Shlomit Schaal, MD, PhD, MHCM,

Professor and Department Chair

Brief Bio

Shlomit Schaal, MD, PhD, MHCM, Professor and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at UMass Memorial Medical Center and the UMass Chan Medical School, is a clinician-scientist specializing in the cutting-edge medical and surgical treatment of complex vitreoretinal diseases. She serves as the President of UMass Memorial Medical Group, as well as Senior Associate Dean for Health Strategies for UMass Chan Medical School. In addition to her professorship at UMass Chan Medical School, Dr. Schaal also serves as a teaching faculty member at Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard Macy’s Institute, and the Faculty Leadership Development Seminar of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).

Dr. Schaal has published extensively in the field of vitreo-retinal diseases and surgery. She serves on the editorial board of the journal, “Retina.” She is dedicated to enhancing the teaching and education of the next generation of ophthalmologists-clinician-scientists, and therefore actively serves on a number of prestigious, national ophthalmological committees. Her research focuses on visionary translational projects in collaboration with bioengineers. She is the inventor of several US patents, of which some have been licensed and commercialized. Recently, her team developed a novel automatic algorithm for the early detection of subtle changes in the retina of diabetic patients.

“As a Medical Group physician, I am devoted to the life-long values of academic medicine, which include absolute commitment to excellent patient care, cutting-edge research, teaching the next generation of physicians and community outreach. While no one physician can excel in all facets, as a group, our physicians take pride in the pledge to all missions.

“Teaching the next generation of physicians and scientists is my greatest privilege. There is no task more rewarding than passing knowledge and handing skills over to the next generation and see how they grow, flourish, and take it further than we could have ever imagined. I have been in academic medicine my entire life and teaching and learning has been the favorite part of my career. I am a life-long learner myself, and some of my greatest teachers have been my students.”

Dr. Schaal has received numerous awards for academic excellence, including the American Academy of Ophthalmology Achievement Award, The American Society of Retina Specialists Senior Honor Award, the MOSAIC Award, The American Medical Association (AMA) Inspirational Physician Award, and the ARVO/Alcon Clinician-Scientist Research Award. She is committed to serving the community and serves as a mentor for the Minority Ophthalmology Mentoring program of AAO and served as a member of the Under-Represented Minorities (URM) Recommendation Prioritization Workgroup at UMass Chan Medical School. For that work, she won the Chancellor’s Award for Advancing Institutional Excellence in Diversity in 2018.

Clinical Expertise

• Diabetic Retinopathy
• Macular Degeneration
• Retinal Vascular Diseases (Vein and Artery Occlusion, Retinal Vasculitis)
• Retina and Vitreous Complex Surgery
• Retinal Detachment Repair
• Macular Hole
• Retinal Disorders
• Retinitis Pigmentosa and Retinal Degenerations

Research Interests

• Vitreoretinal Diseases/Surgery
• Development of automated algorithms for standardized OCT interpretation
• Oxygen Induced Cataracts
• Association of Sleep Apnea and Pulmonary Disorders with Retinal Disorders

 Academic Rank

• Professor and Department Chair
• University of Massachusetts Medical School
• UMass Memorial Medical Center

Education/Medical School

• Sc. Medical Sciences Technion Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel                       
• Valedictorian; Summa cum Laude
• D. Medical Sciences (Technion Israel Institute of Technology), Haifa, Israel Valedictorian; Summa cum Laude
• D. Medical Sciences (Technion Israel Institute of Technology), Haifa, Israel; Summa cum Laude

Ophthalmology Residency

• Department of Ophthalmology, Rambam Medical Center,Affiliated with Technion- Israel Institute of Technology.Bruce Rappaport School of Medicine, Haifa, Israel

Research Fellowship

• Fellowship in Vitreoretinal Research  Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, Kentucky, USA                           

Clinical Fellowship

• Fellowship in Vitreoretinal Research  Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, Kentucky, USA                             

Board Certification

• American Board of Ophthalmology
• Israel Board of Ophthalmology

State Licensure

• Massachusetts
• Indiana
• Kentucky
• Israel

Professional Societies and Affiliations

• Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society (AΩA)
• American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO)
• Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO)
• American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS)
• The Retina Society
• The Macula Society
• American Uveitis Society (AUS)
• International Society for Eye Research (ISER)
• Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB)
• New England Ophthalmological Society (NEO)

Selected Honors and Awards (out of more than 50 scientific awards)

• Foulex Award for Outstanding Doctoral Candidates. Israel Academy of Sciences, Jerusalem, Israel
• Best Paper Award, Retina Section (American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), USA
• National Eye Institute  Outstanding Paper Award  
• The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO)
• Consecutively listed: Marquis Who’s Who in America
• Consecutively listed: Leading Health Professionals of the World
• Consecutively listed: Leading Health Professionals of the World
• ARVO/Alcon Early Career Clinician-Scientist Research Award. ARVO Foundation for Eye Research (AFER)
• Service Award for Outstanding Service as a Clinical Section Editor. The American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS), USA
• Honor Award for Outstanding Scientific Original Contribution.The American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS), USA
• Consecutively listed: Best Doctors in America
• MOSAIC Award (Multicultural Opportunities for Success and Achievement In our Community)
• Senior Honor Award  (For Outstanding Service to the Society’s Scientific and Educational Program Original papers, The American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS), USA
• Consecutively listed: The Leading Physicians of the World. International Association of Ophthalmologists (IAO)
• Retina Surgical Film Festival Award “Doctor’s Choice” The American Society of Retina Specialists, USA
• Best Research Poster Award. The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), USA
• American Academy of Ophthalmology Achievement Award
• Award for Faculty Excellence - Patent & License Holders
• Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society Outstanding Faculty Award
• Best Mentor Award Ophthalmology Women in Louisville (OWL), USA 
• Patrick R. O’Conor Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award    

Languages

• English, Hebrew

Hobbies

Dr. Schaal is a competitive swimmer who competes at the regional and national level. She serves as an active member of the United States Masters Swimming (USMS) Science and Medicine committee. Visit website for more info http://www.usms.org