Dennis Akrobetu, MD, a PGY-2 resident, is one of four people accepted into the 2023 Mentoring URiM Rising Stars in Cornea (MuST) award program. This national award program helps residents from underrepresented in medicine backgrounds who are interested in cornea gain exposure to the latest innovations in the field and provides important networking opportunities with leading cornea specialists. As part of his award, Dr. Akrobetu will travel to San Francisco for the Cornea and Eye Banking Forum and the American Academy of Ophthalmology's Cornea Subspecialty day.
Dr. Akrobetu earned his MD from Duke University School of Medicine. During that time, he was selected as a Duke Margolis Healthcare Policy Scholar and spent a year as a Medical Student Research Fellow for the National Institutes of Health. His research has been published in several journals including JAMA Ophthalmology, Ophthalmology Science, RETINA, and Journal of Glaucoma.
Dr. Akrobetu was also recently selected for the Program In Lasting Leadership and Academic Representation (PILLAR) Conference. Established by the National Medical Association’s Rabb-Venable Excellence in Ophthalmology Program and Byers Eye Institute at Stanford University, this intensive mentorship conference helps guide ophthalmology residents underrepresented in medicine on the different career pathways within academic ophthalmology and how to make the most of residency to successfully navigate into fellowship and academic careers.