Sid Mandelbaum, M.D., Chairman
Dr. Mandelbaum is in private practice on Manhattan’s upper eastside. A graduate from Columbia University, he received his medical degree from Yale University School of Medicine and later completed an ophthalmology residency at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center. This was followed by a fellowship in corneal diseases and surgery at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami, where he remained on-staff for four years before returning to NYC in 1986. Dr. Mandelbaum is on the staff of New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, Manhattan Eye, Ear & Throat Hospital, and LIJ Medical Center, and is an Associate Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Ophthalmology, a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and an active member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Dennis J. Gormley, M.D., Secretary
Dennis Gormley, M.D. is currently Attending Surgeon at Staten Island Hospital and has served that institution since 1974. His practice is Ophthalmology Associates of Staten Island. Dr. Gormley has served as Adjunct Attending Surgeon at New York Eye and Ear Infirmary and as a visiting Attending Surgeon at Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn, New York.

A graduate of Georgetown University, Dr. Gormley received his medical degree from the State University of New York (SUNY) Downstate Medical Center and completed his surgery internship at Cornell University Medical Center. His chief residency was at Kings County Hospital with teaching appointments at SUNY Downstate, New York Medical College and at New York Eye and Ear Infirmary. Dr. Gormley was founder and chairman of Computed Anatomy, Inc., a developer and manufacturer of corneal topography systems.

Mark Irvin Rosenblatt, M.D., Ph.D, Medical Director.
Dr. Rosenblatt is an Vice Chairman of Ophthalmology and principal investigator in the Margaret H. Dyson Vision Research Institute of Weill Cornell Medical College where he is continuing his research activities as well as his clinical practice focused on laser vision correction surgery and the treatment of corneal and cataract disease using the latest surgical techniques.

Seth A. Biser, M.D.
Dr. Biser currently serves as Attending Physician at New York University and Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital. Previously, Dr. Biser was Staff Attending at Lawrence Hospital in Bronxville, New York, where, in 2007, he performed the hospital’s first DSEK (Descemet’s Stripping Endothelial Keratoplasty) which involves transplanting only a thin layer of the cornea as opposed to a full-thickness graft.

Dr. Biser received his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania, School of Medicine, where he was selected to be a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honors Society. His undergraduate degree is from Cornell University, School of Arts and Sciences. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and a member of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

Richard E. Braunstein, M.D.
Dr. Braunstein is currently the Director of the Division of Refractive Surgery at Columbia University and Director of the Residency Training Program, Harkness Eye Institute. He is the Miranda Wong Tang Associate Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology and Chief of the Division of Anterior Segment Surgery. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Braunstein received his medical degree from Columbia University and went on to complete his Ophthalmology Residency at the Harkness Eye Institute, Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. His Fellowship in Cornea and External Disease was completed at The Wilmer Institute, Johns Hopkins University. He is also a member of the medical advisory board of Tissue Banks International.

Roy S. Chuck, M.D., Ph.D.
Roy S. Chuck, M.D., Ph.D., is currently Professor and University Chairman, Paul Henkind Chair, of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Yeshiva University and Montefiore Medical Center.

A graduate of the University of California, Berkley, Dr. Chuck received both of his graduate degrees from Columbia University. He interned at St. Mary’s Health Center (internal medicine) and Washington University/Barnes Hospital (ophthalmology). He also served as the Chief Resident in Ophthalmology at Washington University/Barnes Hospital and completed his fellowship in cornea and refractive surgery at the Doheny Eye Institute.

Michael P. Ehrenhaus, M.D.
Michael Ehrenhaus, MD is a cornea and refractive surgeon who has trained with some of the world’s leading authorities on corneal transplants. Currently, he is the Director of Cornea, External Disease and Refractive Surgery at the SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Department of Ophthalmology and at the Long Island College where he is also an Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology. Dr. Ehrenhaus is the first in Brooklyn to perform both the synthetic Alphacor cornea procedure and the new Descement Stripping Endothelial Keratoplasty (DSEK or DSAEK) cornea transplant surgery.

A graduate of the State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center, Dr. Ehrenhaus received his residency training at Saint Vincent Catholic Medical Centers, Department of Ophthalmology in New York and a fellowship from Shiley Eye Center at the University of California in San Diego. He has co-authored various works and is a member of several professional organizations including the American Academy of Ophthalmology and The Cornea Society.

George J. Florakis, M.D.
George J. Florakis, M.D. is a Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at Columbia University Medical Center and Director of the Cornea Clinic of the Edward S. Harkness Eye Institute in New York. His areas of expertise are in corneal and external eye diseases including, corneal transplants, dystrophies and degenerations, ectasias (keratoconus), infectious diseases such as herpetic (viral) and bacterial keratitis, anterior segment trauma and reconstruction.

A graduate of Columbia College, Columbia University in New York, Dr. Florakis earned his medical degree from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York. He completed his residency at the Edward S. Harkness Eye Institute at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center and his research fellowship, in corneal and external eye diseases, at the University of Iowa with Dr. Jay Krachmer.

Richard P. Gibralter, M.D.
Dr. Gibralter is currently in private practice in New York City. His sub-specialty is in cornea, keratorefractive and laservision correction surgery. He is Attending Surgeon at Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital, Clinical Associate Professor at New York University Medical Center, Adjunct Clinical Assistant at Mount Sinai Hospital, Associate Medical Staff at Lenox Hill Hospital and Associate Adjunct at New York Eye and Ear Infirmary.

A graduate of Amherst College, Dr. Gibralter earned his medical degree from Mount Sinai School of Medicine and completed his Ophthalmology Residency at Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital where he was Chief Resident. A recipient of the R. Townley Paton Research Fellowship at The Eye-Bank for Sight Restoration, Dr. Gibralter has also served as Assistant Medical Director and Secretary of The Eye-Bank’s Medical Advisory Board. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.

David H. Haight, M.D.
David Haight, M.D. is Chief Coordinating Investigator for the Excimer Laser Study Program and Chief of the Contact Lens Clinic I at Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital in New York. Prior academic appointments at this institution include, Associate Attending Surgeon, Residency Coordinator and Resident Instructor in Ophthalmology.

A graduate of Brown University in Providence, RI, Dr. Haight completed his medical degree at Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, in Baltimore, MD. He interned at Hartford Hospital, CT and completed his residency training at Manhattan Eye, Ear and ThroatHospital. His fellowship in refractive keratoplasty was conducted in Bogota, Columbia, with Jose Barraquer, and another fellowship to investigate cornea and anterior segment surgery, was conducted at Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital with R.C. Troutman.

John J. Kim, M.D.
John Kim, M.D. is Assistant Professor, Director of Residency and Co-director of the Cornea Clinic at Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Montefiore Medical Center in the Department of Ophthalmology. He also served as Chief Resident of Ophthalmology at Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center. Dr. Kim has special interests in keratoprosthesis, complex cataract surgeries and medical missions.

A graduate in Computer Science from Queens College in New York, Dr. Kim completed a post baccalaureate pre-medicine program at Columbia University. He received his medical degree from the State University of New York (SUNY) Downstate and completed an internship in internal medicine at Staten Island University Hospital. Dr. Kim’s residency in ophthalmology was at Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center and his fellowship in corneal studies was at the Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins College of Medicine.

Douglas R. Lazzaro, M.D.
Douglas R. Lazzaro, M.D., FACS, FAAO was recently appointed permanent Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at the State University of New York (SUNY) Downstate Medical Center and Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn. Dr. Lazzaro is also Director of Ophthalmology at Kings County Hospital Center.

A graduate of New York University, Dr. Lazzaro received his medical degree from SUNY, Downstate Medical Center. His residency in internal medicine was completed at Staten Island University Hospital and in ophthalmology at SUNY Downstate Medical

Steven A. McCormick, M.D.
Steven McCormick, MD has worked with The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary since 1989 and currently serves as its Director of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. He is also an Associate Professor at the Department of Pathology, Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery at New York Medical College. He has held visiting professorships, given lectures and taught at leading institutions around the country.

A graduate of Duke University, Dr. McCormick received his medical degree from West Virginia University. He is widely published and is a Fellow at the College of American Pathologists. Dr. McCornick is listed in the Pathology section of Castle and Conely’s Guide to America’s Best Doctors and New York Magazine’s “Best Doctors in the New York Metro Region.”

Norman B. Medow, M.D.
Dr. Norman Medow serves as Director of the Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus Department and is also an attending surgeon at Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital. He is an Associate Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at New York University, Cornell Medical School. Acknowledged as an expert in the field of medical history, Dr. Medow is currently preparing two works entitled, the History of Ophthalmology in America, and Pediatric Ophthalmology.

After graduating from Lycoming College, Dr. Medow attended the State University of New York Downstate State Medical Center where he received his medical degree. He completed his Internship at Saint Luke’s Hospital in New York. His main areas of clinical interest are congenital cataracts, corneal disorders in the pediatric age group and congenital glaucoma. Dr Medow’s affiliations include membership in the New York Society for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus and the New York State Ophthalmological Society.

John C. Merriam. M.D.
John C. Merriam, M.D. is an Attending Ophthalmologist at the Edward S. Harkness Eye Institute and Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital. He has also served as an Attending Surgeon at Harlem Hospital. University appointments include Assistant in Surgery and Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School and Instructor in Ophthalmology at the University of California.

Dr. Merriam received his medical degree from Harvard and also studied at the Institut de Phonétique et Linguistique, Université de Paris, France. He completed his residency in ophthalmology at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and his clinical and research fellowships at the Francis I. Proctor Foundation and at the University of California in San Francisco. A visiting fellow at Moorefields Eye Hospital in London, England, Dr. Merriam was also a visiting research scientist at St. Eriks Eye Hospital, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.

Richard D. Najac, M.D., F.A.C.S.
Dr. Najac is currently in private practice in Queens and an Associate Attending at New York Eye and Ear Infirmary. He is an Assistant Attending at St. Vincent Catholic Medical Center, where he is also the Director of the Cornea Service for the Brooklyn and Queens Division. He graduated from Amherst College and received his medical degree from Cornell University Medical College. Dr. Najac completed both his Ophthalmology Residency and Fellowship in Cornea, External Disease and Refractive Surgery at New York Eye and Ear Infirmary. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.

Michelle K. Rhee, M.D.
Dr. Michelle Rhee is currently an Associate Clinical Director in the Department of Ophthalmology at Elmhurst Hospital Center and an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Ophthalmology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. She is also a refractive surgeon with New York Eye Specialists and serves as a Surgical and Clinical Preceptor for the Ophthalmology Residency Program at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York.

An honors music graduate from Princeton University, Dr. Rhee received her medical degree from Mount Sinai School of Medicine. She completed her Ophthalmology Residency at the Eye and Ear Institute of Pittsburg and attended the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary to complete her fellowship in Cornea, External Disease and Refractive Surgery. She is co-author of several publications and abstracts including “Bilateral Keratoconjunctivitis Associated with Lichen Planus, Cornea – 2004

Dr. Rosenblatt attended the accelerated Honors Program in Medical Education at the University of Miami. He earned both a medical degree and a doctorate at the University of Miami School of Medicine. He completed his residency training at Harvard Medical School, and a fellowship in Cornea and External Disease at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, and was the recipient of a Joint Clinical Research Center Fellowship.

Amilia Schrier, M.D.
Dr. Schrier is currently Associate Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology and the DeVoe-Srinivasan Director of Eye Clinics at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center. She has served in the past as a Resident Instructor/ Attending at Manhattan Eye, Ear & Throat Hospital, SUNY Downstate, and North Shore University Hospital. A graduate of the University of Virginia, Dr. Schrier received her medical degree and completed her ophthalmology residency at SUNY Downstate Medical School, Brooklyn, NY. Her fellowship in cornea and external disease was completed at North Shore University Hospital, Cornell Medical College.

John A. Seedor, M.D.
Dr. Seedor is an ophthalmologist and corneal surgeon practicing in New York City. He is currently and Associate Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at New York Medical College and serves as Director of Cornea and Refractive Surgery at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary. Dr. Seedor received his undergraduate degree from Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania and his Doctorate of Medicine from Hahnemann Medical College of Drexel University in Philadelphia. He completed his residency at New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, and a cornea, external disease and refractive surgery fellowship at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia.

Dr. Seedor is an Associate Editor for the journal Cornea, and a reviewer and author for numerous other journals. In 1999, he received the Honor Award of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. His research interests center on new technologies of ophthalmic imaging, ocular surface disease, drug therapy, high-risk keratoplasty and keratoprosthetic devices.

Kimberly C. Sippel, M.D.
Kimberly Sippel, M.D. is Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at Weill Cornell Medical Center and New York Presbyterian Hospital. Prior to joining Weill Cornell, Dr. Sippel worked with Cornea Consultants/Laser Eye Consultants of Boston and taught at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. Dr. Sippel’s clinical interests include laser vision correction surgery, corneal transplantation and conjunctival tumors with research interest in keratoprosthesis or artificial corneal transplantation surgery.

A graduate in Biochemical Sciences from Harvard College in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Dr. Sippel received her medical degree from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City. She completed her ophthalmology residency training at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School and her research fellowship at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Department of Cornea and External Disease.

Miriam A. Smith, M.D.
Miriam A. Smith, M.D. is currently the Director of the Department of Medicine Residency Program at North Shore University Hospital at Forest Hills. She is also a Professor of Medicine at Hofstra University School of Medicine.

A graduate of Smith College, Dr. Smith received her medical degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and her M.B.A. from Hofstra University. She interned at Montefiore Hospital and completed her residency at Stanford University. Her fellowship in infectious disease was completed at Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She was also a National Institutes of Health Research Fellow with Dr. Stephen Udem.

Christopher E. Starr, M.D.
Dr. Christopher Starr is an Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology and the Director of the Residency Program in Ophthalmology at the Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York-Presbyterian Hospital. He is a member of the cornea, cataract & refractive surgery service and his research interests are in advanced surface ablation surgery and corneal diseases. Before joining the faculty at Weill Cornell he was a resident instructor at Manhattan Eye Ear & Throat Hospital, NYU Medical Center where he was awarded the Teacher of the Year Prize.

Dr. Starr completed his undergraduate work at Brown University and graduated with a medical degree from Cornell University Medical College. He interned at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and completed his residency requirements at Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary. Dr. Starr also received a Fellowship from Johns Hopkins University, Wilmer Eye Institute. In addition to membership in other organizations, Dr. Starr is a fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and a member of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

Michael B. Starr, M.D.
Dr. Starr is currently Attending Ophthalmologist at Manhattan Eye, Ear & Throat Hospital and Lenox Hill Hospital, and Clinical Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. He is Chief of the Cornea/External Disease Service at Lenox Hill Hospital, and Chief of the External Disease Service at Manhattan Eye, Ear & Throat Hospital. Dr. Starr graduated from Harvard University. He received a M.M.S. from Rutgers Medical School and a M.D. from The Mount Sinai School of Medicine. He began a Neurology Residency at Mount Sinai Hospital and completed an Ophthalmology Residency at Lenox Hill Hospital, NY. He completed a Fellowship in External and Corneal Diseases of the Eye at The Francis I. Proctor Foundation University of California, San Francisco, CA. He is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the Association of Proctor Fellows.

Gerald W. Zaidman, M.D.
Dr. Zaidman is Professor of Ophthalmology at New York Medical College and Chief of Cornea Service at Westchester Medical Center. He graduated from Queens College and received his medical degree from Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He completed his Ophthalmology Residency at Lenox Hill Hospital and a Fellowship in Corneal and External Disease at the University of Pittsburgh¹s Eye & Ear Hospital. Dr. Zaidman is President of the Pediatric Keratoplasty Association. He is also a Senior Honor Award recipient from the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Charles S. Hirsch, M.D., Honorary Member
Dr. Charles S. Hirsch is the Chief Medical Examiner of the City of New York, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Forensic Medicine and Professor of Pathology at New York University, and adjunct professor of pathology at Cornell University Medical School. He graduated from the University of Illinois and received his medical degree from the University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago. Dr. Hirsch completed his Residency in Anatomic Pathology at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio. He completed Fellowships in Neuropathology and Forensic Pathology from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Baltimore, Maryland.