77th Annual
Wills Eye Conference
March 6-8, 2025
Philadelphia, PA
NAMED LECTURES
BERNARD C. GETTES, MD LECTURE
Rosa Braga-Mele MD, MEd, FRCSC
Rosa Braga-Mele MD is Professor of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto, Canada. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from University of Ottawa Medical School. She then completed her residency at the University of Toronto. She went on to complete her Masters Degree in Higher Education.
Dr. Braga-Mele is a cataract specialist and educator who speaks frequently at both the national and international level on advanced surgical techniques and innovations in phacoemulsification surgery and complicated cataract cases and IOL development. She has over 150 published abstracts and papers.
Dr. Braga-Mele served as the Chair of the Education Clinical Committee (2015-2018) and Chair of Cataract Clinical Committee (2010-2015) for the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) and was a member of the Governing Board for ASCRS. She is editorial board of multiple ophthalmic publications.
She was the inaugural Research Director at the Kensington Eye Institute in Toronto from 2007-2012. She was appointed Cataract Director at the KEI in May 2013-Dec 2019.
She has won multiple teaching awards both at the undergraduate and resident levels at the University of Toronto, for her teaching and mentorship abilities including the Silver Needle award in 2003, 2007, 2012, 2016, 2017 and 2020 for best resident surgical teacher, and the University of Toronto, Faculty of Medicine, Community-Based Teaching Award in 2016. She was given the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) Senior Achievement Award in 2013 for distinguished volunteer service and the AAO Secretariat Award in 2012 for special contributions to the Academy and ophthalmology out of proportion to others and making a difference in her efforts.
Dr. Braga-Mele was awarded University of Ottawa Alumni Association 2019 Meritas Tabaret Award given to those that have distinguished themselves through excellence and achievement in their professional field throughout their career; have demonstrated leadership in their profession; have made a positive contribution to the prestige, influence and reputation of the University of Ottawa; and have exercised and continue to exercise a strong positive influence in the community.
In 2022 she was awarded the prestigious Binkhorst Medal and Lecture by the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery for an accomplished and exemplary career in ophthalmology. In, 2024 she was included on The Ophthalmologist Power List, which honors the most influential ophthalmologists worldwide.
E. HOWARD BEDROSSIAN, MD LECTURE
Suzanne Freitag, MD
Dr Suzanne Freitag is the Director of the Ophthalmic Plastic Surgery Service and Co-Director of the Center for Thyroid Eye Disease and Orbital Surgery at Massachusetts Eye and Ear and an Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Freitag graduated from Duke University and Jefferson Medical College. She then completed residency training at Wills Eye Hospital followed by a neuro-ophthalmology fellowship at Johns Hopkins Hospital, followed by an ASOPRS-approved fellowship in ophthalmic plastic surgery in Boston.
Dr. Freitag is the Emeritus Editor-in-Chief of Orbit, the International Journal on Orbital Disorders, Oculoplastic and Lacrimal Surgery and has published over 150 peer reviewed articles and 4 textbooks.
ARTHUR J. BEDELL, MD LECTURE
Steven J. Gedde, MD
Dr. Gedde is a Professor of Ophthalmology and Vice Chairman of Education at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. He received his medical degree from the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. Dr. Gedde completed an ophthalmology residency at Wills Eye Hospital, where he served as a Chief Resident. He pursued a glaucoma fellowship at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, after which he joined the faculty. He has served as Bascom Palmer’s Residency Program Director for the past 17 years.
During Dr. Gedde’s tenure as Program Director, Bascom Palmer’s residency has consistently ranked as the top ophthalmology training program in peer surveys by Ophthalmology Times and Doximity. He attributes the success of the residency program to outstanding chairmen and faculty who have been deeply committed to teaching the next generation of ophthalmologists. Dr. Gedde has published over 300 articles, book chapters, and abstracts. Several of his peer-reviewed papers and chapters are on subjects related to residency education. Dr. Gedde is Editor of the Morning Rounds section of EyeNet, a forum for residents to publish interesting case reports. He also serves on the Editorial Boards of Ophthalmology, Journal of Academic Ophthalmology, International Journal of Ophthalmic Research, Ocular Surgery News, EyeWorld, and Ophthalmology Management.
Dr. Gedde has been involved in multiple committees in national organizations focusing on residents and young ophthalmologists. Dr. Gedde has served on the Resident and Fellows Program Committee and Resident Education Task Force for the ASCRS. He has participated in the Education and Communication Committee for the AGS. He has presented on topics involving residency education at annual meetings of the AAO, ASCRS, and AGS. Dr. Gedde has been honored with several teaching awards in recognition of his commitment to residency education. He received Professor of the Year Awards and a First Year Teaching Award at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. He was selected as South Florida’s Excellence in Health Care Educator of the Year.
RICHARD A. ELLIS, MD LECTURE
Terri L. Young, MD, MBA
Dr. Joan W. Miller is the David Glendenning Cogan Professor of Ophthalmology and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School (HMS), as well as Chair of Ophthalmology at Massachusetts Eye and Ear and Massachusetts General Hospital, and Ophthalmologist-in-Chief at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. A graduate of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dr. Miller earned her medical degree from HMS and completed her ophthalmology residency and vitreoretinal fellowship at Massachusetts Eye and Ear. In 2002, Dr. Miller became the first female physician to achieve the rank of Professor of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School; and in 2003, the first woman to serve as Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology. She is also the first woman appointed as Chair of Ophthalmology at both Mass Eye and Ear and Massachusetts General Hospital.
An internationally recognized expert on retinal disorders, Dr. Miller and her colleagues at Massachusetts Eye and Ear/HMS pioneered the development of verteporfin photodynamic therapy (Visudyne®), the first pharmacological therapy for age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The group also identified the key role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in ocular neovascularization, leading to the development of anti-VEGF therapies now administered to millions of people with sight-threatening retinal diseases annually around the world. Dr. Miller’s current studies focus on the pathogenesis of AMD, including genomics, metabolomics, imaging, and functional measures; strategies for early intervention in AMD; and neuroprotective therapies for retinal diseases.
Her scholarly contributions include over 390 original research investigations, reviews, book chapters, and editorials. Dr. Miller serves on the editorial board for the journals Ophthalmology and Ophthalmology Retina, and has served as an editor of several textbooks, including the recently published 4th edition of Albert and Jakobiec’s Principles and Practice of Ophthalmology (Springer). Dr. Miller is a member of the National Academy of Medicine, the Academia Ophthalmologica Internationalis, and the Dowling Society, as well as a Gold Fellow of Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO). Among her numerous honors, Dr. Miller delivered the 2012 Edward Jackson Lecture for the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) and was a co-recipient of the 2014 António Champalimaud Vision Award, the highest distinction in ophthalmology and visual science. In 2015, Dr. Miller became the first woman to receive the Mildred Weisenfeld Award for Excellence in Ophthalmology from ARVO; in 2018, she became the first woman awarded the Charles L. Schepens Award from AAO. Dr. Miller was also awarded the 2018 Lucien Howe Medal from the American Ophthalmological Society, and the 2018 Gertrude D. Pyron Award from American Society of Retinal Surgeons.
IRVING H. LEOPOLD, MD LECTURE
Jodhbir S. Mehta, BSc, MBBS, FRCOphth, FRCS(Ed), FAMS, PhD
Prof Jodhbir Mehta is Executive Director of the Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI), Distinguished Professor, Corneal & External Eye Disease and Refractive Department at Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC).
He has won 70 prestigious awards nationally and internationally for his clinical and research work, including AAO Senior Achievement Award 2017, Coster Lecture from the Australian Corneal Society 2018, Charles Tillett Lecture (Fuchs Society, USA) 2020, Casebeer Award (ISRS, AAO) 2020, APAO Senior Achievement Award 2023, ACE Award APACRS 2023. He has been recognised as one of the most influential people in the world of ophthalmology both by featuring in the Ophthalmologist’s Power List, Asia-Pacific Power List and also the top 2% of scientist in Ophthalmology by Elsevier. Clinically, He is widely regarded internationally as one of the top surgeons for corneal diseases and refractive surgery. On expertscape.com he ranks no 1 in the world for expertise in Cornea and no 2 for Refractive Surgery for the last 4 years.
His research work has generated 18 patents, 5 of which have been commercialised and licensed to companies. He has published >520 peer-reviewed publications and 24 book chapters, with a H-index 71. He has published in NEJM, Lancet, Nature Biomedical Engineering, Nature Review Disease Primers, as well as high impact eye journals e.g. PRER, Ophthalmology etc. He has been invited to speak at >300 international conferences and given 25 named/keynote lectures. He serves on the editorial board of several journals. His work has been sited >19,250 times.
He is committed to clinical teaching, both in the form of lectures and courses. He has given over 156 courses at various national and international meetings e.g AAO, ESCRS, APAO, APACRS, ARVO. He has trained 28 international fellows and 8 PhD students, 5 Masters students.
Prof Mehta is an active member of APAO and other Asia-Pacific professional societies. He currently is the Vice-President of International Relations of the American Corneal Society.