Speaker Bio

Dr. Koo is a corneal specialist, with a research and clinical focus on endothelial dysfunction, keratoplasty, cataract and complex anterior segment surgeries. Dr. Koo is committed to improving the fields of corneal transplantation and eyebanking. She has pioneered innovations to improve the surgical techniques of DMEK and DSEK, and teaches keratoplasty techniques at national skills transfer wet-labs.

Dr. Koo is currently leading several clinical trials in the treatment of corneal edema and Fuchs Dystrophy as the principal investigator at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. Dr. Koo is the current and past president of the Fuchs Symposium. She also serves on the accreditation committee for the Eye Bank Association of America, the board of directors of KeraLink International, as well as the medical advisory board for Florida Lions Eye Bank. In addition, Dr. Koo serves on the editorial board for several peer-reviewed scientific journals.

Dr. Koo is involved with the training and education of residents and cornea fellows at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, and serves as the associate director of the Bascom Palmer Palm Beach Cornea Fellowship program. Dr. Koo has been awarded numerous peer-nominated Top Doctor awards, including the Castle Connolly Top Doctor award and the Exceptional Women in Medicine award.

David Lockington has been a Consultant Ophthalmologist at Tennent Institute of Ophthalmology, Glasgow, since January 2014, with sub-specialist training in Cornea, Cataract and Anterior Segment. Following 2 years of SHO training in the Northern Ireland ophthalmic rotation, he moved to Glasgow in 2007 for his Registrar ophthalmology training throughout the West of Scotland. From 2012-13 he undertook an advanced Cornea and Anterior Segment fellowship with Professor Charles McGhee at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, where he remains an honorary clinical senior lecturer.

He has an active interest in research and teaching, having now achieved over 100 peer-reviewed publications despite having always been in full-time clinical training, and has received 11 awards for his research and multiple oral presentations. He recently graduated from the 2017-19 European Society of Ophthalmology’s Leadership Development programme as the UK representative and used these skills to coordinate a renovation project to create a bespoke “Teach and Train Hub” for ophthalmic trainees at the Tennent Institute.

David is actively involved in cataract and corneal teaching as an invited speaker and trainer at national and international meetings.

Personal interests

Keeping active through playing sports, attending sporting events, concerts and travel.

Graduated from Mt Hope, St Augustine UWI with MBBS in 2007

Fellowship from Royal College of Ophthalmology London in November 2013 (FRCOphth )

1 year Cornea fellowship at McGill University ending July 2017.

Associate Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology. His specialties are Cataract and Refractive Disease, and Glaucoma. His clinical area of expertise are Glaucoma, Cataracts and Intraocular lenses.

Currently a lecturer in Ophthalmology at the Department of Clinical and Surgical sciences at the University Of The West Indies, St Augustine Campus. He is a fellow of the Royal College Of Ophthalmologists, a fellow of The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.

An ophthalmologist, with special interest in glaucoma, who graduated from the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine campus, with a Doctor of Medicine in Ophthalmology in 2021. He is a fellow of The Royal College of Ophthalmologists London (FRCOphth), the International Council of Ophthalmology (FICO), and a Member of the Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh (MRCSEd Ophthalmology). Dr. Clarke is passionate about advancing research and expertise in the field and is dedicated to making meaningful contributions as a young ophthalmologist.

For more than two decades, Alana Grajewski, M.D., has been a leader in the international effort to eradicate blindness from pediatric glaucoma. She established the Samuel & Ethel Balkan International Pediatric Glaucoma Center at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, the first integrated services center dedicated to pediatric glaucoma and anterior segment dysgenesis. The Center serves as the hub for internationally collaborative research to find underlying causes, genetic factors, and to advance treatment methods for pediatric glaucoma. Grajewski co-founded the Childhood Glaucoma Research Network, a global association of specialists collaborating to advance childhood glaucoma research. An expert in specialized surgical treatment, her influence has been felt worldwide through patient care and education, establishing the Global Eye SITE® to train surgeons in dedicated disease management to increase treatment access. Dr. Grajewski was named The Ophthalmologist Power List 2021.

Mr. David O’Connor has studied history and political science at Stony Brook University and international history at The London School of Economics as well as completed an MBA at the University of Miami. He currently works as a consultant with The Samuel & Ethel Balkan International Pediatric Glaucoma Center.

Dr. Cowan was educated at Syracuse University, BA then at Howard University College of Medicine, MD. He received his Post Graduate Training at Hospital of the Medical College of Pennsylvania, Internship, Freedmen’s Hospital/Howard University Hospital, Residency in Ophthalmology. His Fellowship at Wilmer Institute, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Fluorescein Angiography and Neuro-Ophthalmology, Wilmer Institute, Johns Hopkins Hospital, External Disease and Anterior Segment Surgery, Wilmer Institute, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Retinal Vascular Diseases, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, MPH.

He held previous positions as Chief, Division of Ophthalmology, Howard University Hospital and College of Medicine, Board of Directors, American Academy of Ophthalmology, Chief, Ophthalmology Section, Washington, DC Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Acting Associate Chief of Staff for Education, Washington, DC Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Chair, Washington, DC Diabetes Steering Committee, Member, Data Safety Monitoring Committee, Ocular Hypertension Treatment Trial, and Deputy Director, Defense and Veterans Vision Center of Excellence.

Currently he is Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology, Georgetown University Medical Center

Staff Physician, Washington, DC Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Board of Directors, American Board of Ophthalmology.

Professor Lizette Mowatt is a graduate of the University of the West Indies, Mona. She did her Ophthalmology residency (CCST) and Vitreoretinal fellowship in the UK. She returned to UHWI, Jamaica in 2004. She is the DM Ophthalmology Residency Programme Director, Professor of Ophthalmology (UWI), Head of the Ophthalmology Division, and Consultant Vitreoretinal Surgeon at the UHWI. She teaches and examines at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. She is the immediate Past President of the Ophthalmological Society of Jamaica (OSJ) and a Past President of the Ophthalmological Society of the West Indies (OSWI). Her research at the UHWI includes Diabetic Retinopathy, Sickle Cell Retinopathy, and Retinopathy of Prematurity.

Dr. Koo is a corneal specialist, with a research and clinical focus on endothelial dysfunction, keratoplasty, cataract and complex anterior segment surgeries. Dr. Koo is committed to improving the fields of corneal transplantation and eyebanking. She has pioneered innovations to improve the surgical techniques of DMEK and DSEK, and teaches keratoplasty techniques at national skills transfer wet-labs.

Dr. Koo is currently leading several clinical trials in the treatment of corneal edema and Fuchs Dystrophy as the principal investigator at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. Dr. Koo is the current and past president of the Fuchs Symposium. She also serves on the accreditation committee for the Eye Bank Association of America, the board of directors of KeraLink International, as well as the medical advisory board for Florida Lions Eye Bank. In addition, Dr. Koo serves on the editorial board for several peer-reviewed scientific journals.

Dr. Koo is involved with the training and education of residents and cornea fellows at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, and serves as the associate director of the Bascom Palmer Palm Beach Cornea Fellowship program. Dr. Koo has been awarded numerous peer-nominated Top Doctor awards, including the Castle Connolly Top Doctor award and the Exceptional Women in Medicine award.

David Lockington has been a Consultant Ophthalmologist at Tennent Institute of Ophthalmology, Glasgow, since January 2014, with sub-specialist training in Cornea, Cataract and Anterior Segment. Following 2 years of SHO training in the Northern Ireland ophthalmic rotation, he moved to Glasgow in 2007 for his Registrar ophthalmology training throughout the West of Scotland. From 2012-13 he undertook an advanced Cornea and Anterior Segment fellowship with Professor Charles McGhee at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, where he remains an honorary clinical senior lecturer.

He has an active interest in research and teaching, having now achieved over 100 peer-reviewed publications despite having always been in full-time clinical training, and has received 11 awards for his research and multiple oral presentations. He recently graduated from the 2017-19 European Society of Ophthalmology’s Leadership Development programme as the UK representative and used these skills to coordinate a renovation project to create a bespoke “Teach and Train Hub” for ophthalmic trainees at the Tennent Institute.

David is actively involved in cataract and corneal teaching as an invited speaker and trainer at national and international meetings.

Personal interests

Keeping active through playing sports, attending sporting events, concerts and travel.

Dr. Stephanie Llop, Assistant Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology, her specialties are Cataract and Refractive Disease, Comprehensive Ophthalmology, and Uveitis. Her areas of Expertise are Medical and surgical management of Uveitis, Scleritis, Episcleritis, Immunosuppressive therapy, and Cataract surgery.

Medical and Surgical Director of Precision Cataract Surgery Ltd.; One of the largest ophthalmological providers on the island of Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean, with specialization in anterior segment surgery, cataract and refractive surgery and minimally invasive glaucoma surgery -over 25,000 anterior segment surgeries have been performed with more than 20

years’ experience in Ophthalmology

• -Graduated from The University of the West Indies Trinidad in 1997
• -Member of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh 2004
• -Member of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists of London 2004
• -Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Glasgow 2006
• -Consultant and Head of Department of Ophthalmology at Sangre Grande Hospital (East Regional Health Authority) since 2009 to present
• -Associate Lecturer and Clinical Demonstrator in the Department of Surgical Sciences in Ophthalmology and Optometry at UWI 2010 to present.
• -Clinical demonstrator for the American Academy of Ophthalmology in Trabectome and Microincisional Glaucoma surgery 2013
• -Appointed an Examiner for the Royal College of Ophthalmologists in 2022
• -Member of the Ophthalmological Society of Trinidad and Tobago
• -Member of the Ophthalmological Society of the West Indies
• -Member of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery
• -Member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology

Professor Lizette Mowatt is a graduate of the University of the West Indies, Mona. She did her Ophthalmology residency (CCST) and Vitreoretinal fellowship in the UK. She returned to UHWI, Jamaica in 2004. She is the DM Ophthalmology Residency Programme Director, Professor of Ophthalmology (UWI), Head of the Ophthalmology Division, and Consultant Vitreoretinal Surgeon at the UHWI. She teaches and examines at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. She is the immediate Past President of the Ophthalmological Society of Jamaica (OSJ) and a Past President of the Ophthalmological Society of the West Indies (OSWI). Her research at the UHWI includes Diabetic Retinopathy, Sickle Cell Retinopathy, and Retinopathy of Prematurity.

Audina Berrocal, M.D., is a pediatric retina specialist and world-leader in the medical and surgical management of retinopathy of prematurity and pediatric vitreoretinal disorders. Berrocal has been instrumental in the description and management of pediatric retinal disorders.  She has advanced the use of fluorescein angiography in pediatric vitreoretinal disorders improving outcomes.  She has also taken care of an inner-city neonatal Intensive Care Unit weekly for the past 20 years preventing blindness among the premature.  Furthermore, she has been the first surgeon to treat the youngest patient in the United States with the first FDA-approved gene therapy.  She has continued this novel, curative surgical treatment among children with Leber’s congenital amaurosis.  Not only is she a unique clinician and outstanding surgeon, but she devotes time to teaching and the support of women in the field of ophthalmology and retina. Dr. Berrocal was named to the Ophthalmologist Power List 2022.

Luis J. Haddock, MD is a vitreoretinal and macular diseases surgeon at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Palm Beach Gardens, FL, and Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.  He completed a residency in ophthalmology at the renowned Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami, followed by a surgical vitreo-retina and macular diseases fellowship at Harvard Medical School- Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston. Since 2014, he has been practicing as an attending physician at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Palm Beach Gardens and Plantation where he has a busy vitreoretinal and macular diseases practice and teaches medical students, residents, and fellows. Currently, he is the Bascom Palmer Palm Beach Gardens Medical Retina fellowship program director. His primary research interest is the use of technology and surgical innovation in diagnosing and managing retinal diseases. His clinical and research interests also involve analyzing outcomes of retinal detachment procedures, diabetic tractional retinal detachments, fundus imaging using mobile devices, application of new imaging devices/technology, macular degeneration, and diabetic macular edema amongst others. He is also a primary investigator in clinical trials involving macular degeneration, diabetic macular edema, and vascular occlusions. He is actively involved in developing virtual clinical and educational platforms which will provide new resources for education and patient care in the future. He is also actively involved in the enhancement and optimization of the electronic medical record system. He has authored multiple peer reviewed publications including book chapters, case reports and peer reviewed papers.

CEO & Eye Surgeon at Caribbean Vitreous & Retina Surgery Ltd (CVRS) & Chairman of Trinidad Eye Hospital (TEH)

Dr. Ronnie Bhola was born in Trinidad and did his MBBS degree at UWI, Jamaica.  

After several years of service in the public hospitals in Trinidad and Tobago, he completed his studies and qualified as a consultant with sub-specialty training in Vitreous and Retina Surgery, in the UK.

He is a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons (Edinburgh), and holds a Certificate of Completion of Higher Specialist Training from the Royal College of Ophthalmologists (London).
 
Since he started practicing in 2009, he has done over five thousand retina surgeries, as well as ten thousand cataract surgeries and many other eye surgery procedures. He opened his Private Practice, Caribbean Vitreous & Retina Surgery Ltd. in 2011 and founded the Non-Profit organization; Trinidad Eye Hospital in 2016.
 
He is the Vice President of the Ophthalmological Society of the West Indies (OSWI), the Public Relations Officer for the Ophthalmological Society of Trinidad & Tobago and an Adjunct Professor with the Moran Eye Center.  In previous years, as an Associate Lecturer in Ophthalmology at The University of the West Indies.

Dr. Bhola is passionate about learning, development and knowledge sharing as it relates to research and surgical techniques. This is evidenced by his more than fifty peer-reviewed publications and numerous conference presentations both regionally and internationally.

Although his surgical talent has been endorsed by many leading eye care institutions throughout the world, his biggest accolades come from his patients with many of them praising him for his surgical gentility and the quality of care that they receive.

Dr Jessica Yap is a 3^rd year Ophthalmology Resident at the UHWI. Her principal research focus area is in diabetic retinopathy. She got her MBBS in 2016 from UWI. Her non-medical interests include tennis, her dogs and she is an acclaimed internationally-accredited classical violinist.

Rajiv Seemongal-Dass is a medical doctor who graduated from the University of the West Indies, Mona in 2020. He is currently pursuing post graduate studies with an interest in Ophthalmology.

Dr Adeola Field is a 5^th year Resident in Ophthalmology at the University Hospital of the West Indies. She attended the University of Maryland where she earned a B.S. in Biology. Her M.B.B.S. degree was attained from the University of Guyana Medical School and she continued her Internship at the University Hospital of the West Indies. During her formative years she enjoyed playing the piano, violin and on occasion Taekwondo. Above all she enjoys spending time with family and friends and she is very passionate about the prevention of vision loss.

Alyssa Singh is a medical doctor who graduated from the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine in 2019 and is currently pursuing postgraduate studies with an interest in research.

A graduate of the University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus where graduated Bachelor of Medicine Bachelor of Surgery with Honours. Dr. Traboulay has a keen interest in ophthalmology, and is working on improving and expanding her surgical experience. She hopes to sub-specialize in the field of oculoplastics in the future.

Dr. Tricia Cave-Knight is a bilingual medical doctor who joined the team at CVRS/Trinidad Eye Hospital as a Research Fellow. She trained at the Faculty of Medical Sciences in Sancti Spiritus, Cuba where she graduated with Honours (summa cum laude). She has a tremendous passion for helping patients improve all aspects of their health through preventative care. Her interests are in Adult & Paediatric Ophthalmology, as well as Oculoplastics.

Basil K. Williams, Jr. M.D. is an associate professor of clinical ophthalmology and Bascom Palmer’s vice chair for diversity, equity, and inclusion. A board-certified specialist in retinal diseases and ocular oncology, Williams comes to Miami from Cincinnati where he was the Mary Knight Asbury Chair of Ocular Oncology and associate professor of clinical ophthalmology at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center; a vitreoretinal specialist, ocular oncologist, and director of the retinoblastoma program at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center; and a vitreoretinal diseases specialist and surgeon at the Cincinnati Eye Institute. Williams received a bachelor of arts degree in psychology from Yale University and received his medical degree from the Chicago Medical School. Following his transitional year internship at Resurrection Medical Center, Williams completed a residency in ophthalmology as well as a surgical retinal fellowship at Bascom Palmer, both preceding his tenure as the Institute’s chief resident. The following year he completed an ocular oncology fellowship at Wills Eye Hospital. His research interests include vitreoretinal diseases and surgery, as well as adult and pediatric surface and intraocular tumors. A member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society, Williams has received numerous teaching awards including the Medical Student Educator of the Year from the University of Cincinnati, the William Tasman M.D. Outstanding Fellow Teaching Award from Wills Eye Hospital, and Fellow of the Year Award from Bascom Palmer.

A native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Dr. Nathan W. Blessing graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia with a bachelor’s degree in biology. He then pursued medical school and internship at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine in Oklahoma City, OK.

Dr. Blessing then completed his ophthalmology residency and a fellowship in ophthalmic plastic and reconstructive surgery at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami, Florida. He returned home to Oklahoma to join the faculty of the Dean McGee Eye Institute from 2018 to 2021 and relocated back to Florida in 2021. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute and specializes in all aspects of ophthalmic plastic, orbital, and reconstructive surgery in patients of all ages.

Janet L. Davis, M.D., M.B.A., is an internationally recognized expert in uveitis as well as a medical retina and vitreoretinal specialist. Her expertise includes infectious and inflammatory diseases of the eye with an emphasis on diagnostic procedures and clinical management of uveitis. She is active in the diagnosis of primary vitreoretinal lymphoma utilizing flow cytometry and gene rearrangement combined with cytology. She has participated in numerous clinical trials in uveitis throughout her career, including surgical implantation of drug delivery devices. For the last 5 years, she has also led the Bascom Palmer surgical team that has performed more than 100 subretinal gene therapy procedures for inherited retinal diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa and choroideremia. Her service to ophthalmology includes being the Chair of the American Board of Ophthalmology in 2016. Dr. Davis was named to The Ophthalmologist Power List 2021.

Dr. Stephanie Llop, Assistant Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology, her specialties are Cataract and Refractive Disease, Comprehensive Ophthalmology, and Uveitis. Her areas of Expertise are Medical and surgical management of Uveitis, Scleritis, Episcleritis, Immunosuppressive therapy, and Cataract surgery.

Eduardo C. Alfonso, M.D., is director of the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology, and holder of the Kathleen and Stanley J. Glaser Chair at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Physician, surgeon, professor, researcher, and administrator, he is known for his clinical and research expertise in eye diseases, corneal surgery, ocular microbiology, and administrative skills in healthcare. 

Born in Cuba, Dr. Alfonso grew up in Puerto Rico.  He received a bachelor and medical degree from Yale University followed by residency at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, then a cornea fellowship followed by ocular pathology at Harvard Medical School Mass Eye and Ear Institute. He joined the BPEI faculty in 1986 and became a tenured professor and Edward W.D. Norton Distinguished Chair in 1998

Since 2007, Dr. Alfonso has served as the leader of the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. He oversees the clinical, educational, and research programs. He is the medical director of its clinical facilities which include the University of Miami Hospital and Clinics, the Anne Bates Leach Eye Center, Jackson Memorial Hospital and Health System, the Veterans Administration Hospitals, and Bascom Palmer’s outpatient facilities in Palm Beach Gardens, Plantation, Naples, and Coral Gables, Florida. The Institute’s medical education program trains ophthalmology residents, fellows, researchers, medical students and clinical observers. The continuing education program has over 1,500 yearly attendees. Research accounts for more than 25 million dollars a year in clinical and laboratory research programs. Since the U.S. News & World Report national rankings began in 1990, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute has been named as one of the top two eye hospitals in the country, achieving the #1 position each year for the past 21 years.  The Institute has also repeatedly received the top eye hospital ranking and the top clinical care program ranking by Ophthalmology Times; and the ophthalmology residency program is continually recognized as the best in the country by Doximity.com.  

Dr. Alfonso is an internationally known clinical and research expert on cornea and ocular infectious diseases. He specializes in corneal transplants, having performed more than 1,000 surgeries in adults and children. He has developed the surgical and clinical applications of keratoprosthesis, an artificial cornea. The National Eye Institute, foundations, and philanthropy have funded this research. He has delivered more than 25 named honor lectures, has been an invited lecturer in over 200 national and international meetings, serves on the editorial boards of ophthalmology journals, and authored more than 300 scientific publications.

Dr. Alfonso has received numerous awards. Just a few include:  South Florida Business presented him with the CEO of the Year Award and named him one of the 100 most influential leaders in South Florida, and named to the Ophthalmologist Power List in 2014, 2016, 2018, 2022, and 2023, which names the world’s 100 most influential people in ophthalmology.

He has served as director and president of numerous societies and on scientific boards for industry, National Eye Institute, Hope for Vision, Prevent Blindness America, Alcon Research Institute, and Research to Prevent Blindness.

He was appointed by the Secretary of Health & Human Services to serve on the National Institute of Health’s National Advisory Eye Council, a prestigious panel of leading scientists that advises the National Eye Institute. 

Dr. Alfonso and his wife, Molly, live in Key Biscayne, Florida. They have three children, two sons-in-law, and five grandchildren. They enjoy the outdoors, exercise, boating and travel.

Arindel Maharaj is an Associate Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology at the University of Miami.  He specializes in glaucoma and cataract surgery and is an innovator in novel approaches to glaucoma surgery.  Originally from Trinidad, he received an MD and PhD at Harvard Medical School, followed by residency at Baylor College of Medicine and then a glaucoma fellowship at Bascom Palmer. He has been a faculty at Bascom Palmer since 2014.  He has authored over 20 publications, has trained dozens of medical students and 18 glaucoma fellows. He has been a leader with the Florida Glaucoma Society, and the Florida Society of Ophthalmology.  He has been an invited speaker at many national and international conferences.  He has been a member of OSWI since 2014 and has worked closely with OSWI leadership to forge a collaboration with BPEI and the Caribbean to provide training, research and clinical collaboration.