R.V. Paul Chan, MD, MBA

R.V. Paul Chan, MD is Professor and Head of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary, University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). He is the Co-Director of the Vitreoretinal Fellowship and serves as Director of the Pediatric Retina and Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) Service. His clinical practice focuses on vitreoretinal surgery, with an expertise in pediatric retinal disease. Dr. Chan received his BA from the University of Pennsylvania and MD from the Temple University School of Medicine. After completing Ophthalmology residency at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell Medical College, he went on to a Fellowship in Vitreoretinal Surgery at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Chan spent nine years on faculty at Weill Cornell Medical College, as Director of the Retina Service and Vitreoretinal Fellowship, before moving to UIC in 2015.

Dr. Chan is committed to global health initiatives with a focus on both surgical training and education for the diagnosis and management of adult and pediatric retinal disease. Dr. Chan’s primary research interests focus on utilizing new technology and imaging techniques to better evaluate and manage pediatric retinal disease. He receives grant funding from the NIH as well as a number of charitable foundations. He is a core team member of the Imaging and Informatics for ROP (i-ROP) consortium and leads the Global Education Network for ROP (GEN-ROP), which is an international collaboration of investigators with expertise in neonatology, ophthalmology, biomedical informatics, international health, and medical education. Together, they are implementing tele-education programs aimed at addressing the growing global burden of ROP and have established clinical, teaching, and research collaborations in Asia, Latin America, and Africa. Dr. Chan also serves as a consultant for both Orbis International and Helen Keller International (HKI), and sits on the Board of Trustees for HKI.

Dr. Chan is Executive Editor of the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s (AAO) Global Ophthalmology (GO) Guide, is an assistant editor for the journal, Retina, and is on the editorial board for the Journal of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, the Asia-Pacific Journal of Ophthalmology, the Journal of VitreoRetinal Diseases, Retina Today, New Retina MD, and Ocular Surgery News. He is an active member in a number of major ophthalmic societies, including the American Eye Study Club, the American Ophthalmological Society, the Club Jules Gonin, the Retina Society, the Macula Society, the Vit-Bukle Society, the Association of Pediatric Retina Surgeons, and the American Society of Retina Specialists. Dr. Chan is also an honorary member of the Thai Retina Society. He serves on the Global ONE Advisory Board and the Ethics Committee for the AAO. He is also on the Executive Committee for the Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology (PAAO). Dr. Chan has won numerous awards including a Heed Ophthalmic Foundation Fellowship, the Ronald G. Michels Foundation Fellowship, the Paul Kayser International Fellowship, the Excellence in Ophthalmology Vision Award (XOVA), the American Society of Retina Specialists Senior Honor Award, the Achievement Award and two Secretariat Awards by the AAO.