RETINA CONSULTANTS OF AMERICA - Key Persons
Dr. Castellarin graduated first in his class from the University of Verona School of Medicine in Verona, Italy. Following his ophthalmology training, he completed an ophthalmology residency summa cum laude and then became an instructor of ophthalmology at the Verona School of Medicine. In addition to working in a clinical practice, Dr. Castellarin was a primary investigator in the Verona Diabetes Study.
After several years of research and teaching in Italy, Dr. Castellarin moved to the United States where he completed a general surgery internship at St. Barnabas Medical Center. Then, during an additional ophthalmology residency at the University of Medicine and Dentistry in Newark , New Jersey, Dr. Castellarin was chosen to be chief resident. He was also presented with the Alfonse Cinotti Award in recognition of his academic and professional excellence as an ophthalmology resident. Dr. Castellarin received his vitreoretinal fellowship training at Emory University with pioneer surgeon, Dr. Thomas Aaberg.
He was awarded the prestigious Ronald M. Michels Fellowship Award for his contributions to the vitreoretinal field, and he was offered the chairmanship of the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Bologna, Italy. He is a diplomate of the American Board of Ophthalmology, a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, and the American Society of Retina Specialists. He has been the principal investigator for numerous national clinical trials, and he was rated among America's Top Ophthalmologists.
Dr. Daniel Learned is a central coast native who grew up in Paso Robles. After completing high school in Paso Robles, he received his Bachelor's Degree from UC Irvine, followed by his medical degree from Michigan State University. Dr. Learned continued his training in Michigan and completed his ophthalmology residency at Beaumont Hospital. There he worked with some of the top retina specialist in the world, sparking his interest in retinal disease and surgery. At Beaumont, Dr. Learned was elected Chief Resident in his final year and published in top retina journals. Following his residency training Dr. Learned was accepted to Harvard's Massachusetts Eye and Ear infirmary and trained with world famous retinal surgeon where he was elected chief fellow.
Dr. Dilsher S. Dhoot was raised in California and received his undergraduate degree with Honors from the University of California, Berkeley. He went on to complete his medical degree at Oregon Health Science University in Portland, Oregon. Dr. Dhoot remained in Portland for his residency training in ophthalmology at the renowned Casey Eye Institute. After completing his residency, Dr. Dhoot pursued fellowship training in vitreoretinal surgery at the Cleveland Clinic, Cole Eye Institute. The Cleveland Clinic is a global leader in medical innovation and care and is consistently ranked as one of the top hospitals and ophthalmology programs in the world.
Dr. Dhoot has been honored with several awards during his career including the Honor Award from the American Society of Retina Specialists and the American Academy of Ophthalmology Achievement Award. Dr. Dhoot has presented his research and lectured at national and international conferences. He has also published numerous book chapters and research articles in several journals including Ophthalmology, the British Journal of Ophthalmology, Retina, Eye, and Ophthalmic Surgery, Lasers & Imaging. He currently serves as a section editor for the Retina Times and is also a peer reviewer for several journals. Dr Dhoot is actively involved in the education of vitreoretinal fellows in his role as an Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at the Keck School of Medicine, USC.
Dr. Dhoot has been involved in clinical research for many years. Recently, he has been an investigator in clinical research trials for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration, retinal vein occlusion, and diabetic retinopathy. Dr. Dhoot is a Board Certified Ophthalmologist and is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, and the American Society of Retina Specialists. He has also been selected as a member of both the prestigious Retina Society and Macula Society.
Dr. Dong Yang was born in Henan, China and grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee. She attended Brooklyn Technical High School in New York. She majored in biochemistry at the University of Florida and continued her medical school education there.After her internship at Presbyterian St. Luke's Hospital in Denver, Colorado, she completed ophthalmology residency at Jules Stein Eye Institute at the University of California Los Angeles. She trained in vitreoretinal surgery at Harvard's Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary (MEEI). After fellowship training, she stayed in Boston as an attending at Harvard Vanguard/Atrius health and was a clinical instructor at MEEI. She previously held a full-time academic position at the University of Washington where she was active in clinical trials and the training of residents and fellows.
Dr. Steinle received his undergraduate and medical training in his home state of South Dakota, where he was named the class valedictorian and graduated with summa cum laude honors. After completing his ophthalmology residency at the University of Kentucky, he had the fortune of completing his surgical vitreoretinal fellowship at the renowned Cleveland Clinic, which is widely regarded as a top institutions in all of medicine.
Dr. Steinle has received numerous accolades including the honor of being named Chief Resident and earning the prestigious Wirtschafter Award recognizing the finest resident teacher. During his fellowship, he was also named the best teacher at the Cleveland Clinic. Further accolades include a Senior ASRS Honors Award for his scientific contributions, as well as an International Best of ARVO Award for his research. He is also an elected member of the renowned Retina Society. He has published numerous book chapters and research articles. Dr. Steinle serves on several global steering committees and is a principal investigator in a number of research trials including novel therapies for AMD and diabetes.
Dr. Bagheri was born and raised in Southern California. She received a full scholarship to attend the UC Irvine, where she graduated with honors with a bachelor's degree in neuroscience. She then attended the prestigious Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University with the support of a full-tuition scholarship.
During her medical studies, she was awarded a grant from Research to Prevent Blindness to perform basic science research in AMD and to present her findings at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology meeting. Dr. Bagheri completed ophthalmology residency at the world-famous Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia, where she served as an editor for the best-selling ophthalmology reference, The Wills Eye Manual. She trained in vitreoretinal surgery at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, ranked number one in the country for over a decade.
She has published in top ophthalmology peer-reviewed journals, including JAMA Ophthalmology, the American Journal of Ophthalmology, and Retina. In addition to presenting at professional societies, Dr. Bagheri has also traveled to rural areas in Peru and Haiti to offer medical attention to underserved populations. She is delighted to return home and eager to provide world-class care to her community.
Job Titles:
- CEO
- Founder
- Co - Editor of Retina Today
- Retina Specialist
Robert L. Avery, MD is the founder and CEO of California Retina Consultants, Santa Barbara CA. He received his medical degree from Johns Hopkins University and took his ophthalmology training there at the Wilmer Eye Institute. He completed a vitreoretinal fellowship at Duke University under Dr. Robert Machemer, the father of modern vitreous surgery. Dr. Avery returned to Johns Hopkins as Assistant Chief of Service and head of the trauma unit. He later went on to found California Retina Consultants, which grew into one of the largest retina practices in California, and recently merged with several other national practices to form Retina Consultants of America. During the growth and expansion of CRC, Dr. Avery continued clinical and basic science research, especially in the field of angiogenesis and VEGF. He and his colleges at CRC had a role in pioneering the clinical use of anti-VEGF agents for retinal diseases. He co-founded the California Retina Research Foundation, which currently has over 30 active clinical research trials ongoing.
Dr. Avery has received numerous honors and awards, including Senior honor awards from the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Society of Retina Specialists, where he served on the board of directors. He was the first recipient of the Ronald G. Michels Fellowship Award. He is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the Retina Society, the Macula Society, the American Society of Retinal Specialists, the Vit-Buckle Society, and the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology. He is a member of the Medical Leadership Board of Retina Consultants of America.
Dr. Avery is the co-editor of Retina Today, and he has published roughly 100 peer-reviewed articles or book chapters on retinal diseases. His interests include the development of improved retinal drugs and their delivery, and he holds patents in retinal drug delivery. He lectures nationally and internationally and consults for dozens of pharmaceutical companies. He is a partner in two ophthalmology venture capital companies, and he is on the board of several start-up companies developing ocular drugs and improving their delivery.
Dr. Couvillion received his medical degree from Tulane University. After medical school he completed his residency training in Ophthalmology at the prestigious Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, repeatedly ranked as the top eye hospital in the nation. There he was involved with the initial clinical application of Avastin for the treatment of age related macular degeneration.
Dr. Couvillion then completed his vitreoretinal fellowship at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. Modern vitreoretinal surgery was invented and first performed at this institution in 1970. Upon completion of his retina fellowship, Dr. Couvillion accepted a faculty position at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute where he served as Chief Resident and Co-Director of Ocular Trauma. In doing so he helped train both ophthalmology residents and vitreoretinal fellows in the latest therapeutic techniques.
Dr. Couvillion is a Board Certified ophthalmologist and a member of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology and the American Academy of Ophthalmology. He has been an investigator in numerous trials for the treatment of macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. Results of his research have been published in Archives of Ophthalmology, Journal of Pediatric Ophthalmology & Strabismus, Ophthalmic Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery and Ophthalmic Surgery, Lasers & Imaging.
Dr. Couvillion has special interest in macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, vascular diseases of the retina, retinal detachment, ocular trauma, complications of anterior segment surgery and vitreoretinal interface abnormalities, such as epiretinal membrane and macular hole.