These five incredible young people have spent the past three years as residents at Wilmer, learning and developing their skills and talents. Now, as they prepare for the next chapter in their careers, we asked them to share with us what they learned, where they’re headed and the lessons they’ll take with them when they go.
Meleha Ahmad
What is something you learned at Wilmer?
I learned pretty much everything I know about ophthalmology at Wilmer, and I consider that to be a lot! One thing I learned in particular is to keep asking questions, and that there usually isn’t just one right answer to a question – that’s what makes medicine the least boring profession there is.
What most impressed you about Wilmer?
What impressed me most is how friendly and approachable all the faculty are despite being so high up in their field (or even world-famous). I was shocked when I first arrived and some of them knew my name and details about me before I even knew them!
What was your best experience at Wilmer?
It hasn’t always been easy, but my best and most rewarding experience at Wilmer has been taking care of patients in the ED and resident clinic. There is no feeling like being the #1 person who restored someone’s sight or helped them recover from an injury. Making a fool of myself (and being commended by the faculty for it) while singing and dancing during the Wilmer Residency skit wasn’t bad either.
What’s next for you?
In a few weeks I will be headed with my husband to San Francisco to start my fellowship in oculoplastics. While things are a bit hectic right now, I feel excited and well-prepared to take on this new challenge.
What will you miss about Wilmer?
I will miss being part of such a happy and productive community, where everyone from the department heads to the techs, engineers and cleaning personnel are dedicated to taking care of patients with eye problems and learning from each other with kindness, curiosity and grace.
Ishrat Ahmed
What is something you learned at Wilmer?
The list is long, but one of the most important things I will take away from our training at Wilmer is the emphasis on patient care.
What most impressed you about Wilmer?
I was most impressed by the Wilmer faculty, who are not only world-renowned clinicians, surgeons and scientists, but also wonderful educators and mentors.
What was your best experience at Wilmer?
Learning from the Wilmer faculty and from our amazing ACSs in the clinic and operating room, and also seeing the impact on our patients’ vision and quality of life, have been some of the best experiences at Wilmer.
What’s next for you?
I will be starting my vitreoretinal surgery fellowship at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary.
What will you miss about Wilmer?
I will miss the people at Wilmer: the attendings, fellows and residents, staff and patients. I really enjoyed learning from everyone at Wilmer and am thankful to have had the opportunity to train here.
Karun Arora
What is something you learned at Wilmer?
Wilmer has not only provided me with the core fundamental ophthalmic knowledge and skills that I can build on throughout my career, but has also instilled in me the desire to challenge the status quo to improve the field in a meaningful way.
What most impressed you about Wilmer?
I am always pleasantly surprised by how dedicated the world-renowned clinicians and scientists at Wilmer are to training residents. They not only share their knowledge and wisdom, but also their approach and thought processes. Moreover, they take a keen interest in the residents' well-being.
What was your best experience at Wilmer?
My best experience has been finding not just one, but several mentors who have guided and supported me beyond what I could have hoped or asked for during my time at Wilmer. My interactions with my mentors have been the highlight of my time at Wilmer, and I consider myself very fortunate to be able to continue to seek guidance from these mentors throughout my career.
What’s next for you?
I will be pursuing a glaucoma fellowship at Duke University starting in July 2021.
What will you miss about Wilmer?
I will miss the friendships with the other residents, faculty and staff that have made me feel like a part of the Wilmer family.
Pujan Dave
What is something you learned at Wilmer?
I learned to never accept the status quo and to always think critically about how something (whether it is a medical treatment, surgery, or a system) could be improved.
What most impressed you about Wilmer?
I was most impressed by the breadth of faculty across all ophthalmic subspecialties, and their dedication to mentorship and education. We are extremely fortunate to learn directly from these inspiring faculty members throughout our residency – whether staffing patients, attending grand rounds or just talking in the hallway.
What was your best experience at Wilmer?
My two best clinical experiences at Wilmer were primary call as a first-year resident and my surgical experience in complex anterior segment and cataract surgery in my third year. The acuity and depth of pathology we encounter on call for JHH is a phenomenal learning experience that teaches us the many ways eyes can be sick. I am beyond grateful to Dr. Woreta, our program director, for her dedication to surgical teaching and for safely guiding us through any and all complex anterior segment cases in our third year.
What’s next for you?
I’ll be staying at Wilmer for my glaucoma fellowship!
What will you miss about Wilmer?
I feel fortunate that I’ll be here for my fellowship! I will miss the weekly Professor’s Rounds with our chairman, Dr. McDonnell, and spending time with other residents in our resident lounge in GES/PACE.
Jacob Light
What is something you learned at Wilmer?
Through the Wilmer experience – of graduated autonomy in patient care, exposure to the most complex medical and surgical ophthalmic pathologies, rigorous didactic and research activities and a collaborative care team – I have become a confident ophthalmologist.
What most impressed you about Wilmer?
I was most impressed by the incredible amount of ophthalmic knowledge that has been generated through the years within this institution's walls. I have gotten to learn from the best of the best and bump elbows with giants in the field.
What was your best experience at Wilmer?
Following a patient I met in the ED during first-year call, addressing acute and chronic issues in her care over three years, and ultimately building such a strong relationship of trust that she insisted I be the one to perform cataract surgery on both her eyes. This was supremely rewarding both as a clinician and as a person.
What’s next for you?
I will do a vitreoretinal fellowship at the Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia, PA, for two years, then return to Wilmer as ACS in 2023.
What will you miss about Wilmer?
The amazing clinical and surgical teaching faculty, who have pushed me to think deeply and comprehensively about each and every patient and clinical problem I encounter.