New Vice Chair Appointments for Faculty Affairs and Clinical Operations

Vice Chair for Faculty Affairs

Sharon Fekrat, MD, FACS, FASRS, professor of ophthalmology and neurology, has been appointed Vice Chair for Faculty Affairs. She is a distinguished retina specialist, and an accomplished educator and clinical researcher with broad administrative and leadership experience. Fekrat has a proven record of faculty support, mentoring, and faculty development. At Duke, she has held several leadership positions including Vice Chair of the School of Medicine Clinical Sciences Appointments, Promotions, and Tenure Committee, Co-Chair of the 5-year review of department of anesthesiology, Director of Ophthalmology Faculty Mentoring and Career Development, Director of the Vitreoretinal Surgery Fellowship, and she is founder and Director of the iMIND Research Group. She founded and spearheaded Duke Eye Center’s All About Your Eyes for patients, The Duke Manuals of Ophthalmic Surgery for eye surgeons, and Duke Journal of Case Reports in Ophthalmology for ophthalmologists. At Duke's VA affiliate (Durham VA Health Care System), she has been Chief of Ophthalmology, Interim Chief of Surgery, and is currently Associate Chief of Staff.

Vice Chair for Clinical Operations

Amy M. Fowler, MD, associate professor of ophthalmology, brings a wealth of experience to the Vice Chair for Clinical Operations. An avid Duke alumna (BS ’93, HS ’02), as a Duke resident she was an inaugural recipient of the K. Alexander Dastgheib Resident Surgery Award.  In 2020, she joined the Duke Eye Center oculofacial plastic surgery division. Previously, she served 12 years as the ophthalmology residency director and served as Vice Chair for the UNC department of ophthalmology.  During that time, she led the Faculty Compensation Committee and participated in the Outpatient Task Force Committee, which managed clinical operations.  She has had extensive experience in a variety of clinical settings including both Duke and UNC hospitals, CMC hospitals, VA Hospitals, community and hospital based ambulatory surgery centers, and private practice clinics. Dr. Fowler has always valued the comradery and world class patient care the Duke Eye Center provides and is excited to support and help further the department’s mission of excellence in her new role.