2025 Post Graduate Convention

Uday Devgan, MD, FACS, FRCS
Devgan Eye Surgery, Los Angeles, CA

Uday Devgan, MD is in private practice, specializing in cataract and refractive surgery, at Devgan Eye Surgery in Los Angeles and a full partner at Specialty Surgical Center in Beverly Hills, California. Dr. Devgan is also passionate about teaching ocular surgery to the next generation of ophthalmologists. He has previously served as full clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at the Jules Stein Eye Institute at the UCLA School of Medicine as well as Chief of Ophthalmology at Olive View UCLA Medical Center and has been actively involved in resident surgical teaching for over two decades. Dr. Devgan is honored to have won the most Surgical Professor Teaching Awards (5x) in the history of UCLA’s Ophthalmology Department.

He has been named one of the top key opinion leaders in ophthalmology and he has taught ocular surgery in more than 60 countries to tens of thousands of fellow ophthalmologists. Dr. Devgan runs CataractCoach.com which has more than 2,300 teaching videos/articles and boasts over 100,000 subscribers with more than a million views every month. He also developed an entire curriculum series, a free cataract surgery book, and now the top podcast in ophthalmology. Most recently he has started a revolutionary AI bio-mathematical company, helped develop an innovative truly accommodating lens implant, and is involved with the future of fully robotic cataract surgery.

Aleksandra Rachitskaya, MD
Cleveland Clinic Cole Eye Institute, Cleveland, OH

Aleksandra V. Rachitskaya is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Ophthalmology at Case Western Reserve University’s Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine and a member of the vitreoretinal faculty at Cleveland Clinic’s Cole Eye Institute. She specializes in the diagnosis and management of medical and surgical retinal diseases. Prior to her appointment at the Cleveland Clinic in 2014, Dr. Rachitskaya served on faculty of the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami, Florida, as the Chief Resident and Director of Ocular Trauma. An active researcher, Dr. Rachitskaya is involved in numerous clinical trials, including studies on diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration. In June of 2015, Dr. Rachitskaya and her colleagues at the Cole Eye Institute completed the first successful Argus II implant in the state of Ohio. Dr. Rachitskaya regularly publishes on her research and she has given numerous national and international presentations on her work. She is an active member of AAO, the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, the American Society of Retina Specialists, the Retina Society, and the VBS Society. She is a recipient of the American Academy of Ophthalmology Achievement Award and the American Society of Retina Specialists Senior Honor Award.

Dr. Rachitskaya completed an internship in internal medicine at the George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and earned her medical degree at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio. During medical school, she spent a year at the National Eye Institute as a National Institutes of Health-Howard Hughes Institute Research Fellow and earned an induction into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society. In 2016 Dr. Rachitskaya was the recipient of the prestigious Case Western Reserve University Young Alumni Award.

ANTHONY J. ALDAVE, MD
The Stein Eye Institute, UCLA

Anthony J. Aldave, MD, received his medical degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. He performed his residency training in ophthalmology at the Wills Eye Hospital, Thomas Jefferson University, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  Dr. Aldave then completed a two-year Cornea, Uveitis and Refractive Surgery Fellowship at The University of California, San Francisco/ Francis I. Proctor Foundation.  He joined the Stein Eye Institute in July 2002 as a full-time member of the Cornea and Refractive Surgery Services.  Dr. Aldave is currently a Professor of Ophthalmology, holds the Bartly J. Mondino, M.D., Endowed Chair in Ophthalmology, is Co-Chief of the Cornea and Uveitis Division and Director of the Cornea and Refractive Surgery Fellowship Program.

Dr. Aldave has received numerous honors during his career, including: the Alpha Omega Alpha Scholarship Award for graduating first in his medical school class; the Heed Ophthalmic Foundation Fellowship; the American Ophthalmological Society-Knapp Testimonial Fund Fellowship; the first Claes Dohlman Society Award; the Achievement, Secretariat and Senior Achievement Awards from the American Academy of Ophthalmology; the R. Townley Paton Award from the Eye Bank Association of American; and the Asia Cornea Foundation Medal Award.

In addition to his busy clinical practice, Dr. Aldave directs the Corneal Genetics Laboratory at the Stein Eye Institute, which is focused on elucidating the molecular genetic basis of the corneal dystrophies and developing novel gene- and cell-based therapies.  Recognized as a leader in his chosen field of scientific investigation, Dr. Aldave has authored over 170 peer-reviewed scientific publications, given 500 scientific presentations at local, national and international meetings and serves as a scientific reviewer for 20 ophthalmology and genetics journals.

K. DAVID EPLEY, MD
Children’s Eyecare, Inc.

Dr. Epley was born and raised in Salem, Oregon, the oldest of 4 children. He attended Whitman College, where he earned a B.A. in Biology. Following college, he studied medicine at the Oregon Health and Sciences University, where he graduated with an M.D. in 1993. He interned at the Portland Program in Internal Medicine, then studied ophthalmology at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore from 1994-1997. He then completed a fellowship in pediatric ophthalmology at the St. Louis Children’s Hospital/Barnes-Jewish Washington University program in 1998. He was board certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology in 1999, and he recertified in 2019. He is participating in Continuous Certification.

As an ophthalmologist, Dr. Epley has distinguished himself locally, nationally and internationally. He has published in the peer-reviewed scientific literature 40 times, given over 100 lectures to state, national and international scientific meetings, and written 4 book chapters. He completed the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s (AAO) Leadership Development Program in 2005-06. He has been honored with the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS) and AAO Honor (2009, 2010) and Senior Honor (2019, 2021) awards, the Marshall M. Parks Bronze Medal in 2014, and the AAO Secretariat Award in 2016. He presided over AAPOS’ Inaugural International meeting with SNEC in Singapore in 2013. Dr. Epley has served in dozens of leadership positions for the Washington Academy of Eye Physicians and Surgeons (WAEPS), the American Eye Study Club (AESC), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Board of Ophthalmology (ABO) and AAPOS and the AAO. He served as President of WAEPS from 2004-05, AAPOS from 2012-13, the Children’s Eye Foundation from 2014-2018, and the American Eye Study Club from 2021-22. He just finished two 4-year terms as a Director for the American Board of Ophthalmology. He is currently the President of the Children’s Eye Foundation’s Foundation Advisory Board, and long-time Deputy Editor of the American Academy of Ophthalmology/Knights Templar Eye Foundation Pediatric Ophthalmology Education Center.

Jeannette Domask, Risk Manager
Ophthalmic Mutual Insurance Company (OMIC)

Jeannette Domask is a risk professional with over two decades in the field of risk management and medical malpractice litigation. Jeannette brings a wealth of experience to the forefront of healthcare risk management. Currently serving as a Risk Manager of Ophthalmic Mutual Insurance Company, Jeannette is involved in providing guidance and education to physicians to mitigate risks in their practice.  She was recently in a risk management and patient safety role in a hospital and was involved in investigations of events, including facilitating root cause analysis processes to develop action plans to improve patient safety. She began her career in medical malpractice as a claim representative handling litigated cases against physicians.  Jeannette holds a Master of Public Health in Health Services Administration. Additionally, she is a Certified Professional in Healthcare Risk Management (CPHRM).