Faculty and Staff Recognized for Contributions to Mass Eye and Ear and Mass General Brigham

April 7, 2022

Several ophthalmology faculty and staff will be honored with Mass General Brigham Pillars in Excellence (PIE) Awards for their contributions to both Mass Eye and Ear and the Mass General Brigham system. As part of this annual, system-wide employee recognition program, members of each organization nominated individual employees or teams of employees to be recognized for going above and beyond in their daily work.

Optimizing Collaboration

  • Thomas Keane, Chief Ophthalmic Technologist, Mass Eye and Ear

Fostering Community

  • Lotfi Merabet, OD, PhD, MPH, Associate Scientist, Schepens Eye Research Institute of Mass Eye and Ear; Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, HMS

Commitment to an Exceptional Patient Experience

  • Sandra Wilkening, Ophthalmology Practice Manager and Lead Ophthalmic Technician, Mass Eye and Ear

Advancing Innovation & Progress

  • Nerea Zabaleta Lasarte, PhD, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Vandenberghe Laboratory, Mass Eye and Ear

Integrating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Team Leader

Team Members

  • James Chodosh, MD, MPH, Associate Director, Cornea and Refractive Surgery Service and Associate Chief of Ophthalmology Education, Mass Eye and Ear; Edith Ives Cogan Professor of Ophthalmology, HMS
  • Alice Lorch, MD, MPH, Associate Chief for Quality for the Department of Ophthalmology, Mass Eye, and Ear; Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology and Director of Ophthalmology Residency Training Program, HMS
  • Ankoor Shah, MD, PhD, Member of the Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus Service; Director, Ophthalmic Medical Student Education, HMS
  • Aisha Traish, MD, Member of the Comprehensive Ophthalmology and Cornea and Refractive Surgery Services, Mass Eye and Ear; Assistant Professor of Ophthalmolmolgy and Associate Director, Ophthalmology Residency Training Program, HMS

Advancing Innovation & Progress (Mass General Brigham system award)

Team Leader

  • Nerea Zabaleta Lasarte, PhD, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Vandenberghe Laboratory, Mass Eye and Ear

Team Members

  • Urja Bhatt, Research Technologist, Vandenberghe Laboratory, Mass Eye and Ear
  • Ruchi Chauhan, PhD, Associate Director, Vandenberghe Laboratory, Mass Eye and Ear
  • Cheikh Diop, Research Technologist, Vandenberghe Laboratory, Mass Eye and Ear
  • Erin Duggan Lynch, Senior Director of Communications and External Relations, Mass Eye and Ear
  • Reynette Estelien, Research Technologist, Vandenberghe Laboratory, Mass Eye and Ear
  • Erin Hennessey, Senior Research Technologist, Vandenberghe Laboratory, Mass Eye and Ear
  • Ryan Jaslow, Senior Manager of Public Relations, Mass Eye and Ear
  • Jackson W. Lau, Lab Manager, Vandenberghe Laboratory, Mass Eye and Ear
  • Dan Li, Research Assistant, Vandenberghe Laboratory, Mass Eye and Ear
  • Melissa Paul, Chief Development Officer, Mass Eye and Ear
  • Aisling Ryan, Operations Manager, Vandenberghe Laboratory, Mass Eye and Ear
  • Julio Sanmiguel, Senior Research Technologist, Vandenberghe Laboratory, Mass Eye and Ear
  • Suelen Scarpa de Mello, PhD, Research Fellow, Vandenberghe Laboratory, Mass Eye and Ear
  • Jennifer Street, Vice President, External Communications, Mass General Brigham