Ophthalmology off the Grid by Eyetube

Blake Williamson, MD, MPH, and Gary Wörtz, MD, kick off the latest season of Ophthalmology off the Grid. This season focuses on the subject of ‘Horror Stories,’ where surgeons will highlight their toughest, most complicated surgical cases and how they managed them. In this episode, Drs. Williamson and Wörtz start the discussion by sharing their own uniquely challenging cases. Learn how Dr. William...

Blake Williamson, MD, MPH, and Gary Wörtz, MD, invite Matt Jensen to round out the year of episodes dedicated to building a business and brand in ophthalmology. Jensen shares insights he gained early in his marketing career, highlighting how he adapted to variabilities in different markets and learned to grow the business at home. The trio also discusses the value of having strong, trusted partner...

Cathleen McCabe, MD, joins Blake Williamson, MD, MPH, and Gary Wörtz, MD, to discuss the challenges of moving across the country from an existing practice and referral network and starting in a new state. She shares insights into the dynamics of changing ownership and having a clear outline for the type of practice to join. Drs. McCabe, Williamson, and Wörtz further discuss the pros and cons of di...

Eric D. Donnenfeld, MD, joins this episode to speak with Gary Wörtz, MD, and Blake Williamson, MD, MPH, about his experience building his practice and working with industry. He shares insights into how he grew from a small private practice by constantly adapting to a dynamic specialty. Dr. Donnenfeld stresses the value of resisting stagnation, and he explains why it is crucial to incorporate new t...

Tom Tooma, MD, founder, owner, and medical director for NVISION, joins Gary Wörtz, MD, and Blake Williamson, MD, MPH, to continue this season’s topic of building a business and brand in ophthalmology. Dr. Tooma shares insights into his early days of building his refractive surgery practice, touching on the risks taken and lessons learned over the years. He further shares advice for surgeons to nav...

Marnix Heersink, MD, joins Gary Wörtz, MD, and Blake Williamson, MD, MPH, and shares his experiences and philosophy behind building his business in ophthalmology, philanthropy, and more. Dr. Heersink breaks down his career path, from his first practice to his growth in business ventures beyond medicine. He shares advice for young physicians just getting started in practice, and comments on his out...

Joseph Gira, MD, joins Blake Williamson, MD, MPH, and Gary Wörtz, MD, to share his experience with building and growing a business in ophthalmology. He outlines his career history, commenting on his skills for working and collaborating with other doctors and the benefits of working with optometry as a backbone for success. Dr. Gira also describes his experience working in private equity, sharing p...

Farrell “Toby” Tyson, MD, FACS, joins the podcast to speak with Blake Williamson, MD, MPH, and Gary Wörtz, MD, about the lessons he has learned from expanding his practice. Dr. Tyson shares critical elements to success in expansion, including the value of location visibility, the pros and cons of having an optical shop, and strategies to manage cash flow, drive more revenue, and attract top talent...

In the next installment of how to build a business in ophthalmology, Blake Williamson, MD, MPH, and Gary Wörtz, MD, speak with Rupa Wong, MD, about her experience building her personal brand and business through social media. Dr. Wong shares insights into evaluating how to invest in one’s social media marketing efforts and gives advice for creating engaging, authentic content that resonates with a...

Blake Williamson, MD, MPH, and Gary Wörtz, MD, continue this season’s theme of how to grow a business and welcome Brent Saunders, chairman and CEO of Bausch + Lomb, to discuss his experiences in ophthalmology. Mr. Saunders touches on how he defines business success, emphasizing the value of having a great mentor and encouraging young ophthalmologists not to shy away from taking risks. 

In this special live episode, recorded during the YoungMD Connect Live meeting in Austin, Blake Williamson, MD, MPH, and Gary Wörtz, MD, sit down with Shannon Wong, MD, to discuss his leadership philosophy and how he models his practice. Dr. Wong describes challenges he has faced regarding his practice and explains how he overcame them, citing how to learn from mistakes and grow the business by bu...

Blake Williamson, MD, MPH, and Gary Wörtz, MD, invite friend and mentor James Loden, MD, to the podcast to discuss his experience building his practice and brand. Dr. Loden shares insights for young surgeons by explaining the best decisions to grow his business and potential pitfalls to avoid. The three physicians further discuss how to discover opportunities for expanding a business and determini...

Blake Williamson, MD, MPH, begins the first episode of the 2023 season of Ophthalmology off the Grid by bringing back the podfather himself—Gary Wörtz, MD—as co-host. The theme for the 2023 season examines the business side of ophthalmology. Drs. Williamson and Wörtz share insights as practice owners and discuss the key questions one should address when building a brand.

Blake Williamson, MD, MPH, is joined by Jorawer Singh, MD; Jeffrey Whitman, MD; William Rabourn; and John Blanck to further discuss the intricacies of owning an ambulatory surgery center (ASC). In this episode, Dr. Whitman shares his experience as an ophthalmologist who has found success with an ASC and selling shares to younger partners. Dr. Singh addresses several challenges young ophthalmologis...

In this special collaboration of YoungMD Connect and Survive & Thrive, Blake Williamson, MD, MPH, invited Caroline Watson, MD; Rupa Wong, MD; and financial advisor Victoria Consoles, CFP, EA, to share insights into how to make smart choices with debt and investments in three different career scenarios. Don’t miss the information shared during this workshop and learn answers to real-world questions...

Blake Williamson, MD, MPH, continues the topic from a previous episode about ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). In this episode, Taylor Strange, DO, discusses his career journey from starting a new practice, increasing surgical volume, and eventually building an ASC as a long-term business strategy. Stephen Sheppard, from Medical Consulting Group, shares insights into the most appropriate road map...

Blake Williamson, MD, MPH, sits down with Priyanka Sood, MD; Sahar Bedrood, MD, PhD; Cristos Ifantides, MD; and Brent Kramer, MD, to compare the differences between private practice and an academic setting. Dr. Sood shares her career experience working in both settings and explains why she found academia to be a better fit. Dr. Bedrood discusses how her personal goals more closely aligned with pri...

Blake Williamson, MD, MPH, hosts a new installment of Survive & Thrive with guests Arjan Hura, MD; Usiwoma Abugo, MD; and David Felsted, DO. The panel addresses a key question for surgeons in training and early years of residency: Should you pursue a fellowship? Listen as Drs. Hura, Abugo, and Felsted share their experiences and discuss how they arrived at their decisions based on individual passi...

Blake Williamson, MD, MPH, and cohost Michael Patterson, DO, invite Andrew Maller, MBA, COE, from BSM Consulting, to discuss critical information for young surgeons about the potential to buy into an ambulatory surgery center (ASC). The trio shares insights into the value of being business-minded to maintain a successful practice and address common questions to determine opportunities to find a pa...

Blake Williamson, MD, MPH, hosts another installment of Survive & Thrive with guests Brenton Finklea, MD; Rahul Tonk, MD; Camila Albo, MD; and Mike Zein, MD, to share advice for ophthalmology resident applicants as the match approaches. Drs. Albo and Zein share advice as PGY-1 ophthalmology residents who have recently gone through the match process, commenting on what to look for when researching...

Cohosts Blake Williamson, MD, MPH, and Darrell E. White, MD, invite guest Karl G. Stonecipher, MD, to the podcast to discuss the relationship between his work in ophthalmology and his personal life. The trio of surgeons discusses how to incorporate personal activities into a busy professional schedule and the importance of taking time to focus on family and friends.

Blake Williamson, MD, MPH, hosts another installment of Survive & Thrive with guests John P. Berdahl, MD, and Robert J. Weinstock, MD, to discuss the topic of clinical research in private practice. Drs. Berdahl and Weinstock share pearls and insights for those who have a research interest but are unsure how to get started outside of academia. Listen to learn more about the types of research one ca...

Darrell E. White, MD, joins Blake Williamson, MD, MPH, as cohost for this episode of Ophthalmology off the Grid. They invite Maria C. Scott, MD, and Lisa K. Feulner, MD, PhD, to share unique experiences with their career paths in ophthalmology. The panel discussion touches on how each surgeon balances personal and professional goals and how their individual goals have evolved over the course of th...

This special episode of Ophthalmology off the Grid was screened during the 2022 MillennialEYE Live meeting in Austin, Texas. Andriy Kovalov, MD, PhD, joined Blake Williamson, MD, MPH, from Kyiv, Ukraine, and discussed how he and his family have supported the civil defense efforts of his home country. Dr. Kovalov, with a 40-year established career in ophthalmology, explains how the Russian invasion...

Blake Williamson, MD, MPH, and Darrell E. White, MD, welcome guest Preeya K. Gupta, MD, to discuss the benefits and challenges of running a private practice. Dr. Gupta, who recently became a private practitioner, discusses her decision to leave academia, why she decided to take a leap of faith and bet on herself, and the importance of setting expectations when first starting out in private practic...