Professor Rosa Braga-Mele MD is an inspiration for me. She is an amazing ophthalmologist, professor, and key opinion leader, but even so much more than this. She has an incredible resilience and drive for success, even in the face of adversity. Rosa can choose a seemingly insurmountable task such as becoming a professional bodybuilder (after the age of 50) and then actually achieve it -- google her name to see photos that will blow your mind. After knowing Rosa for more than 20 years, I can confidently say that she is one of the most incredible people I have ever met in my life. She is like my sister and I strive to learn from her, year after year for more than the past 20 years. This podcast features some truly outstanding advice that will make the first half of your career so much more fruitful. I wish I learned this advice when I was in my 30s and 40s!

Steven Dell MD is a refractive and cataract surgeon in Austin, Texas, USA and he has been involved in so many different avenues of ophthalmology in addition to his clinical practice. More than 15 years ago, he worked with development of the first generation of IOLs which attempted to restore accommodation and we thoroughly discuss this topic in the podcast. He also was founding president of AECOS, the American-European Congress of Ophthalmic Surgery, which promotes innovation, education, and advocacy while also organizing multiple outstanding eye meetings per year in the USA and in Europe. And he is also known for offering guidance and sage advice to younger ophthalmologists as they navigate their careers, me included!

John Hovanesian MD is in private practice in Orange County, California and he has been involved with ophthalmic teaching, consulting, and giving back for more than 20 years. He also hosts the Eyeluminaries podcast, gets involved in many clinical trials, and authors articles and books in ophthalmology. Our discussion is two long time friends catching up with each other because I've known John since I was a first year ophthalmology resident and he was a cornea fellow. There are some great pearls in this podcast that will help our younger audience maximize their happiness and success. 

Priya Mathews, MD, MPH is a successful surgeon and key opinion leader, and she has some great pearls for achieving work-life balance. That is something that I have personally struggled with in the past, but now I am far better at it. While we love ophthalmology, we also need to love ourselves, our lives, and our family and friends. In medicine, we devote so much of our youth to education and training -- essentially all of our twenties and even into our early or mid thirties. This makes it challenging to find a partner, start a family, have a social life, and experience the world. 

Prof. Damien Gatinel, MD, PhD has a background in mathematics and the physics of optics as well as being a world class refractive surgeon. In our podcast he explains the optics behind his trifocal IOL design as well as innovations in refractive surgery, both corneal and lenticular, which give us so many great options for restoring vision to our patients. He has a great way of explaining this complex concepts in a simplified manner so that ophthalmologists like me can easily understand.

Professor Douglas Koch MD has been leading the way in cataract, refractive, and anterior segment surgery for more than 40 years. He is instrumental in teaching surgical techniques as well as pioneering new concepts such as evaluation of posterior corneal power and adjusting the axial lengths in myopic eyes for more accurate IOL calculations. I first met Dr Koch when I was a medical student interviewing for residency at Baylor University in Texas. Though I ultimately chose to do my residency at UCLA's Jules Stein Eye Institute in my hometown of Los Angeles, I still learned so much from Dr Koch's teachings. That learning has continued for decades and I am so excited to bring this podcast to you. I am confident that you will also learn so much just from this one hour conversation.

Eric Donnenfeld MD is an outstanding teacher and has taught thousands of ophthalmologists with his presentations and articles. He has a knack for explaining tough concepts in an easy to understand manner while always providing levity and laughter which makes his lectures memorable. I have learned so much from him over the years and I was really eager to have him share his words of wisdom from 40+ years in ophthalmology. I am certain you will enjoy the podcast and will have many moments where you laugh out loud.

Professor Jorge Alió, MD, PhD from Alicanté, Spain wears many hats: professor, innovator, publisher, researcher, and business leader. He is a remarkable ophthalmologist who has contributed nearly 1000 peer-reviewed journal articles over the past many decades. His impact on our field is tremendous and he is generous with sharing the pearls and words of wisdom which helped propel him to this high level of success. He has truly built an ophthalmology legacy and his impact is worldwide. I'm confident that you will enjoy this podcast and learn so much from it.

The excimer laser revolutionized corneal refractive surgery and countless millions of patients have benefitted from amazing new vision. Marguerite McDonald MD is a true pioneer in corneal refractive surgery and the development of the excimer laser. This podcast dives into the amazing journey of this brilliant surgeon, including the major challenges that were overcome (sometimes by serendipity) to bring this ground breaking technology to surgeons like you and me.

Even though our cataract surgeries are confined to a very small space inside the eye, they require peak performance from our mind and body to ensure a great outcome for our patients. There is certainly a mind, body, and soul connection and achieving appropriate fitness and nutrition can help optimize surgical performance. Bill Soscia MD is a high volume cataract surgeon and lifelong athlete who has spent many years fine tuning his mind-body machine. We enjoy a robust discussion in this podcast and cover so many different areas. I learned a tremendous amount and I came away with a full page of notes for my own personal health journey. I know you'll enjoy this podcast and it will bring a new-found energy to your personal performance in and out of the operating room.  https://www.instagram.com/thetrinitydoc/