ESEC Medical Advisory Board Members

The Medical Advisory Board of the Eye Surgery Education Council (ESEC) is comprises leading ophthalmologists who review all ESEC activity, provide medical expertise, and ensure the scientific accuracy of ESEC materials.

The members of the board also serve as the chairs of the clinical committees of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS). The committees are responsible for developing ASCRS policy on a variety of clinical and research issues.

Members of the news media should direct questions to these individuals through John Ciccone at the ASCRS Communications Department, (703) 788-5761. Questions from individuals about their personal eyecare problems cannot be accommodated through this venue. All questions relating to individual eyecare should be directed to a professional who has the opportunity to examine the patient and provide appropriate services.

• Bradford J. Shingleton, MD Chair, ASCRS Eye Surgery Education Council; ASCRS Executive Committee Member
• Robert Cionni, MD, Chair, ASCRS Practice Management Clinical Committee
• Elizabeth A. Davis, MD, FACS, Chair, ASCRS Young Physicians and Residents Clinical Committee
• Edward J. Holland, MD, Chair, ASCRS Cornea Clinical Committee
• Louis D. Nichamin, MD, Chair, ASCRS Cataract Clinical Committee
• Robert Doyle Stulting, MD, PhD, Chair, ASCRS Refractive Clinical Committee
• M. Edward Wilson, MD, Chair, ASCRS Pediatric Clinical Committee
• Reay H. Brown, MD Chair, ASCRS Glaucoma Clinical Committee
• Bernard Milstein, MD, Chairs, ASCRS Comprehensive Ophthalmology Clinical Committee

Bradford J. Shingleton, MD
Chair, ASCRS Eye Surgery Education Council; ASCRS Executive Committee Member

Dr. Shingleton is a surgeon in ophthalmology at the Boston Eye Surgery & Laser Center and the Cape Cod Eye Surgery & Laser Center and maintains surgical privileges at Massachusetts General Hospital and the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. He is also an assistant clinical professor of ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School in Boston and a clinical instructor of ophthalmology at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston.

Dr. Shingleton earned his bachelor of arts at Princeton University, where he graduated summa cum laude and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He received his medical degree with honors from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and was a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Scholastic Honorary Society. He completed his residency in ophthalmology through Harvard Medical School at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston, Massachusetts. Following residency training, Dr. Shingleton was awarded a Heed Foundation Fellowship in cataract, glaucoma, and anterior segment surgery at the same institution and served for 1 year as a consultant for the worldwide outreach programs of the International Eye Foundation.

Dr. Shingleton received the Honor Award and Senior Achievement Award of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO). He is a board certified Fellow of AAO and has served as an examiner for the American Board of Ophthalmology. As Chairman of the Glaucoma Clinical Committee for the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery and as a member of the American Glaucoma Society and AAO, he has instructed thousands of ophthalmologists on how best to perform cataract, glaucoma, and laser surgery. He has coauthored 2 major textbooks and written more than 90 scientific articles and chapters; he is an innovator in developing CD-ROM teaching programs for cataract and glaucoma. He also serves as team ophthalmologist for the Boston Bruins, New England Patriots, and New England Revolution professional sports teams. Dr. Shingleton has been selected by his peers to be included in the Best Doctors in America. Boston Magazine recognized him as one of the top ophthalmologists in the city, and he is included in Who’s Who in America.

In his spare time Dr. Shingleton enjoys sailing in classic wooden boats.

Robert Cionni, MD
Chair, ASCRS Practice Management Clinical Committee

Dr. Robert Cionni is Medical Director of the Cincinnati Eye Institute, one of the largest ophthalmic practices in the United States, with 38 ophthalmologists and 300 staff members.

He specializes in cataract surgery and has written numerous textbook chapters and journal articles on cataract surgery, the management of complications of cataract surgery and techniques for managing challenging cataract cases. Dr. Cionni is active in cataract surgery research and the development of new techniques and devices.
Dr. Cionni is a member of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) and the American Academy of Ophthalmology. He is a frequently invited lecturer to ophthalmology societies and meetings throughout the United States and many other countries.

Dr. Cionni graduated from the University of Cincinnati in 1981 and earned his medical degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in 1985. He completed his internship at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Cincinnati from 1985 to 1986 and his residency in ophthalmology at the University of Louisville School of Medicine in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1986. He then completed a fellowship in Cataract and Implant Surgery at the Cincinnati Eye Institute in 1987.
In his spare time Dr. Cionni enjoys fly-fishing and hopes someday to enjoy golf.

Elizabeth A. Davis, MD, FACS
Chair, ASCRS Young Physicians and Residents Clinical Committee

Dr. Davis is an ophthalmologist with subspecialty training in corneal, cataract, and refractive surgery. She is a Partner of Minnesota Eye Consultants, P.A., and an Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of Minnesota. She is actively involved in research, teaching, and clinical practice. Dr. Davis participates in the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) Government Relations Committee, and the ASCRS Annual Symposium Program Committee. She also serves on the American Academy of Ophthalmology Committee for Research, Regulatory, and External Scientific Affairs and is an annual program committee reviewer. Dr. Davis has given numerous talks across the country and has been an invited speaker at many meetings. She has authored numerous articles and book chapters on cornea, cataract, and refractive surgery. She is on the editorial board of EyeWorld, Ocular Surgery News, Cataract and Refractive Surgery Today, and Refractive Eyecare for Ophthalmologists.

Dr. Davis has performed several thousand laser refractive procedures and was one of the top 5 surgeons of the Laser Vision Correction Institute in the country for 2001, 2002, and 2003. She is a U.S. Food and Drug Administration investigator for the Artisan and STAAR phakic intraocular lenses. Additionally, she routinely performs cataract surgery and cornea transplantations.

She attended Cornell University as an undergraduate, graduating summa cum laude in mathematics with distinction in all subjects (top 5% of her class). She was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi, and Mortar Board National Honor Societies. She was selected as a Presidential Scholar and received several research awards.

Dr. Davis completed her medical degree at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, graduating first in her class, and has received numerous awards including the prestigious William Stewart Halsted Award in Surgery. She completed 4 years of cardiac surgery residency at Johns Hopkins before changing specialties to ophthalmology. At Johns Hopkins, she also completed a 2-year immunology research fellowship.
For her ophthalmology residency, Dr. Davis attended Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School. She then received a Heed Ophthalmic Foundation Scholarship to complete subspecialty fellowship training in cornea, external disease, refractive surgery, and glaucoma at Minnesota Eye Consultants. She ranked in the 99th percentile on her American Board of Ophthalmology examination.
In her spare time, Dr. Davis enjoys decorating her house and boating on Lake Minnetonka.

Edward J. Holland, MD
Chair, ASCRS Cornea Clinical Committee

Dr. Holland is Director of Cornea and External Diseases at the Cincinnati Eye Institute. He attended the Loyola-Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago and trained in ophthalmology at the University of Minnesota. He completed a fellowship in cornea and external disease at the University of Iowa and then completed a second fellowship in ocular immunology at the National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. He returned to serve as Director of the Cornea and Refractive Surgery Service at the University of Minnesota. He was promoted to the position of professor and was granted the Elias Potter Lyon Chair in Ophthalmology. He also served as President of the Minnesota Academy of Ophthalmology.

Dr. Holland is Chairman of the Medical Advisory Board of the Eye Bank Association of America and the Secretary-Treasurer and President-elect of the Castroviejo Cornea Society, an organization of international corneal and refractive surgeons. He is Director of the American Academy of Ophthalmology Skills Transfer Courses and, as such, is responsible for programs to train ophthalmologists across the United States in refractive and other new surgical techniques.

Dr. Holland has an n international reputation for his knowledge and expertise in the field of cornea and external eye disease. He is a frequent invited lecturer at national and international meetings. Over the past 10 years, he has directed one of the most prestigious training programs for specialists in corneal and refractive surgery. Dr. Holland serves as clinical professor of ophthalmology at the University of Cincinnati. He is the author of more than 100 articles in peer-reviewed journals and has edited Cornea, a textbook on corneal disease and surgery.

Dr. Holland has attracted worldwide referrals for stem-cell transplantation. His clinical interests include corneal transplant surgery, refractive surgery, cataract surgery, and ocular surface transplantation. Dr. Holland is Medical Director of the Northern Kentucky Eye Laser Center, a branch of the Cincinnati Eye Institute. There he performs LASIK procedures on patients with all types of refractive errors. Among his honors, Dr. Holland has been listed in the publication Best Doctors in America.

Louis D. “Skip” Nichamin, MD
Chair, ASCRS Cataract Clinical Committee

Dr. Nichamin is in group private practice and is the Medical Director of the Laurel Eye Clinic in Brookville, Pennsylvania. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan, Wayne State University School of Medicine, and completed his ophthalmologic training at Sinai Hospital, Detroit.

During his training, he was awarded the H. Saul Sugar Award for outstanding performance, and ranked in the 99th percentile on the American Board of Ophthalmology Examination. Dr. Nichamin has broad surgical experience including posterior segment procedures but focuses on cataract and refractive surgery. He has lectured extensively and has been an instructor at many phacoemulsification and refractive surgery courses.
Dr. Nichamin has authored numerous papers as well as textbook chapters in the field of cataract and refractive surgery and serves on the editorial board of several widely read ophthalmic publications. Dr. Nichamin has designed a number of ocular instruments currently in use.

Dr. Nichamin is an active member of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS), the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), the International Society of Refractive Keratoplasty, and the American College of Eye Surgeons. He has been an ASCRS Representative to the AAO Board of Councilors.


Robert Doyle Stulting, MD, PhD
Chair, ASCRS Refractive Clinical Committee

Dr. Stulting is Professor of Ophthalmology and the Director of the Cornea Service at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. He is also an associate professor at Emory's Winship Cancer Center.

An active member of the ophthalmic community, Dr. Stulting serves on the governing boards of a number of national and Georgia-based professional societies. For many years, he was a member of the Ophthalmic Devices Panel in the Center for Devices and Radiological Health, U.S. Food and Drug Administration and completed a term as Chair of the Panel. He was Chair of the Committee on Research and Regulatory Affairs and serves on the Executive Committee of the Refractive Surgery Interest Group of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) and has served on the Board of Directors of the Eyebank Association of America.

Dr. Stulting’s other memberships include the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Contact Lens Association of Ophthalmologists, International Society of Refractive Surgery, Georgia Society of Ophthalmology, and Atlanta Ophthalmology Society. Dr. Stulting currently serves as the Editor-In-Chief of Cornea and Co-Executive Medical Editor of the Review of Refractive Surgery. He is a reviewer for the journals Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Ophthalmology, Current Eye Research, Archives of Ophthalmology and American Journal of Ophthalmology and is on the editorial boards of Journal of Refractive and Corneal Surgery, Journal of Cataract & Refractive Surgery and Ocular Surgery News.

Dr. Stulting has been principal investigator for a number of NIH-supported grants and has directed many clinical investigations. He has authored more than 100 papers in peer-reviewed journals, published textbook chapters, taught courses for 20 years at AAO, and lectured around the world.

Dr. Stulting graduated summa cum laude from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, receiving his Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry. He received his medical degree and PhD in microbiology and immunology from Duke. He completed his internal medicine residency and internship at Washington University's Barnes Hospital and his ophthalmology residency at the University of Miami, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. Dr. Stulting completed a fellowship in cornea and external disease at Emory University, where he has practiced and taught for 21 years.

In his spare time, Dr. Stulting enjoys country/western dancing and piloting airplanes.

M. Edward Wilson, MD
Chair, ASCRS Pediatric Clinical Committee

Dr. Wilson was born and raised in Charleston, South Carolina. He received a Bachelor of Science from Clemson University and a Doctor of Medicine degree from the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). After an internship and residency in ophthalmology at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, Dr. Wilson served a 1-year fellowship in pediatric ophthalmology at the Children's National Medical Center in Washington D.C., under the direction of Dr. Marshall Parks. Dr. Wilson is Board Certified in Ophthalmology and is a Fellow of both the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) and the American Academy of Pediatrics. He is an active member of AAO, American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPO&S), and the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS).

Dr. Wilson is currently the Pierre G. Jenkins Professor and Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology and the Director of the Albert Florens Storm Eye Institute at MUSC in Charleston. Dr. Wilson has received an Honor Award from AAPO&S and an Achievement Award from AAO. He serves on the ASCRS Pediatric Blindness Committee, which is committed to reducing childhood blindness from cataract in the developing world.

In addition to many additional current and past committee and Board positions, Dr. Wilson is an Executive Editor of the American Journal of Ophthalmology and a Pediatric Issues Consultant to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Ophthalmic Devices Panel. The South Carolina Society of Ophthalmology selected him as Ophthalmologist of the Year in 2001. Most recently, Dr. Wilson was elected to membership in the American Ophthalmological Society.

Dr. Wilson's research interests include surgical technique and IOL design for use in the treatment of pediatric cataracts as well as the full range of strabismus in children and adults.

Dr. Wilson has given more than 420 invited presentations at national and international conferences including 8 named lectures. He has published more than 135 scientific papers and book chapters on a wide variety of subjects. He has consistently been selected as one of the Best Doctors in America, (most recent selection in 2004) and was also chosen as one of America's Top Doctors.

In his spare time, Dr. Wilson enjoys playing golf and traveling with his wife, Donna, and their 24 year-old son, Leland. Despite being confined to a wheelchair, Leland, who has cerebral palsy and optic nerve atrophy, is gregarious and happy. His positive attitude and love for life, in the words of Dr. Wilson, is a lesson for us all.

Reay H. Brown, MD
Chair, ASCRS Glaucoma Clinical Committee

Dr. Brown graduated from Harvard College and received his medical degree from the University of Michigan. He completed his residency in ophthalmology at the Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and his glaucoma specialty fellowship at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami. Dr. Brown was the Pamela Firman Professor of Ophthalmology at Emory University before leaving to found Atlanta Ophthalmology Associates.

Dr. Brown has authored or co-authored numerous articles published in peer-reviewed journals. He holds 12 patents for glaucoma surgical devices. He is currently in group practice in Atlanta, Georgia.

Bernard Milstein, MD,
Chairs, ASCRS Comprehensive Ophthalmology Clinical Committee

Dr. Milstein is a Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and is Director of the Ophthalmic Laser Center in League City, Texas where he performs refractive surgery. In addition to being past President of the Texas Ophthalmological Association, Dr. Milstein is active in the American Society for Cataract and Refractive Surgery. He is on the Development Board at the University of Texas Medical Branch. He is a founder and current board member of Prevent Blindness Texas Gulf Coast Branch. Dr Milstein received his medical degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and is certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology. He is also the founder of The Eye Clinic of Texas and is listed in The Best Doctors in America.