Retina Today: When did you first know that you wanted to become a retina specialist?
My father is a retina specialist, and when I had the opportunity to see him at work, I was insantly mesmerized—at the age of 10. Although I didn’t quite grasp the concept of ophthalmology at the time, his fervor and enthusiam for the retina were magnetic.
As I grew, I started to better understand the intracies of his job, and I was inspired to make it my own reality.
One of the greatest gifts my father gave to me was the idea that I could have a career that I loved enough that it didn’t feel like work. His passion for retina has always been so palpable that it was natural for it to feel like home for me.
RT: Who do you look to as mentors in the field?
At the Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary, I have access to some of the best retina mentors. Jennifer I. Lim, MD, and William F. Mieler, MD, have helped to shape the retina physician I am.
In addition, Keith Carter, MD, past AAO president and the deparment chair at the University of Iowa, helped to ignite my own passion for mentoring. With his support throughout my residency, I became involved in programs that foster relationships with underrepresented trainees interested in ophthalmology. I still turn to him for guidance and consider him a life-long mentor and friend.
RT: What has been one of the most memorable experiences of your fellowship thus far?
Within the first 3 months of fellowship, I had three on-call overnight vitrectomies with RV Paul Chan, MD, MSc, MBA. I was nervous and tired, but his calm demeanor put me at ease, and all the patients did well. It’s times like those that I know I picked the right job because I wouldn’t have traded that experience for anything.
RT: What are you hoping to accomplish once you are in practice?
In addition to a strong clinical/surgical practice, I would like to maintain my presence in various subspecialty programs. I find it rewarding to pay it forward by recruiting and encouraging the next generation of retina specialists. I hope that my legacy will be about advocacy—not just for medical trainees, but also patients and ophthalmology community physicans. And it may be a long shot, but it might be nice to be AAO president one day.
FIRST CAREER MILESTONE
Dr. Warren is now an assistant professor and vice chair of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, in the Medicine and Biological Sciences Division at the University of Chicago.
RT: What advice can you offer to residents who are considering retina?
Many are turned off by the hectic schedule and unpredictable pathologies. Some of that is true, but the beauty of retina is that there is more than one way to do things. We have many tools that allow us to practice however we want. What’s most important is picking a specialty where you will feel fulfilled, excited, and challenged. Life is what you make of it, and we all want to see you do retina your way.
