EyePod

Eichenbaum Acorns is an editorially independent series powered by Modern Retina and hosted by David A. Eichenbaum, MD, FASRS, partner and director of research at Retina Vitreous Associates of Florida. This podcast series explores the overlooked corners of the retina profession through candid conversations with thought leaders. Eichenbaum is the Yiddish word for oak tree, and the aim of this series is to plant acorns of insight that grow into oaks of understanding.

In this episode, Eichenbaum speaks with Jay S. Duker, MD, president and CEO of EyePoint Pharmaceuticals and a board director, and Ramiro Ribeiro, MD, PhD, chief medical officer of EyePoint Pharmaceuticals, about the professional decisions that led each of them from clinical and academic training into pharmaceutical leadership—and what they have learned along the way.

In this latest episode of the Ophthalmology Times® “Beyond The Walls” podcast, host Deborah Ristvedt, DO, sits down with her ophthalmology practice partner and mentor Vance Thompson, MD, to explore the origins and ongoing impact of a team first culture at Vance Thompson Vision. The conversation covers Thompson's early frustrations with practice dynamics, his turn toward business education, and the philosophy that has guided his career and practice growth.

Thompson traces his thinking back to the late 1990s, when despite working with what he describes as "nice people," his practice was seeing more team and patient complaints than he expected. Encouraged by his brother-in-law, a physician-turned-hospital administrator, Thompson began studying the business side of medicine. He attended a course in Boca Raton, Florida, and worked with Jim Gilmore, coauthor of The Experience Economy, whose framework—"work is theater and every business a stage"—helped him reframe how he thought about patient care delivery.

The pivotal insight came when Thompson recognized that teachings focused on the customer, while he was focused on the patient. "The team experience is something that I have to have perfect, we have to have perfect before we're gonna have a great patient experience," he explains. This realization led to what became his signature and deliberately provocative principle: The patient comes second.

Thompson acknowledges the reaction that framing typically draws. "I've heard audible gasps from groups of surgeons," he says, adding that the point is not to deprioritize patients but to challenge a culture in medicine where staff are treated "less than." His argument is that an authentically cared-for team creates an environment patients feel immediately. "I don't know exactly what's going on here, but I love how they treat each other and I love how they treat me," he describes patients saying.

He also connects team first culture to burnout prevention, recounting a colleague who told him he feared he was burning out. Thompson's response: "Are you operating on eyes or are you operating on people?" Reconnecting with the human dimension of the work, he suggests, is central to sustaining energy across a career. "I always want to remember I'm a doctor first, I'm an ophthalmologist second, I'm a refractive surgeon third."

Thompson credits legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden with giving him "the guts to use the L word in the workplace," drawing a distinction between the love shared with family and a professional love rooted in genuine care for colleagues. He describes this openly with prospective partners: "I want them to know about the mush of me from the beginning," noting that those not open to that kind of relationship will eventually leave. He concludes that he views shared values around caring for fellow humans as a foundation for both culture and growth at Vance Thompson Vision.

Eichenbaum Acorns is an editorially independent series powered by Modern Retina and hosted by David A. Eichenbaum, MD, FASRS, partner and director of research at Retina Vitreous Associates of Florida. This podcast series explores the overlooked corners of the retina profession through candid conversations with thought leaders. Eichenbaum is the Yiddish translation for acorn tree, and the aim of this series is to plant acorns of insight that grow into oaks of understanding.

In this episode of Eichenbaum Acorns, Eichenbaum speaks with Christina Y. Weng, MD, MBA, FASRS, about her career path, mentorship, education, and evolving clinical research in retina. Weng, who is professor and the Alice R. McPherson Retina Research Foundation Chair in Ophthalmology, and fellowship program director, vitreoretinal diseases and surgery with Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, reflects on joining Baylor straight out of fellowship at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami, Florida, and building her career there over more than a decade. 

Fun fact! Christina Y. Weng, MD, MBA, FASRS, is also host of The Retina TL;DR, powered by Modern Retina. Check out these episodes!

Eichenbaum Acorns is an editorially independent series powered by Modern Retina and hosted by David A. Eichenbaum, MD, FASRS, partner and director of research at Retina Vitreous Associates of Florida. This podcast series explores the overlooked corners of the retina profession through candid conversations with thought leaders. Eichenbaum is the Yiddish translation for acorn tree, and the aim of this series is to plant acorns of insight that grow into oaks of understanding.

In this special cross-brand episode with Optometry Times, Eichenbaum speaks with Jeffry D. Gerson, OD, FAAO, about career development, mentorship, and collaboration between optometry and ophthalmology in retinal care. 

Gerson practices in a collaborative OD-MD setting at Grin Eye Care in Olathe and Leawood, Kansas, where his work includes primary care as well as secondary care with an emphasis on retinal disease. 

In this latest episode of the Ophthalmology Times® “Beyond The Walls” podcast, host Deborah Ristvedt, DO, of Vance Thompson Vision, sits down with William B. Trattler, MD, to explore the experiences, influences, and philosophies that have shaped his career in ophthalmology. The discussion covers early inspirations, approaches to teaching, mentorship initiatives, clinical collaboration, and the evolving role of technology in patient care.

Trattler traces his introduction to medicine to his father, an ophthalmologist, whom he describes as “just such an incredible role model.” During medical school, Trattler coauthored Clinical Microbiology Made Ridiculously Simple, motivated by a desire to simplify complex material. “We should just make it ridiculously simple,” he explains, highlighting his use of visual aids and associations to enhance learning. This philosophy carries into his clinical practice, where he emphasizes simplifying the interpretation of diagnostic tools by distinguishing “what’s normal, versus abnormal,” while recognizing the variability in findings and the importance of repetition and experience.

Mentorship is a central theme, reflected in Trattler’s development of the Rising Stars in Ophthalmology program. The conversation also includes reflections on balancing professional and personal life, ongoing practice growth, generational transitions, and the future of ophthalmology. 

IOLs: What Every Surgeon Needs to Know is an editorially independent video and podcast series from Ophthalmology Times, hosted by Douglas D. Koch, MD, Professor and Allen, Mosbacher, and Law Chair in Ophthalmology at the Cullen Eye Institute, Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. 

In each episode, Koch will be joined by different expert guests to discuss cutting-edge advancements in intraocular lens (IOL) technology and cataract surgery. 

In this inaugural episode, Koch is joined by Liliana Werner, MD, PhD, Benning Presidential Endowed Chair and co-director of the Intermountain Ocular Research Center at the Moran A. Eye Center at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, to explore IOL biomaterials.

🎧 Listen as Douglas D. Koch, MD, and Liliana Werner, MD, PhD, discuss IOL biomaterials and emerging lens technologies.