Career Plans: Cornea, External Disease, and Refractive Surgery Fellowship at Mass Eye and Ear

Originally from New Jersey and Turkey, Dr. Sila Bal earned her BS in Biological Sciences, summa cum laude, from Drexel University. She went on to earn her MD and MPH simultaneously from the University of Pennsylvania. As a medical student, she worked in the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Department of Ophthalmology under the mentorship of Dr. Gil Binenbaum, where she participated in several projects including an assessment of the effects of weight gain on retinopathy of prematurity and time to resolution of cranial nerve palsies in pediatric patients. She currently serves as the Research Chair for the Partners for Andean Community Health (PACH) Young Professionals Committee, where she designs epidemiological investigations surrounding eye care and barriers to care in rural Andean communities. Dr. Bal has presented her work at a number of conferences, including the Consortium of Universities for Global Health, the World Retinopathy of Prematurity Congress, and the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology Annual Meeting. Her work focuses on reducing disparities in local and global eye care. She has published book chapters and articles in journals such as JAMA Ophthalmology, Ophthalmic Epidemiology, and the Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health. Throughout her academic career, she has received several awards, including the United States Public Health Service Excellence in Public Health Award, the Robert Suskind and Leslie Lewinter-Suskind Excellence in Global Health Award, the Byron S. Hurwitz Prize for most outstanding graduating medical student entering ophthalmology, and the Stuart L. Fine Ophthalmology Medical Student Research Award. Outside of the hospital, she is an avid runner, yogi, kiteboarder, and snowboarder.