FACULTY

Peter S. Berg, M.D. Teresa Brevetti, M.D. Christopher N. Bunce James A. Deutsch, M.D. Monica Dweck, M.D. Marcus S. Edelstein, M.D. Michael P. Ehrenhaus, M.D. Kenneth Felder, M.D. Jeffrey Freedman, M.D. Anthony Girardi, M.D. George Gombos Lekha Gopal, M.D. Kenneth Horowitz, O.D. George Hyman, M.D. John Laudi, M.D. E. Clifford Lazzaro, M.D. Douglas R. Lazzaro, M.D. Howard Liu, M.D. Wayne March, M.D. Lois M. McNally, M.D. Charles Morgan, M.D. Maria Musarella, M.D. Shobit Rastogi, M.D. Wayne Scott, MD Osher Sebrow, MD Eric Shrier, D.O. Edward F. Smith, M.D. Janine Smith, M.D. Arthur H. Wolintz, M.D.

Peter S. Berg, M.D., Clinical Assistant Professor, SUNY Downstate; Director, Ophthalmic Plastic Surgery, Brooklyn Veterans Administration Hospital Center; Director, SUNY Downstate Contact Lens Service

Dr. Berg specializes in ophthalmic plastic and reconstructive surgery, in which he is fellowship trained. His SUNY Downstate clinical and teaching activities are focused primarily at University Hospital of Brooklyn and the Brooklyn VA. His current clinical and research interests include pterygium excision with free conjunctival graft, dermoid and epidermoid tumors of the orbit, familial euryblepharon and megaloblepharon, and the use of CO2 laser in congenital lymphangioma involving the orbit.

In other activities, Dr. Berg is director, Ophthalmic Plastic Surgery at the Brooklyn Hospital Center, and he has a hospital appointment at Kingsbrook Hospital Center. He is president, SUNY Downstate Ophthalmology Alumni, and director of its scientific symposium.

Teresa Brevetti, M.D.
A graduate of the SUNY Downstate Medical School, Dr. Brevetti completed her residency at Nassau County Medical Center and her fellowship in glaucoma at the Scheie Eye Institute. Dr. Brevetti is currently Director of the Ocular Blood Flow Center located at Long Island College Hospital. She sees patients at University Hospital of Brooklyn as well as Long Island College Hospital.





Christopher N. Bunce, Photographer
Mr. Bunce received his certificate of Photography in the State of New York. He's currently employed at University Hospital of Brooklyn and the Kings County Hospital Center, performing fluorescein angiography, fundus photography, anterior segment and external photography.





James A. Deutsch, M.D.
A Brooklyn Heights native, Dr. Deutsch was educated at Harvard and Mount Sinai Hospital, and performed his fellowship in pediatric ophthalmology at Wills Eye Hospital. Dr. Deutsch has been named one of the "Best Doctors in New York" by New York Magazine and by the Castle-Connolly Guide. Dr. Deutsch has regularly scheduled office hours at Long Island College Hospital and specializes in both Pediatric and Adult Strabismus.

Monica Dweck, M.D.
Dr. Dweck, a graduate of Princeton University and the SUNY Downstate College of Medicine, completed her residency at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary. This was followed by a fellowship in ophthalmic plastic, reconstructive and orbital surgery at the Cleveland Clinic. In addition to serving as the Director of Oculoplastics at SUNY Downstate, she is Director of Graduate Medical Education. Her special interests include thyroid ophthalmopathy, orbital tumors and treatment of the dry eye patient. Repair of traumatic orbital wall fractures, lid lacerations and treatment of acute infections of the lacrimal sac and orbit are among the areas in which Dr. Dweck excels. Dr. Dweck has been named one of the "Top Doctors in the New York Metro Area" by the Castle-Connolly Guide. She has also been honored by Strathmore's "Who's Who."

Marcus S. Edelstein, M.D., Ph.D., Clinical Assistant Professor, SUNY Downstate.

Dr. Edelstein, with the department since 1984, is a general ophthalmologist who holds, in addition to his MD degree, MS and PhD degrees in electrophysics. He is a committed teacher, focusing primarily on clinical optics and laser theory. Dr. Edelstein’s research interests range from refractive surgery and ophthalmic infections to development of new methods for optimal use of the microscope in lid surgery. Current projects include the adaptation of home video technology to the needs of persons with low vision. His activities take place primarily at the Department of Veterans Affairs New York Harbor Health Care Systems and University Hospital clinical affiliates.

Dr. Edelstein also is a part-time attending physician at Interfaith Medical Center.

Michael P. Ehrenhaus, M.D., Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology; Director, Cornea, External Disease & Refractive Surgery; Local Director, Long Island College Hospital Eye Center

Dr. Ehrenhaus, known to all as "Dr. Mike", has trained with some of the world's leading ophthalmologists. He comes to us from the sunny beaches of southern California where he recently enjoyed an extensive fellowship in Cornea and Refractive Surgery at the University of California San Diego Shiley Eye Center. Dr. Ehrenhaus has extensive experience in micro-incisional cataract surgery, corneal transplant surgery, and all areas of refractive surgery. He is one of only a few surgeons in the region trained to perform bladeless IntraLasik surgery, Intacs segments insertion, advanced corneallamellar surgeries, Alphacor synthetic corneal transplantation, as well as traumatic anterior segment reconstruction. He currently sees patients, operates and teaches residents and medical students at the Long Island College Hospital Eye Center, the University Hospital of Brooklyn, and at the Kings County Hospital Center.

Kenneth Felder, M.D.
Dr. Felder is a graduate of Cornell Medical College and completed his ophthalmology residency at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary in 1980, followed by a Retina fellowship at Massachusetts eye and Ear Infirmary. He has practiced in Brooklyn and New York City since 1982, specializing in diabetic retinopathy and retinal detachments.

Jeffrey Freedman, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Freedman is an expert in glaucoma and corneal disease. He has played an important role in the Ophthalmology Department as a former director of the glaucoma subspecialty program. He continues to teach at University Hospital of Brooklyn. Dr. Freedman helped pioneer the use of implantable devices for the treatment of glaucoma, and this remains a primary focus of his clinical practice and research. His current research projects include studies to identify the most effective anti-fibrosis medications to improve outcomes following glaucoma surgery, as well as work attempting to define factors contributing to the development of glaucoma in individuals who have undergone corneal transplantation.

Anthony Girardi, M.D., F.A.C.S. Clinical Assistant Professor, Local Director, Division of Ophthalmology, Coney Island Hospital Center

Dr. Girardi is a graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and SUNY at Stony Brook School of Medicine. He completed his residency in Ophthalmology at SUNY Downstate. A board certified ophthalmologist since 1985, Dr. Girardi has been a member of the Coney Island Hospital staff since completion of his residency.
Dr. Girardi was recently appointed Director of the Division of Ophthalmology at Coney Island Hospital Center. Dr. Girard is a comprehensive ophthalmologist who is specialized in small incision, sutureless cataract surgery, and intraocular lens implantation. Dr. Girardi also serves as Coordinator of Residency Surgical Courses.

George Gombos, M.D., M.D., Professor Emeritus, SUNY Downstate; chief, Division of Ophthalmology, Department of Veterans Affairs New York Harbor Health Care Systems, Brooklyn Campus

Educated in Sweden, where he completed fellowship training in ocular trauma and retina, Dr. Gombos joined SUNY Downstate in 1968 and was named director of the Ophthalmology Service at the Brooklyn VA in 1978. He has been an active researcher throughout his career, focusing primarily on diabetic retinopathy. Projects have included trials of a variety of rheological agents to reduce the viscosity of the blood supply and improve microcirculation to the eye's posterior segment. Among current activities, he is testing the combination of an experimental oral medication and laser therapy in the treatment of retinopathy, as well as investigating the effectiveness of cyclosporine in ophthalmic practice to suppress rejection of corneal grafts and to suppress inflammation in uveitis and severe autoimmune reactions. In collaboration with Marcus Edelstein, MD, he is conducting a five-year follow-up study of post-operative vitreous loss in patients undergoing cataract surgery





Lekha Gopal, M.D.
Dr. Gopal completed her residency at SUNY Downstate and subsequently completed a neuro-ophthalmology fellowship with Dr. Arthur H. Wolintz. Although her main interest is in neuro-ophthalmology, she also accepts patients as a comprehensive ophthalmologist. She is fluent in English, Hindi, Urdu, and Gujarati. She works with residents at Kings County Hospital Center.

Kenneth Horowitz, .O.D.
Dr. Kenneth Horowitz, a graduate of the Massachusetts College of Optometry, is Director of Low Vision Services, and he also fits therapeutic contact lenses. His services in both specialties are available at University Hospital of Brooklyn and Long Island College Hospital.

George Hyman, M.D., Clinical Assistant Professor, SUNY Downstate; chair, Department of Ophthalmology, The Brookdale Hospital Center

Dr. Hyman, who specializes in cornea and refractive surgery, currently teaches at the Brookdale Hospital Center, where he leads the Ophthalmology Department and directs a separate residency program. Brookdale maintains an affiliation with the SUNY Downstate Ophthalmology Department based primarily on joint research projects conducted by the two services. Joint research activities include studies of the retina and ocular physiology conducted in the Brookdale Ophthalmology Department animal laboratories by Dr. Mark Harooni.





John Laudi, M.D.
Dr. Laudi completed his ophthalmology residency at Suny Downstate and then completed a neuro-ophthalmology fellowship under the direction of Dr. Arthur Wolintz. Dr. Laudi works with residents at Kings County Hospital Center both in the clinic and operating room.

E. Clifford Lazzaro, M.D., Clinical Assistant Professor, SUNY Downstate

Dr. Clifford Lazzaro is a comprehensive ophthalmologist with special interest in the ocular manifestations of systemic disease. His SUNY Downstate teaching activities take place primarily at Kings County Hospital Center, where he lectures on subjects including neuro-ophthalmology, medical ophthalmology, ocular pathology, external diseases, optics and anatomy. He has particular research interest in giant cell arteritis, a relatively rare inflammatory condition of blood vessels that can cause blindness in one or both eyes. His contributions include the recent development of a diagnostic test for the condition that, when used in a timely fashion, can help avert the onset of blindness. He has successfully used the test with several patients. Recently Dr. Clifford Lazzaro organized the 1999 SUNY Downstate Rome-Sorrento CME Ophthalmology Conference addressing cutting-edge ophthalmology technology.

Dr. Clifford Lazzaro retired as chair of Ophthalmology at Lutheran Medical Center after 20 years, and he is an associate attending at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary.

Douglas R. Lazzaro, M.D.
Dr. Lazzaro is Interim Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology and is an Associate Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology at SUNY Downstate. Dr. Lazzaro received his medical training at Suny Downstate and followed this with a residency in ophthalmology at Suny Downstate. Dr. Lazzaro then completed a cornea and refractive surgery fellowship at the Manhattan Eye, Ear, and Throat Hospital under Dr. Sandra Belmont.

Dr. Lazzaro serves as director of Continuing Medical Education for the department of
Ophthalmology and is Director of Ophthalmology at the Kings County Hospital Center where 9 of the 21 ophthalmology residents are rotating. Dr. Lazzaro performs corneal transplantation, refractive surgery, and small incision cataract surgery. He performs corrective laser eye surgery at the Suny Downstate Laser Vision Correction Center where he serves as medical director.







Howard Liu, M.D.
Dr. Liu completed his ophthalmology residency at Suny Downstate and then completed a a corneal fellowship under the direction of Dr. Sandra Belmont at Cornell Medical Center. Dr. Liu works with residents at Kings County Hospital Center both in the clinic and operating room.

Wayne F. March, M.D., Director, Glaucoma, Kings County Hospital

Dr. March is a glaucoma subspecialist, specializing in glaucoma implants, and author of over 200 research papers and five textbooks. He is a graduate of Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago, receiving his BS, MD an Ophthalmology residency from that institution. He then successfully completed a retinal fellowship at the University of Wisconsin and a glaucoma fellowship at the University of Iowa. He is the former Professor and Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology, University of Texas-Galveston.

Lois M. McNally, M.D., F.A.C.S., F.A.A.O., F.C.A.P.

Dr. McNally graduated from New York University with her Bachelors in Mathematics and then attended SUNY Buffalo achieving her Doctorate in Medicine in 1982. After a year of Surgical Internship at NYU Medical Center, she completed her Residency in Pathology, also at NYU Medical Center, and achieved Board Certification in Anatomic Pathology. She then furthered her training at the Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital completing a Fellowship in Ophthalmic Pathology and Ocular Oncology. Dr. McNally then completed her second Residency at Catholic Medical Center of Brooklyn and Queens in Clinical Ophthalmology and is also a Board Certified Ophthalmologist. Dr. McNally is one of approximately 20 physicians nationwide to be Board Certified and practice in these two fields. Since 1991, she has contributed to the Ophthalmic Pathology Education of nearly 400 Ophthalmology Residents in the NY Metropolitan area.

Charles Morgan, M.D.
A graduate of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Dr. Morgan completed his residency at the St. Louis University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri. He completed a pediatric ophthalmology fellowship under the direction of Dr. Norman Medow at Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital. Dr. Morgan limits his practice to pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus. Consultations with him are available at the University Hospital of Brooklyn.

Maria Musarella, MD, Clinical Professor, Ophthalmology, SUNY Downstate; Director, Ocular Genetics Subspecialty Service

Dr. Musarella, who joined SUNY Downstate in 1997, is an accomplished clinician and researcher in pediatric ophthalmology and ocular genetics, and she has additional expertise in glaucoma and retina. At the Stanley S. Lamm Institute, she recently led a successful fundraising campaign for the construction of eye clinic facilities and was awarded a research grant for studies of nerve-fiber-layer density in children with cerebral palsy. Other funded research has included studies in several aspects of ophthalmic disease, including ocular cancers. Her principal research focus has been the genetics of glaucoma. She recently was principal investigator at LICH for a multi-center, NIH-funded research project looking at the molecular genetics of adult-onset, primary open-angle glaucoma, the leading cause of blindness in African-Americans. Previous projects have included studies to identify the gene or genes responsible for night blindness, or X-linked retinitis pigmentosa (a primary research interest of Dr. Musarella), and Leber’s congenital amaurosis, which causes blindness in infants. Earlier, as a research fellow, Dr. Musarella studied the genetics of retinoblastoma which, while rare, is the most common intraocular malignant tumor of the eye in children.

Dr. Musarella also is a staff consultant ophthalmologist at Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center and at Interfaith Medical Center.

Bradley Phillips, M.D.
Dr. Phillips, fellowship-trained in neuro-ophthalmology, specializes in neuro-ophthalmology and cataract surgery. He has particular expertise in small-incision cataract surgery and topical anesthetic techniques. This topical approach avoids the risks associated with retrobulbar injections. Dr. Phillips also performs refractive surgery.

Shobit Rastogi, M.D.
Dr. Rastogi attended Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit and completed an internship at Oakwood Hospital in Dearborn, Michigan. He completed his residency at the Kresge Eye Institute at Wayne State University and most recently completed a fellowship in glaucoma under Dr. Ted Krupin at the University Eye Specialists in Chicago Dr. Rastogi's interests include Low Tension and Secondary Glaucomas. A new faculty member, Dr. Rastogi will be teaching glaucoma to the residents at Kings County Hospital and will be evaluating glaucoma patients at SUNY and Long Island College Hospital.

Wayne Scott, MD
A graduate of Tufts University School of Medicine. Dr. Scott completed both his Ophthalmology Residency and Glaucoma Fellowship training at Tufts University/New England Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Scott is a full time attending at the Kings County Hospital Center. Dr. Scott supervises residents in the clinic and operating room at Kings County.

Osher Sebrow, MD Clinical Assistant Professor, SUNY Downstate; Local Director, Division of Ophthalmology, Brookdale University Hospital

Dr. Sebrow, a graduate of The Albert Einstein College of Medicine and an alumnus of the Downstate Ophthalmology Residency Program, is fellowship trained in cornea and refractive surgery. He currently instructs residents at the Brookdale University Hospital, where he is the local residency director, and at Weill-Cornell Medical Center is conjunction with their ophthalmology residency program. Specific clinical areas of interest are contact lenses for the correction of vision in patients who have had complications from refractive surgery, and the use of surface ablations to correct refractive errors. Dr. Sebrow also has a longstanding interest electronic medical records and has lectured and presented on this topic at national ophthalmology meetings. In addition to his hospital appointments in Brooklyn and New York, Dr. Sebrow holds hospital appointments at Hackensack Medical Center and The Valley Hospital in New Jersey

Eric Shrier, D.O.

Edward F. Smith, M.D., Clinical Assistant Professor, SUNY Downstate; associate chief of Ophthalmology and Local Director, Department of Veteran Affairs New York Harbor Health Care Systems

Dr. Smith, fellowship trained in neuro-ophthalmology, practices primarily general ophthalmology with special emphasis on anterior segment surgery, including phacoemulsification-breaking up the lens with ultrasound-for the treatment of cataracts. Dr. Smith has particular interest in the prevention of pterygium and its surgical treatment using the conjunctival autograft approach. His research interests include frequency-doubling polarimetry, a new screening test for visual field loss that has promise for the early detection of glaucoma and other conditions. Dr. Smith's SUNY Downstate activities take place primarily at New York Harbor Health Care System, Brooklyn Campus (the Brooklyn VA) and Kings County Hospital Center.
Dr. Smith also holds hospital appointments at The Brooklyn Hospital, Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, and North Shore Hospital.





Janine Smith, M.D.
Dr. Smith, the Director of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, completed her residency at Case Western Reserve University and her fellowship at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Her special interests include retinopathy of prematurity and the treatment of individuals who have trouble maintaining ocular alignment. She currently treats patients at the Midwood Center, University Hospital of Brooklyn, and Long Island College Hospital.

Arthur H. Wolintz, M.D., Distinguished Teaching Professor, SUNY Downstate; Director, Neuro-ophthalmology Fellowship Program and Neuro-ophthalmology Subspecialty Service, SUNY Downstate clinical affiliates; director, Department of Ophthalmology and Neuro-ophthalmology, Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center

Dr. Wolintz, chair of Ophthalmology at SUNY Downstate from 1981 until January 1996, has been associated with the Ophthalmology Department since completing his residency here in 1971 (he earlier completed medical and neurology residencies at Maimonides Hospital, the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Blindness, and Mt. Sinai Hospital, New York, and completed a special fellowship in neuropathology at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University). In addition to his departmental leadership at SUNY Downstate, Dr. Wolintz served for many years on the resident selection committee and was director of residency training. Dr. Wolintz has been director of Ophthalmology at Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center since 1971. Currently, Dr. Wolintz directs the Neuro-ophthalmology fellowship program and continues to teach residents at Kings County Hospital Center and at the Medical School. Among Dr. Wolintz's research interests has been the relationship of pseudo-exfoliation and Alzheimer's disease. He and his colleagues have identified pseudo-exfoliation material in glaucoma and cataracts that seems to be similar to the brain plaques found in Alzheimer's patients.

Dr. Wolintz is an active past president and member of the Board of Trustees of the Alumni Association of the State University of New York Health Science Center of Brooklyn. He also serves as councilor for the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society and chair of the Ophthalmology Advisory Committee of Kings County Medical Society. He is an honorary surgeon for neuro-ophthalmology to the New York City Police Department.