IRREGULARASTIMAGTISM

MingWang,MD,PhD,isaClinicalAssociateProfessorofOphthalmologyattheUniversityofTennessee,AttendingSurgeonatSaintThomasHospital,andDirectorofWangVisionInstituteinNashville,Tennessee,USA.HeisalsotheDirectorofRefractiveSurgeryattheAierEyeHospitals,thelargestprivateeyehospitalsysteminChina.Dr.Wangreceivedhisdoctoratedegreeinlaserspectroscopyandhispost-doctoratefellowshipfromtheUniversityofMarylandinCollegePark,Maryland,andtheMassachusettsInstituteofTechnologyinBoston,Massachusetts,respectively.In1991,hereceivedhismedicaldegree(graduatingmagnacumlaudeandreceivingtheawardforthebestthesis)fromHarvardMedicalSchoolandMassachusettsInstituteofTechnologyinBoston,Massachusetts,andtheHaroldLamportBiomedicalResearchPrizefromHarvardandMIT.AftercompletingbotharesidencyinophthalmologyandafellowshipinoculargeneticsattheWillsEyeHospitalinPhiladelphia,Pennsylvania,hecompletedaclinicalfellowshipincorneaandexternaldiseaseandrefractivesurgeryattheBascomPalmerEyeInstitute,UniversityofMiamiSchoolofMedicineinMiami,Florida.In1997,hebecamethefoundingdirectoroftheVanderbiltLaserSightCenterandafull-timefacultymemberoftheDepartmentofOphthalmologyattheVanderbiltUniversitySchoolofMedicine.HeremainedatVanderbiltfor5yearsbeforehewentintoprivatepracticein2002.www.wangvisioninstitute.comDr.Wang’sresearchcareerencompassesthreedistinctivelydifferentfields.From1982to1987,hepublishedasthefirstauthorofadozenoriginalpapersintheleadingphysicsjournal,PhysicalReviewA,describingthedevelopmentofanovelexperimentalatomicphysicstechniquethathedevelopedwithProfessorJohnWeiner,aDopplervelocity-selectedassociativeionizationprocessbetweensodiumatoms.In1987,Dr.WangturnedhisinquisitivemindtothestudyofmolecularbiologyatHarvardandMIT,andpublishedasthefirstauthorofamajorpaperintheworld-renownedjournal,Nature,regardinganovelmolecularbiologytechniquethatheinventedwithProfessorGeorgeChurch,awhole-genomeapproachtoinvivoDNA-proteininteractionandgeneexpressionregulation.Afterresearchcareersinexperimentalatomicphysicsandmolecularbiology,Dr.Wangthenbeganyetanotherresearchcareerin1992,thistimeinophthalmology,oculargenetics,novelanteriorsegmentreconstructivesurgeries,andcornealtopography.WorkingwithProfessorLarryDonoso,heclonedthefirstocularmelanoma-associatedantigen.Dr.WangmadeanoriginalcontributiontothefieldofcornealwoundhealingbypublishingwithProfessorSchefferTsengthefirstpaperintheliteratureregardinglaboratorysuccessinthereductionofcornealscarringandapoptosiswithamnioticmembranetransplantation.Dr.WangholdsaUSpatentforhisinventionoftheamnioticmembranecontactlens,andhesuccessfullymadethefirstprototype.HewasaformerconsultanttotheUnitedStatesFoodandDrugAdministrationOphthalmicDevicePanelandaprimaryreviewerforthepanelforthefirstUSLASIKapprovalbytheFDAin1999.Dr.Wangconductedthefirstlarge-scaleclinicalstudyandwastheprincipalclinicalinvestigatorofthefirst3-Dstereocornealtopographer,AstraMax.HewasthefirstsurgeonfromtheUStostudyanew,highfrequencyexcimerlaserandtreatment-planningplatformdesignedtotreatpost-LASIKcomplexeyes.Dr.Wangperformedthefirstfemtosecondlaser-assistedartificialcorneaimplantation.HewasaLASIKsurgeonforABC’snationalnetworkrealityshowprogram,ExtremeMakeover.Dr.WangisontheeditorialboardofCataractandRefractiveSurgeryToday,andisareviewerforOphthalmology,AmericanJournalofOphthalmology,Cornea,JournalofCataractandRefractiveSurgery,JournalofRefractiveSurgery,Genome,andInvestigativeOphthalmologyandVisualSciences.Dr.WangwastheeditorofCornealDystrophiesandDegenerations,publishedbytheAmericanAcademyofOphthalmology.HeofferstheonlyfellowshipincorneaandexternaldiseaseandrefractivesurgeryinthestateofTennessee.HehasbeeninvitedtolecturearoundtheworldandisanhonoraryprofessorofophthalmologyatXiamenandZhongshanMedicalUniversitiesinChinaandShanghaiAierEyeHospital,wherein2005heperformedChina’sfirstIntralaseLASIKprocedure.Dr.WangisthefoundingchairmanoftheWangFoundationforSightRestoration,anonprofitorganizationthatassiststerminallycornealblindpatientstoundergonoveleyereconstructivesurgeriesperformedfreeofchargebyDr.Wang.Thefoundationholdsanannualfundraiser,theEyeBall,eachyearinthefall.Dr.Wangistherecipientofnumerousawards,includingbeinglistedcontinuouslyeachyearbyCastleConnellyasoneoftheBestDoctorsinAmerica(anhonorbestowedonlessthan1%ofUSphysicians),aFightforSightResearchGrantoftheResearchDivisiontoPreventBlindness,facultyresearchawardofVanderbiltUniversity,andwasaco-principalinvestigatorofaRO1grantfromtheNationalInstitutesofHealth.Dr.Wanghasadiverseinterestinhobbies.HehasabandwithclassicalguitaristMr.CarlosGonzalezcalledMusicforSight,inwhichDr.WangplaystheEr-hu,aChineseviolin.InDollyParton’sCD,ThoseWeretheDays,heplayedhisEr-hutoMs.Parton’ssong“TheCruelWar.”Inaddition,Dr.WangisanaccomplishedballroomdancerandmemberoftheU.S.collegiatechampionHarvardUniversityteam.HeisthepresidentoftheMusicCityChapteroftheUnitedStatesAmateurBallroomDancersAssociation,andisrankedfourthintheUnitedStatesinpro-aminternationalballroom10-dance.TracySchroederSwartz,OD,MS,FAAOgraduatedwithaDoctoratefromtheIndianaUniversitySchoolofOptometryin1994,andcompletedaMaster’sdegreeinPhysiologicalOpticswhileservingasfacultyattheIUSchoolofOptometryfrom1994to1998.Duringthistime,shedidresearch,published,andlecturedintheareasofglaucoma,corneaandcontactlenses,pediatrics,binocularvision,andstrabismus.Dr.SwartzwasawardedtheGlenFryAwardforresearchin1998.ShebecameaFellowoftheAmericanAcademyofOptometryin2001,andservesasadjunctfacultyattheIUSchoolofOptometry,Bloomington,Indiana.ShecurrentlyservesastheClinicalOperationsManageroftheWangVisionInstituteinNashville,Tennessee,andisskilledinthetreatmentofoculardiseaseandcomplicationsfromrefractivesurgery.Shehaspublishedover15bookchaptersontopographyandrefractivesurgery,lecturesnationwideaswellaslocally,andeditsamonthlycolumnforCataractandRefractiveSurgeryToday.ShelivesinBrentwood,Tennesseewithherhusband,son,andtwingirls.