The most prestigious ophthalmology fellowship foundation in the country has again chosen graduates of the UCSF Ophthalmology residency program.
The Residency Class of 2020, from left: Drs. Neel Pasricha, Jonathan Li, Frances Wu, Lesley Everett, and Bethlehem Mekonnen
Lesley A. Everett, MD, PhD; Neel D. Pasricha, MD; and Frances Wu, MD, were all selected for Heed Ophthalmic Foundation fellowships, which support postgraduate research.
The class of 2020 merited three of only 22 fellowships awarded nationwide, rising to the top in a pool of 450 applicants. This brings to 24 the number of UCSF Ophthalmology residents honored with Heed fellowships since 2009.
“The high caliber of applicants admitted to UCSF residencies and faculty commitment to training future ophthalmology leaders both play roles in their outstanding achievements,” says Saras Ramanathan, MD, director of the Residency Program.
Training for Leadership Roles
Dr. Everett will embark on a fellowship in medical retina at Kellogg Eye Center, University of Michigan. Dr. Pasricha will specialize in cornea, external disease, and refractive surgery during his fellowship at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami. Dr. Wu will specialize in surgical retina care during her fellowship at Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard University.
Fellow residents Bethlehem D. Mekonnen, MD, and Jonathan Li, MD, also gained impressive placements. Dr. Mekonnen will begin a fellowship in cornea and refractive surgery at Stanford University. Her career goal is to improve ophthalmic care delivery in sub-Saharan Africa. Dr. Li will serve as a comprehensive attending ophthalmologist at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, allowing him to also pursue vision research at ForSight Labs, LLC, an incubator for ophthalmic innovation.
Zooming Ahead
Social distancing shaped the 2020 graduates’ final semester but did not slow their trajectories. They turned to Zoom video to serve eye patients with remote vision care appointments and to interview for highly competitive scholarships and fellowships. Clearly, the class of 2020 is exceptional.