2022 Annual Report
Message from the Interim Chair
When I look back on 2022, I am astounded by the growth across all areas of our mission, including adding multiple faculty members to our staff, expanding our footprint with new clinic openings in central Alabama, welcoming our first-ever first-year interns to the residency program, and continuing to lead the way in key areas of ophthalmic research. Our new brand – UAB Callahan Eye – which launched externally in August, has brought the clinical and academic missions together, and we are excited to continue building our reputation as a destination for eye care in the state, region, and around the nation.
The year also brought us back to “normal,” and we were thrilled to begin hosting our alumni and audiences for events after a two-year break. While COVID-19 insulated us from each other, it made us realize the importance of gathering, whether we were hosting our alumni at the AAO event in Chicago, hosting our annual Symposium, or celebrating our colleagues on well-accomplished careers.
In this publication, you will read about some of our accomplishments in 2022, including how Dr. Owsley and her team secured one of the largest grants in our history from the NIH’s Bridge2AI Program. You will also be introduced to our first-year residents, who, for the first time ever, are spending their intern year with us in the UAB Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences. They give us a glimpse into their daily lives as well as the rotations they have completed and what they are looking forward to for the remainder of their residencies.
We also caught up with a few of our alumni who have had very successful professional careers. As I have mentioned before, our alumni are exceptional, and we are so proud of the impact they make, not only in the world of ophthalmology but in their communities.
The year 2022 was a record-breaking year for our clinical and surgical teams, who saw increases in numbers in all facets – from our Lions Clinic and Emergency Department to our clinics and operating rooms. Our faculty and staff continue to raise the bar, treating a record number of patients each year while continuing to provide excellent patient care and experiences for everyone they encounter. Additionally, our research faculty submitted a record number of grants and had a record number of peer-reviewed publications.
I am honored to serve as the interim chair for the UAB Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences. The commitment of our faculty, staff, clinicians, and researchers is second-to-none, and I am truly grateful for the work everyone in our organization does to further the mission and vision of UAB Callahan Eye.
I look forward to what is ahead for the department and I am proud to be part of this organization.
Brian C. Samuels, MD, PhD
Interim Chair and Associate Professor
Dennis Endowed Professor in Glaucoma Research
Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
FOR THE FULL REPORT AND GRAPHICS, CLICK HERE