One To Watch: Ferhina S. Ali, MD, MPH

Please share with us your background.

My parents and three older siblings immigrated to the United States from India, and I was born and raised in New York. Observing my parents repeat their medical training while juggling a busy family life in a new country made a lasting impression and demonstrated how rewarding the field of medicine is. I pursued my undergraduate studies at the University of Rochester through the Rochester Early Medical Scholars Program and completed medical school at Johns Hopkins.

When did you know that you wanted to be a retina specialist?

During my residency at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), I completed a retina rotation at the San Francisco Veterans Affairs. I worked closely with Daniel Schwartz, MD, who was instrumental in guiding and mentoring me as an ophthalmologist and retina specialist. He taught me how to think critically and holistically and impressed upon me the unique privilege and opportunity it is to train to become an ophthalmologist; he also shared with me how innovative and rewarding the field of retina is!

Who are your mentors?

I have been fortunate to have extraordinarily supportive mentors. My journey in ophthalmology was first inspired by my time with David Friedman, MD, PhD, MPH, who encouraged me to “think big” and to be creative with my potential career path. During residency, the rigorous yet warm environment created by the entire UCSF faculty shaped my early experiences in ophthalmology. Eugene de Juan, MD, in particular, continues to have a lasting effect on my personal and professional growth with his ongoing support, guidance, and generosity. During my retina fellowship at Wills Eye Hospital, I had a diverse experience learning from more than 15 exceptional retina mentors (I wish I could list them all here!)—Carl Regillo, MD, Allen Ho, MD, and Julia Haller, MD, to name just a few. Nearly every day I am reminded of and grateful for the breadth and depth of the training I received at Wills and the obvious dedication and discipline that was imparted onto me. Last, but not least, borne out of the Wills fellowship are my “peer mentors”—a group chat of alums who are a sounding board for all things retina and otherwise.

Describe your current position.

I serve on the retina faculty at New York Medical College, a relatively new ophthalmology department, with the rare opportunity to help shape the retina division, resident education, and clinical research. I also take care of patients at Westchester Medical Center, the only level 1 trauma center in the region and a safety net hospital. These practice settings allow me to take care of a diverse range of patients, agnostic of health insurance and background, including complex referrals and trauma cases. With time, I also hope to develop a clinical trials unit at New York Medical College, bringing the latest potential treatments to the patients in this region, who have historically been underserved.

What has been a memorable experience in your career?

After my fellowship, I was recruited by Geoffrey Tabin, MD, to serve as retina faculty and fellowship instructor for the Himalayan Cataract Project’s Retina Fellowship Program. I spent time in Nepal working with Sisay Bekele, MD, who is now one of only a handful of vitreoretinal surgeons in the entire country of Ethiopia. I remain in awe of his persevering journey to become a retina specialist, and his commitment to bringing much-needed specialty care to his patients. I look forward to further developing this fellowship curriculum once travel to these regions is more feasible.

What advice can you offer to individuals who are just now choosing their career paths after finishing fellowship?

Choose a career path that will cement your training through a busy clinical and surgical practice early on. The learning process is ongoing, but once you’ve established credibility and consistency in your patient care and outcomes, you can focus on how you want to shape your career. Career development opportunities can be serendipitous, so it is important to stay openminded and connected. There is no preset prototype of a practicing retina specialist, so think broadly when developing the vision for your career, something I too am working on!