AT A GLANCE

  • The keynote lecture at the Retina Fellows Forum was delivered by Baruch Kuppermann, MD, PhD.
  • Dr. Kuppermann, responsible for shaping much of retina as we know it today, used his life story to advise second-year fellows to follow their passions and remain open to all the opportunities life presents.
  • His experience as an early researcher in cytomegalovirus retinitis therapy opened a number of professional doors.

In January at the Retina Fellows Forum, Baruch Kuppermann, MD, PhD, told the audience of second-year retina fellows about his journey into and through retina. The retina landscape has been shaped by a handful of influential researchers and clinicians, Dr. Kuppermann among them. It was a privilege to join my peers at the Fellows Forum and to hear Dr. Kuppermann share details from his life.

It is difficult to communicate the inspiration one feels after hearing a leader from our field speak humbly and candidly about his journey. I hope I am able to do so here.

—David Xu, MD

Dr. Kuppermann began his talk by briefly describing his childhood. He idolized his father, a chemist, and decided to initially study biophysics and pursue an academic career. Dr. Kuppermann received his PhD in neuroscience studying synaptic plasticity at the California Institute of Technology in 1983. This led him to a career in visual sciences. He earned his medical degree from the University of Miami in 1985.

Although academics were always important to him, Dr. Kuppermann “enjoyed the process, not the product” of his academic career. “This led to my career as a retina specialist—without realizing it at the time,” he told the audience. This mantra led him on a journey with, in his words, serendipitous encounters, that allowed him to forge rewarding collaborations in drug delivery and medical device research.

THERE AND BACK AGAIN

After completing his undergraduate work, Dr. Kuppermann joined his father in Israel and then Brazil, where he reconnected with his Brazilian heritage. He still keeps in touch with friends he made during those trips and maintains a close connection with several.

“One of my friends from Brazil spent a week with me and my family over the holidays,” he said.

Dr. Kuppermann traveled frequently during his academic training, a trait he learned from his father. He took time off between graduate school and medical school, as well as during intern year and residency, which were formative years for his early career.

Taking a job at UC Irvine was an easy decision for Dr. Kuppermann—it came down to family. During his time abroad, he had limited communication with his family, so after training he returned to Southern California to be close to his parents, who lived in Pasadena. This way, his children could see their grandparents on a regular basis.

“To be close to family was a nice thing,” he said. “It was my main motivating factor for returning home.”

EARLY COLLABORATIONS

Dr. Kuppermann recounted his first year as an ophthalmology resident at USC, which coincided with the start of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

“There was this group of young men who were exactly my age, with all the same interests in music, art, literature, as I had,” Dr. Kuppermann recalled, “Except they were HIV positive and I wasn’t. They were dying and going blind, and I was there to try to help them.”

Dr. Kuppermann’s tenure at UC Irvine took place at the height of the AIDS crisis. When Dr. Kuppermann arrived in 1992, most retina specialists had little collaborative experience with pharmaceutical companies. However, one area of crossover emerged: AIDS and cytomegalovirus retinitis. Dr. Kuppermann’s collaboration with industry allowed him to serve as an investigator for clinical trials earlier than some of his colleagues may have.

His time as an investigator was not spent entirely in the lab. His work in the clinic left a lasting impression. Dr. Kuppermann described the experience of treating AIDS patients in their final year of life as “a powerful reminder of how important vision is to our patients.”

Drawing from his experience with industry, Dr. Kuppermann eventually developed his own ideas regarding drug delivery. He collaborated with Allergan on an intraocular implant, that has since evolved into the intravitreal dexamethasone implant (Ozurdex, Allergan).

FOLLOW YOUR HEART

Dr. Kuppermann concluded his talk with a simple piece of advice: Follow your heart and follow your passions.

Traveling gave Dr. Kuppermann experiences he wouldn’t otherwise have encountered. He stayed open to new ideas and opportunities. All of these were important in shaping who he would become as a scientist.

“Although there are uncertainties in life and in your career, we are so lucky, in the scope of life and time, that we’re alive here now in this amazing world,” he concluded.

DON’T MISS OUT ON THE 21ST ANNUAL RETINA FELLOWS FORUM

The 21st Annual Retina Fellows Forum may change shape during the pandemic, but the tradition continues.

All second-year vitreoretinal fellows are invited to join their colleagues and the course director, Tarek Hassan, MD, and co-directors Carl C. Awh, MD, and David R. Chow, MD, to discuss the medical and surgical situations frequently encountered in clinical practice and to gain practice management pearls and career advice in an open and professional environment.

— Tarek Hassan, MD

Fellows

Stick with MedConfs.com for details about the date and format of the 21st Annual Retina Fellows Forum.

Attendings

Help your fellows budget time so that they, too, can be part of this rite of passage in retina.