In the next installment of how to build a business in ophthalmology, Blake Williamson, MD, MPH, and Gary Wörtz, MD, speak with Rupa Wong, MD, about her experience building her personal brand and business through social media. Dr. Wong shares insights into evaluating how to invest in one’s social media marketing efforts and gives advice for creating engaging, authentic content that resonates with a specific target audience. She also shares tips for launching and building a successful private practice and discusses learning experiences, tips for networking, and more ..read more

Blake Williamson, MD, MPH, and Gary Wörtz, MD, continue this season’s theme of how to grow a business and welcome Brent Saunders, chairman and CEO of Bausch + Lomb, to discuss his experiences in ophthalmology. Mr. Saunders touches on how he defines business success, emphasizing the value of having a great mentor and encouraging young ophthalmologists not to shy away from taking risks.  ..read more

In this special live episode, recorded during the YoungMD Connect Live meeting in Austin, Blake Williamson, MD, MPH, and Gary Wörtz, MD, sit down with Shannon Wong, MD, to discuss his leadership philosophy and how he models his practice. Dr. Wong describes challenges he has faced regarding his practice and explains how he overcame them, citing how to learn from mistakes and grow the business by building a team of experts ..read more

Blake Williamson, MD, MPH, and Gary Wörtz, MD, invite friend and mentor James Loden, MD, to the podcast to discuss his experience building his practice and brand. Dr. Loden shares insights for young surgeons by explaining the best decisions to grow his business and potential pitfalls to avoid. The three physicians further discuss how to discover opportunities for expanding a business and determining how it aligns with one’s personal career goals ..read more

Blake Williamson, MD, MPH, begins the first episode of the 2023 season of Ophthalmology off the Grid by bringing back the podfather himself—Gary Wörtz, MD—as co-host. The theme for the 2023 season examines the business side of ophthalmology. Drs. Williamson and Wörtz share insights as practice owners and discuss the key questions one should address when building a brand ..read more

This special episode of Ophthalmology off the Grid was screened during the 2022 MillennialEYE Live meeting in Austin, Texas. Andriy Kovalov, MD, PhD, joined Blake Williamson, MD, MPH, from Kyiv, Ukraine, and discussed how he and his family have supported the civil defense efforts of his home country. Dr. Kovalov, with a 40-year established career in ophthalmology, explains how the Russian invasion has caused hospitals to shift from providing routine patient care to emergency services only. He further discusses ongoing challenges with communication and infrastructure as he cares for ocular trau ..read more

Blake Williamson, MD, MPH, and Darrell E. White, MD, welcome guest Preeya K. Gupta, MD, to discuss the benefits and challenges of running a private practice. Dr. Gupta, who recently became a private practitioner, discusses her decision to leave academia, why she decided to take a leap of faith and bet on herself, and the importance of setting expectations when first starting out in private practice ..read more

Hosts Blake Williamson, MD, MPH, and Gary Wörtz, MD, invite Erik L. Mertens, MD, FEBOphth, and Gregory D. Parkhurst, MD, FACS, to share their experiences with the recently FDA-approved EVO Visian ICL (STAAR Surgical). The surgeons discuss the excitement surrounding this technology, and Drs. Mertens and Parkhurst provide insights into the ideal patient candidates for this procedure and how ophthalmic surgeons can start to incorporate the EVO into their practices ..read more

In this episode of Ophthalmology off the Grid, Blake Williamson, MD, MPH, and Andy Corley welcome two pioneers of phaco—Chuck Williamson, MD, and Jim Little, MD. The quartet discusses the origins of phaco in cataract surgery, the subsequent learning curve within the OR, and how those initial cornerstones compare to today's usage ..read more

 In the latest episode of Ophthalmology off the Grid, Ashley Brissette, MD, MSc, FRCSC, is joined by Ruth Williams, MD, to dispel some of the most common myths in ophthalmology. The pair break down cannabis as glaucoma treatment, blue light filtering glasses, the efficacy of laser vision correction, and how to gracefully dismiss misinformation to patients.  ..read more