In 2018, the IDP Foundation (IDPF) provided a multi-year commitment to the Department of Ophthalmology to create the IDP Foundation Fellowship in Ophthalmology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. In 2024, IDP Foundation agreed to augment the established fellowship fund with a new commitment to establish an endowed professorship, the IDP Foundation, Inc. Professorship in Ophthalmology.
Endowed professorships represent the highest honor a university can bestow upon its faculty. They are important tools, as they greatly assist the institution’s efforts to recruit and retain preeminent faculty by recognizing their singular contributions to medical science. These celebrated positions, established in perpetuity, are reserved for the most distinguished faculty members. While signifying academic excellence, they also bring prestige to the donor, professorship holder, and department, institute, or center and elevate the stature of the medical school and Northwestern University as a whole.
Surendra Basti, MD, professor of Ophthalmology and director of the Cataract Service, oversees the fellowship and serves as a mentor to up-and-coming physicians and scientists poised to be leaders in the field of ophthalmology and vision research.
Each year, the Department of Ophthalmology receives applications from many outstanding fellowship candidates. It is our pleasure to highlight the achievements of our 2023-24 IDP Foundation cornea fellow Avery J. Thau, MD. This past summer, Dr. Thau joined the Feinberg School as a clinical assistant professor of Ophthalmology and cornea specialist after completing his cornea and refractive surgery fellowship.
Avery J. Thau, MD: A graduate of Thomas Jefferson University Sidney Kimmel Medical College in Philadelphia, Dr. Thau completed his internship at Kettering Medical Center and residency at Indiana University before coming to Northwestern for his fellowship training.
As a cornea specialist, Dr. Thau is skilled in performing corneal transplantation and complex cataract surgery, as well as in treating severe cases of eye dryness, corneal infections, and misshapen corneas. His passion for ophthalmology is rooted in the importance of eye health and seeing abilities, as well as the rewarding experience of helping people with vision issues.
In June 2024, Dr. Thau completed his cornea and refractive surgery fellowship. Highlights of his work as the IDP Foundation Fellow included:
Writing a paper on the utility of intraoperative optical coherence tomography (an imaging technique) and its value in determining eye pressure and air fill during cornea transplant. The journal Frontiers in Ophthalmology has accepted the paper for publication. Dr. Basti served as co-author.
Authoring a book chapter on corneal dystrophy for textbook Cornea, which is the definitive textbook for corneal surgeons. Robert Feder, MD, vice chair of Education, director of the Cornea Service, and professor of Ophthalmology, served as co-author.
Winning an award for his scientific video on intrascleral fixation of intraocular lenses at a prestigious film festival held as part of the annual meeting of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery. The April 2024 meeting and film festival were held in Boston.
Additionally, we would like to take this opportunity to introduce the current 2024-25 fellow, Inae Kim, MD. Dr. Kim received her medical degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine and completed her ophthalmology residency at the University of Chicago. She has already had a productive fellowship year, with her research accepted for presentation at the March 2025 World Cornea Congress Meeting in Washington, DC. Dr. Kim is also working on a prospective research project on light adjustable lenses.