RETINA CONSULTANTS OF AMERICA - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Retina Specialist & Ocular Immunologist
Dr. Brandon Busbee is a native of Clarksville, Tennessee. After graduating from Clarksville High School, he received his undergraduate and Medical Doctorate at Wake Forest University, graduating magna cum laude. Dr. Busbee completed his ophthalmology residency at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia, PA, during which time he was elected Co-Chief Resident. After residency, Dr. Busbee completed a two-year Vitreoretinal Fellowship at Tufts- New England Eye Center and Ophthalmic Consultants of Boston and held staff appointments and teaching responsibilities at Tufts- New England Eye Center, Mass Eye and Ear Infirmary and Harvard Medical School.
In 2004, Dr. Busbee moved back to the Nashville area and joined Tennessee Retina (formerly Retina-Vitreous Associates). He was honored in 2005, with the Achievement Award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology and graduated from the AAO Leadership Development Program in 2007. Dr. Busbee has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals; his writings and presentations focus on the areas of healthcare policy, endophthalmitis, diabetic eye disease, macular disease and surgery, retinal detachment and anesthetic techniques, including the participation in obtaining the patent for a widely used pharmaceutical topical anesthetic. Dr. Busbee sits on the editorial boards of the journal Retina MD, the ASRS Retinal Image Bank, the ASRS Online, and Current Opinion in Ophthalmology. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Tennessee Academy of Ophthalmology and not only serves as the Chairman of its Health Plans Relations Committee, but also serves on national health policy committees for both the American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS) and the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Dr. Busbee's clinical areas of interest include macular degeneration, diabetic eye disease and retinal detachment surgery.
Dr. Busbee is happily married and has one son. In their spare time, Dr. Busbee and his wife enjoy golf, tennis, water sports, snow skiing and fly fishing. In the warmer Tennessee months, you will often find the Busbee's hiking in the state parks surrounding Nashville.
Dr. Brigid Marshall graduated from the University of Arizona and received her Medical Doctorate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine. She completed an ophthalmology residency at the Casey Eye Institute. Following a two-year Vitreoretinal Surgery Fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis, she was appointed Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at Baylor College of Medicine and served as the Ophthalmologist and Vitreoretinal Surgeon at Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Texas. Dr. Marshall has a particular interest in Optical Science and has been recognized for excellence in the study of optics, research, and clinical care. Dr. Marshall specializes in the surgical and clinical treatment of vitreoretinal diseases and will begin seeing patients in our Nashville, Bowling Green, and Murfreesboro locations on September 1st!
Education
Undergraduate Education
B.S. Optical Sciences and Engineering
University of Arizona
Job Titles:
- Retina Specialist & Ocular Oncologist
Dr. Eric W. Schneider joined Tennessee Retina in 2014, and has a reputation as a superb clinician and excellent communicator who always practices in a patient-focused manner. He completed a two-year Retina Fellowship at Duke University, one of the premier vitreoretinal training programs in the country and the birthplace of modern vitreous surgery. He won multiple research awards during his ophthalmology residency at the University of Michigan and was named Chief Resident in his final year of training.
Dr. Schneider has published over 15 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on a wide-ranging array of medical and surgical retina topics. He has presented his work at major medical conferences, including the American Society of Retina Specialists, ARVO, Retina Society, and Macula Society annual meetings. He was selected as an Ambassador for the American Academy of Ophthalmology's Advocacy program. Dr. Schneider has served as an assistant editor for the journal Retina (Photo Essay section) and is a current reviewer for Retina, Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, and Current Eye Research.
Dr. Schneider's clinical and research interests include medical and surgical treatments of macular disease, complicated retinal detachment, retinal vein occlusion, and diabetic retinopathy. Much of his previous research focuses on diseases of the vitreoretinal interface and novel applications of ophthalmic imaging technology.
Dr. Everton Arrindell is an Honors College graduate of Michigan State University and received his Medical Doctorate from the University of Iowa College of Medicine. He completed an ophthalmology residency at the University of Michigan's W.K. Kellogg Eye Center. Following a two-year Vitreoretinal Fellowship at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, he was appointed Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology and Surgery and served as Chief of the Division of Ophthalmology at Meharry Medical College for eight years. He also held an academic appointment as Assistant Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at Vanderbilt University. Prior to joining Tennessee Retina in 2008, he maintained a solo private retinal practice.
Dr. Arrindell is a nationally recognized retinal surgeon and educator. He is the immediate past Chair of the National Medical Association in Ophthalmology, having previously served a ten year tenure as Chair of the Retina Section. He is widely published in peer-reviewed scientific journals and has received several teaching awards and other honors including the American Association of Ophthalmology Achievement Award. He was appointed to the Scientific Advisory Committee of Prevent Blindness America and is a member the International Association of Ophthalmologists. He has been recognized among America's Top Ophthalmologists since 2008 by the Consumer's Research Council of America.
Dr. Arrindell has served as an Associate Examiner of the American Board of Ophthalmology since 1997. He maintains active membership in a number of professional societies, including the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), the American Society of Retinal Specialists, the National Medical Association, the Tennessee Academy of Ophthalmology, the Tennessee Medical Association, the Nashville Academy of Ophthalmology, and the Nashville Academy of Medicine. He is a graduate of the AAO Leadership Development Program and served on the association's advisory body as an AAO Council Member for six years. He is a Member of the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Academy of Ophthalmology and has served as Chairman of the Ophthalmology Departments at Baptist Hospital and Centennial Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee.
Dr. Arrindell is an active member of several civic organizations. He is past Chairman of the Board of Prevent Blindness Tennessee and was recognized in 2010 as one of Middle Tennessee's Champions in Health as the organization's Volunteer of the Year. He is also a member of the Nashville Downtown Lions Club and the Middle Tennessee Chapter of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) where he has been a Board Member since 1998. He was recognized for his work with the ADA in February 2008 as a recipient of the organization's Distinguished Community Service Award.
Dr. Arrindell's clinical areas of interest and expertise include diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, and surgical management of complex retinal detachments.
Dr. Arrindell enjoys spending time with his family. He is a sports enthusiast, amateur musician (drums) and writer.
Dr. Franco Recchia earned his medical degree from Duke University and completed his residency, including a year as co-chief resident, at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia. He then completed a research fellowship in Retinal Diseases at the University of Pennsylvania and a two-year clinical fellowship in Vitreoretinal Surgery at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan, where he was selected as a Heed Fellow and AOS-Knapp Fellow. Dr. Recchia became a full-time faculty member of the Vanderbilt Eye Institute in 2003, where he served as Chief of the Retina Division and Director of the Fellowship in Vitreoretinal Diseases and Surgery. In January 2012, Dr. Recchia joined Tennessee Retina.
Dr. Recchia is a nationally recognized vitreoretinal specialist and educator. His clinical and research interests include macular surgery, diabetic retinopathy, complicated retinal detachment and pediatric retinal diseases. He has co-authored a book on retinal disease and over 60 book chapters and original articles on a variety of retinal topics. He is a frequent lecturer and has delivered nearly 100 invited presentations to specialists worldwide.
Dr. Recchia has been selected by his peers as one of the "Best Doctors in America" and has held leadership positions in the American Academy of Ophthalmology, Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, and the Nashville Academy of Ophthalmology. He has received Honor and Achievement Awards from the American Society of Retinal Specialists and the American Academy of Ophthalmology and was recognized for excellence in clinical teaching by the Vanderbilt residents. He currently serves as Associate Editor (Retina Section) of the journal Ophthalmology and on the Ophthalmic Technology and Assessment Committee of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
Dr. Peter Sonkin joined Tennessee Retina (formerly Retina-Vitreous Associates) in Nashville, TN in 1998. Dr. Sonkin earned his undergraduate degree in Chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his Medical Degree from Duke University. Dr. Sonkin completed his Ophthalmology residency at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, with extensive ocular trauma experience at Parkland Memorial Hospital. He then completed a two-year fellowship in Vitreoretinal Surgery and Medical Retina at the University of Iowa. Dr. Sonkin has published and presented research in the areas of diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, ocular trauma, AMD genetics, retinal detachment and hereditary retinal disorders. Dr. Sonkin has served as a principal investigator and co-investigator on many national clinical trials, particularly in the areas of macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. Dr. Sonkin has been on national advisory boards related to new treatments for macular degeneration and was the retina representative on the American Academy of Ophthalmology Patient Education Committee. He is an advisory board member for US Retina, MDsupport.org and the genetics company ArticDx. He also serves as the GPO Chair for USRetina, a company that supports and advocates for its 200+ member practices.
Dr. Sonkin is a past President of the Nashville Academy of Ophthalmology and was an Assistant Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at Vanderbilt University from 2004-13, where he won numerous resident teaching awards. Dr. Sonkin is a diplomat of the American Board of Ophthalmology and a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Society of Retinal Specialists.
Dr. Sonkin's clinical interests include retinal imaging, AMD genetics, and surgical, laser, and medical management of macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and other retinal vascular disorders.
Dr. Sonkin enjoys tennis, golf, travel, and quality time with his family when he is not working and is a big fan of the Tennessee Titans, Nashville Predators, and his boys' travel and high school hockey teams.
Dr. Trent Wallace is a native of Knoxville, Tennessee, and as the son of two educators, he desired to be a doctor at an early age. He received his undergraduate degree in Biomedical Engineering from Vanderbilt University. After Vanderbilt, Dr. Wallace attended Emory University Medical School in Atlanta, Georgia and continued there for his residency in ophthalmology. After his residency, he completed a two-year Vitreoretinal Fellowship at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia.
Upon completion of his fellowship in Philadelphia in 1992, Dr. Wallace returned to Nashville as part of a group practice and joined Tennessee Retina in 2008. He is a member of the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Dr. Wallace has a passion for vision. "Vision has such a great impact on the quality of our life. Tennessee Retina offers us a great opportunity to provide state-of-the-art care throughout this region", says Wallace.
His clinical interests include retinal lesions, macular degeneration, diabetic eye disease and retinal detachment surgery.