WHERE IT ALL BEGAN
I was born and raised in Ukraine and moved to the United States in 2005 during high school. In my early years, I was interested in music and was trained in classical piano. I lived in Los Angeles and attended the University of California, Los Angeles, where I became interested in medicine and majored in physiology. I attended medical school at the University of California, Davis School of Medicine, followed by residency and fellowship at the Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute.
MY PATH TO RETINA
I knew I was going to become a retina specialist a few months into my residency. I found patients with retinal conditions to be the most intellectually stimulating. I enjoyed discussing these cases during retina imaging conferences, where I met Morton F. Goldberg, MD, whose vast knowledge and immeasurable curiousity further inspired me to choose retina as my specialty. I was fascinated by the pathophysiology of retinal diseases and by emerging therapies in our field. I felt that retina was going to boom with exciting new medical and surgical treatments for blinding diseases, and I was excited to be part of that over the course of my career.
SUPPORT ALONG THE WAY
One of my mentors in fellowship was Neil M. Bressler, MD, a dedicated educator and trainee advocate, who always found time, despite his incredibly busy schedule, to discuss patient cases and research projects and provide career and life advice. James T. Handa, MD, was my surgical mentor whom I continue to turn to for advice on tough surgical cases. He also advocated on my behalf and supported me in my personal life. I could not be more grateful for their mentorship and friendship.
Dr. Viruni’s advice: Always have your moral compass aligned, and do what is best for the patient. Be open to learning new or different ways of doing things. Stay in touch with your mentors, and have a group of trusted colleagues you can turn to for advice. Finally, know what you want in your career, but also be flexible enough to embrace new opportunities.
AN EXPERIENCE TO REMEMBER
The most memorable experience of my career was spending a year at the Wilmer Eye Institute following my residency and fellowship training to teach and mentor residents as an assistant chief of service. I shared this role with my co-resident and dear friend, Kapil Mishra, MD. We had an invaluable time teaching residents in the clinic and OR, learning from each other, and taking care of many retinal emergencies and trauma patients. This was a year of incredible professional and personal growth for me, and I hope my residents learned as much from me as I learned from them.
