

Our department’s ongoing growth will include expanding our clinical and research teams and both attracting and retaining leaders in vision science and patient care through endowed professorships. These strategic additions will further our mission to advance discovery, education, and innovation in ophthalmology.

With an unwavering focus on excellence, collaboration, and patient-centered care, the UAB Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences is positioned to reach new heights in the coming year. Together, with our partners, faculty, and trainees, we are charting a bold path forward — one that strengthens our impact and advances our vision to preserve and restore sight for generations to come.

Philanthropy is the Key to our Progress

THANK YOU To our donors, thank you for investing in UAB Callahan Eye and the UAB Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences. Your gift has created new opportunities for finding treatments and exploring new frontiers of fighting blinding eye disease.

JOIN US We invite you to join us as we work to provide the highest quality vision care, offer the most advanced treatments, make innovative research discoveries, and deliver exceptional patient experiences to meet the expectations of our patients and community.

WAYS TO INVEST

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We invite you to partner with our organization as we set out on the path to treat blinding eye diseases and care for those in need of specialized vision services.

If you would like to partner with use, please contact:

Kristy Henry, MBA
Director of Development
P: 205.934.2499
kristyrhenry@uabmc.edu

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