Three talented vitreoretinal surgery fellows at Mass Eye and Ear were recognized with the following awards and fellowships. The 2022 retina awards and fellowships will be announced in October.
Madden Fellowship in Retina
Cassie Ludwig, MD, is the recipient of the 2021 Thomas J. Madden Fellowship in Retina. This fellowship was created to support a clinical or research fellow, while honoring the legacy of Thomas J. Madden, who passed away in 2015. Mr. Madden played an instrumental role in securing the successful outcome of patent-related litigation resulting in the landmark $126M judgment for Mass Eye and Ear against QLT, Inc. and Novartis in 2009.
Throughout her fellowship training, Dr. Ludwig was lauded for her skills as a wonderful teacher and clinician. She developed an interest in treating patients with the challenging retinal condition high myopia, and Dr. Ludwig plans to continue to treat patients with this complex condition in her new role at the Department of Ophthalmology at Byers Eye Institute.
Brockhurst Academic Development Award
Frances Wu, MD, is the recipient of the 2021 Robert Brockhurst Academic Development Award. This award provides essential support to clinical or research retina fellows by enabling them to attend and present at national conferences. This award was created to honor the legacy of Robert J. Brockhurst, MD, an Associate Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School and dedicated teacher who passed away in 2010.
Dr. Wu was described by her colleagues and teachers as a highly skilled and well-rounded surgeon who is excellent with her patients. She will join the Retina and Ocular Oncology Services at Mass Eye and Ear as a full-time faculty member in September.
Excellence in Patient Care Award
Retinal fellow Marlene Wang, MD, received the 2021 Retina Patient Care Award. This accolade is only given when retina faculty determine that a fellow’s performance warrants this special recognition.
Members of the Retina service shared that Dr. Wang was an unflappable clinician who thrived working with patients in a busy clinic setting and excelled at managing complex surgical cases. Dr. Wang will transition to a private practice setting as a vitreoretinal surgeon at New Jersey Retina.