Leadership
Michael P. Blair, MD
Sarah H. Rodriguez, MD, MPH
Michael P. Blair, MD
Michael Blair is the Director of ROP Service and Clinical Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at the The University of Chicago, Department of Ophthalmology, and also a Clinical Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary.
Dr. Blair earned his undergraduate degree at Harvard University an
Michael Blair is the Director of ROP Service and Clinical Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at the The University of Chicago, Department of Ophthalmology, and also a Clinical Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary.
Dr. Blair earned his undergraduate degree at Harvard University and medical doctorate at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. He completed his ophthalmology residency at the Johns Hopkins University Wilmer Eye then his Vitreoretinal surgery fellowship at the University of Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary.
His clinical interests include pediatric retina including retinopathy of prematurity, diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, retinal vascular disease, complex retinal detachment repair, and ocular tumors. He has authored over 100 articles in the medical literature.
He is actively involved in teaching and training ROP care to retina fellows from several institutions across Chicagoland and in working to expand ROP care around the globe. He trains international visiting fellows in pediatric retina care, is involved in ROP service organizations, including Stop Infant Blindness in Africa (SIBA), and has lectured and organized ROP workshops in Africa, Latin American, and Asia.
Anna L. Ells, MD
Sarah H. Rodriguez, MD, MPH
Michael P. Blair, MD
Anna Ells is a Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Calgary. After receiving her MD, Dr. Ells spent 3 years providing medical service in the Canadian Air Force. Her contributions to the ophthalmic literature have been extensive, authoring numerous peer-reviewed papers, textbook chapters, original articles, and scie
Anna Ells is a Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Calgary. After receiving her MD, Dr. Ells spent 3 years providing medical service in the Canadian Air Force. Her contributions to the ophthalmic literature have been extensive, authoring numerous peer-reviewed papers, textbook chapters, original articles, and scientific presentations, lecturing worldwide, most frequently as a highly acknowledged expert in ROP.
Dr. Ells is a committee member for Stop Infant Blindness in Africa (SIBA), a project for implementing oxygen management equipment and training in ROP diagnosis and treatment in centers of excellence in Nigeria, Rwanda and Uganda. She also Co-chaired the IPOSC ROP Africa Symposium, the first ROP meeting in Africa and included all Sub-Saharan Africa countries. Dr. Ells has also developed clinical practice guidelines, has been Co-chair of the Childhood Blindness Subcommittee of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness in Latin America and a member of the scientific committee for the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus.
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Sarah H. Rodriguez, MD, MPH
Sarah H. Rodriguez, MD, MPH
Sarah H. Rodriguez, MD, MPH
Sarah H. Rodriguez is an Associate Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Science and Pediatrics at the University of Chicago. She completed her medical degree and residency at The Ohio State University, followed by a fellowship at Northwestern Memorial Hospital / Lurie Children’s Hospital, and a Master’s in Public Health from Johns Hopki
Sarah H. Rodriguez is an Associate Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Science and Pediatrics at the University of Chicago. She completed her medical degree and residency at The Ohio State University, followed by a fellowship at Northwestern Memorial Hospital / Lurie Children’s Hospital, and a Master’s in Public Health from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
She is a specialist in pediatric ophthalmology, with a particular focus on Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP). As a mother of two, her commitment to ROP is fueled by the profound impact early intervention can have in preventing blindness and offering a lifetime of vision for children. She finds deep fulfillment in witnessing the long-term effects of her work—seeing former preterm infants she treated not only walking and talking but also reading the eye chart and thriving in school.
With support from multiple research grants, including generous awards from the Knights Templar Eye Foundation and the Blind Children’s Center, she focuses on outcomes-based research in ROP. She is an associate editor for the Journal of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS), a board member of the Illinois Society for the Prevention of Blindness (ISPB), and part of the steering committee for SIBA (Stop Infant Blindness in Africa), a collaborative initiative with local colleagues addressing the looming ROP epidemic in Sub-Saharan Africa.
SHERWIN ISENBERG, MD
Yvonne E. Vaucher, MD, MPH, FAAP
Sarah H. Rodriguez, MD, MPH
Inspired by a visit to Gaza in 1967 where a colleague snuck him in after the war, and he witnessed rampant blindness from Trachoma, Dr. Isenberg has dedicated his career to reducing preventable causes of childhood blindness worldwide and never looked back. On his 33-year journey studying povidone iodine, in addition to the perioperative
Inspired by a visit to Gaza in 1967 where a colleague snuck him in after the war, and he witnessed rampant blindness from Trachoma, Dr. Isenberg has dedicated his career to reducing preventable causes of childhood blindness worldwide and never looked back. On his 33-year journey studying povidone iodine, in addition to the perioperative benefits for which we have him to thank, clinical trials took him from Kenya to the Philippines to India, where he validated the use of dilute povidone iodine to prevent and treat infectious causes of blindness.
Not only does his work prevent blindness for thousands of adults annually who might otherwise develop endophthalmitis after cataract surgery in the US alone (not to mention worldwide), in many developing countries, trachoma remains the leading cause of infectious blindness. With use of povidone iodine placed on the eye at birth, thousands of newborns have now been saved from a lifetime of blindness. This is especially true where prophylaxis was not used previously due to expense.
Since “retiring” and becoming “Distinguished Professor Emeritus,” Dr. Isenberg has turned his attention to preventing another threat to global health: retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). In developing countries, ROP is becoming a common cause of childhood blindness as the survival rate of premature infants has improved. With the second highest preterm birth rate in the world, the threat of ROP has become a particular problem in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). He served as co-chair for SIBA (Stop Infant Blindness in Africa), during the initial phase, and he has joined TinyEyes.org to continue supporting ROP care in Uganda.
Yvonne E. Vaucher, MD, MPH, FAAP
Yvonne E. Vaucher, MD, MPH, FAAP
Yvonne E. Vaucher, MD, MPH, FAAP
Yvonne E. Vaucher is a Neonatologist and Professor of Pediatrics at the University of California, San Diego. She received her medical degree from Yale University School of Medicine and her master’s in public health from Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health. Dr. Vaucher’s research interests include neurodevelopmental outcomes
Yvonne E. Vaucher is a Neonatologist and Professor of Pediatrics at the University of California, San Diego. She received her medical degree from Yale University School of Medicine and her master’s in public health from Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health. Dr. Vaucher’s research interests include neurodevelopmental outcomes of high risk newborns. Dr. Vaucher has been highly involved in global health initiatives, including as a neonatology consultant and instructor for the Makerere University SOM Department of Pediatrics and Child Health in Kampala, Uganda. She has had this role since 1998 and every year teaches neonatal critical care to Ugandan Pediatric residents on-site in Uganda. Since 2022 Dr. Vaucher has been a consultant and advisor to Bulamu Healthcare International , focused on improving maternal and newborn outcomes in Health Districts throughout Uganda. She has also served as a Member of Section on Global Health and International Community Access to HealthCare (ICATCH) grant review committee and Liaison and advisor for community-based ICATCH grants in LMICs for the American Academy of Pediatrics since 2015. Dr. Vaucher joined SIBA in 2022 as a neonatology consultant for the Uganda ophthalmology team where she has been working to develop the Center for ROP at Nsambya Hospital, Kampala, Uganda.