Resident News

Duke Eye Center has once again earned a top 10 spot in the  U.S. News & World Report Best Hospital rankings.

Duke Eye Center celebrated the 2025 class graduating residents and fellows on June 14, 2025 during a heartfelt ceremony honoring their accomplishments, dedication, and bright futures.

We were honored to have Bennie Jeng, MD Chair of the Scheie Eye Institute at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, as our keynote speaker for the Duke Ophthalmology Scientific Sessions—also known as Residents and Fellows Day—held the day prior.

Duke Eye Center is proud to announce that four incoming ophthalmology fellows have been named Heed Fellows for the 2025-2026 academic year. This prestigious honor recognizes their commitment to advancing the field of ophthalmology through specialized training and research.

Duke Ophthalmology Faculty and Trainees gathered with ophthalmologists from across the country to participate in the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) Advocacy Day in Washington D.C. on April 4, 2025.

The goal of AAO Advocacy Day is to advocate for policies that help to protect patients and the physicians that care for them.

Duke representatives included Lejla Vajzovic, MD, FASRS, Laura Enyedi, MD, Pratap Challa, MD, Jean Adomfeh, MD, Yuxi Zheng, MD, Emily Jung, MD, and Camryn Thompson.

Gregory McElroy, MD, PhD is the recipient of the 2024-2025 Machemer Resident Research Award. Results from his research project, "Expression of yeast NDI1 as a neuroprotective approach in a mouse model of Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy" will be presented at the Trainee Scientific Sessions in June. His mentor is Sidney Gospe, MD, PhD.

Keke Liu, MD and Esteban Peralta, MD were honored with the 2025 Resident ASCRS Excellence Award, by the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery. This award recognizes ophthalmology residents exhibiting exemplary performance and provides a travel grant, four nights accommodation, and complimentary registration to the 2025 ASCRS meeting, along with invitations to select leadership and social events. 

 

Duke Eye Center is thrilled to announce Duke Ophthalmology residency class of 2029. 

The new residents, selected from a highly competitive pool of applicants, are set to embark on a rigorous and rewarding journey in one of the nation's leading ophthalmology training programs. Their addition to the Duke Eye Center family underscores the our commitment to excellence in education, research, and patient care.

Meet the Incoming Residents:

• Emmanuel Agu – University of California, San Francisco

We are proud to announce that Pratap Challa, MD, professor of ophthalmology and Duke Ophthalmology residency director has been honored with the Straatsma Award for Excellence in Resident Education. This distinguished award was established through the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), the Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology (AUPO) and private funds, and is given to a program director dedicated to the principles and significance of residency education.

Two Duke Eye Center Residents, Cason Robbins, MD, PGY3 and Rami Gabriel, MD, PGY4 were honored with the 2024 Resident ASCRS Excellence Award. This award will provide a travel grant, four nights accommodation, and complimentary registration to the 2024 ASCRS meeting, along with invitations to select leadership and social events. 

Duke Eye Center faculty, residents, and staff representatives attended the annual meeting of the Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology (AUPO) in Austin, Texas January 31 – February 3, 2024. AUPO works to encourage the promotion of medical education, research, and patient care in ophthalmology.