Diversity, equality, and inclusion are core values for the UC San Diego Viterbi Family Department of Ophthalmology and the Shiley Eye Institute. We aim to promote a culture of equality across every segment of our workplace. Empowering all individuals and encouraging diverse representation will enhance our ability to serve our communities in the clinic locally and globally, perform groundbreaking research, and inspire teaching for the next generation of physicians and scientists in vision and eye care.
We are working in conjunction with UC San Diego Health Sciences and School of Medicine as well as the UC San Diego campus to address systemic inequities. As part of this effort, we are engaging in a range of training programs and initiatives. We also have mentorship programs and outreach activities for trainees and staff from traditionally underrepresented groups. We welcome your questions about diversity in the UC San Diego Viterbi Family Department of Ophthalmology at the Shiley Eye Institute, please contact Dr. Sally Baxter (Diversity, Equality & Inclusion Committee Chair) at
s1baxter@health.ucsd.edu.
Minority Ophthalmology Mentoring Program
For many years, the Shiley Eye Institute and Viterbi Family Department of Ophthalmology have supported the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) Minority Ophthalmology Mentoring Program, which provides a dynamic mentoring program for underrepresented in medicine (URiM) students, including one-on-one mentorship, guidance in medical career planning, networking opportunities, and access to educational resources. Several of our faculty members have also volunteered to be mentors in the program.
Medical Student Research Opportunities
The Shiley Eye Institute and Viterbi Family Department of Ophthalmology also supports diverse medical students interested in vision science and ophthalmology research through the UCSD MSTAR program. This is a fully-funded summer research experience for medical students between their first and second years of training. We have a wide array of ophthalmology faculty who serve as research mentors for this program. Students from traditionally underrepresented groups are especially encouraged to apply.
Meet our Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion Committee at Shiley:
Sally L. Baxter, MD, MSc, Assistant Professor
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Don O. Kikkawa, MD, FACS, Professor
|  Todd Coleman, PhD Professor
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 Henry A. Ferreyra, MD Professor
|  Aida Haile, COT Clinical Supervisor
|  Darren K. Knight, MD Retina Fellow
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Daniel J. Ozzello, MD Oculoplastics Fellow
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 Kaileen Yeh, MD Chief Resident
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 Adeleh Yarmohammadi, MD Chief Resident
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Medi Eslani, MD Resident
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Linda M. Zangwill, PhD Professor
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