Illinois Medicine

I L L I N O I S M E D I C I N E | 23 Endowed Chair in Ocular Research and head of the department. Among the department's many shining examples of innovation is the work of Jennifer Lim, MD, Marion Schenk, Esq. Chair for Research in the Aging Eye, on the Argus II ® retinal prosthesis system. The Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary is one of only 13 centers in the world to implant this device. Also known as the "bionic eye" trial, it gives some sight back to patients blind from retinitis pigmentosa. (See story on p. 7.) Another translational research project undertaken by Sandeep Jain, MD is making a difference for patients with a severe form of dry eye that develops in more than 50 percent of blood cancer patients who have been treated with bone marrow transplants. The dry eye, termed ocular graft-versus-host-disease, causes severe light sensitivity, gritti- ness, pain and soreness of the eye, negatively impacting these patients' quality of life since they are unable to drive or work on a computer comfortably. Jain's translational biology laboratory was the first to show that neutrophil extracellular traps, web-like structures comprised of DNA and inflammatory molecules, are present in great abundance on the surface of the eye in these patients. Jain found that DNase, an enzyme present in tears of healthy subjects, dissolves this inflammatory material and removes it from the eye surface. He holds the patent for DNase eye drop use and is currently using it in a clinical trial to treat patients with severe dry eye. Ophthalmology is also innovative in its approach to educating residents. The newly created Cless Family Ophthalmic Surgical Training and Simulation Center allows ophthalmology residents, fellows and surgeons to perfect their techniques in a simulated surgical setting. The lab includes nine surgical simulation stations, each with two surgical microscopes that look down on an operating field. All the tools used in the so-called "wet lab" are exactly the same as those the surgeon will use in the operating room; and video projected from the microscopes can be shared, even with physicians in other countries. The ophthalmology department has a long history of global out- reach. For example, Marilyn Miller '56, MD '59, has dedicated her life to international ophthalmology, especially in educational activities in a number of developing countries in Asia, South America and Africa. "Dr. Miller is viewed as the mother of pediatric ophthalmology in Nigeria," says Paul Chan, MD, FACS, who has joined Miller in impact- ing countless lives worldwide. "We work with our international partners in 10 countries on research, clinical and education efforts." A task force headed by Miller is working to target retinopathy of prematurity, a potentially blinding disease caused by abnormal devel- opment of retinal blood vessels in premature infants. "Working with nonprofits to set up training programs using telemedicine and imaging technology, our goal is to educate doctors abroad so that they learn how to recognize this disease and treat it appropriately. It's just one way we are working to prevent blindness globally," says Chan. Orthopaedic surgery: The power of diversity and integration ON THE CUSP OF A CLINICAL FIRST in the Chicago area, the department of orthopaedics has shaped an innovative residency program that focuses on mirroring Chicago's diversity. For Mark Gonzalez, MD, PhD, the Riad Barmada, MD Professor and department head, the pursuit of departmental diversity is personal. The son of O P H T H A L M O L O G Y S A N D E E P J A I N , M D M A R I LY N M I L L E R '5 6 , M D '5 9 PAUL CHA N, MD, FACS J E N N I F E R L I M , M D

• Cover