Speakers
Stay tuned for our full lineup of speakers for the Spring Meeting, “Tell Me Your Secrets!” on May 9, 2026.
Keynote speakers Dr. Jeffrey Pettey, CEO and Chairman Moran Eye Center, University of Utah and Dr. Michael Abramoff, MD, PhD, Univeristy of Iowa will be joined by over 50 incredible leaders in ophthalmology!
Keynote Speakers
*
Keynote Speakers *
Tell Me Your Secrets:
The Smithsonian of Ophthalmology
Dr. Jeffrey Pettey, MD, MBA
Professor and Chair, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Utah
Chief Executive Officer, John A. Moran Eye Center
Chief of Ophthalmology, Salt Lake City Veterans Affairs Medical Center
An internationally recognized leader in academic ophthalmology and global eye care, he was awarded the 2017 Artemis Award by the American Academy of Ophthalmology for his commitment to improving access to care for underserved populations. He founded Operation Sight, the Moran Eye Center’s local surgical outreach program, and his global work focuses on developing sustainable training programs to address avoidable blindness. His academic interests include surgical education, health care delivery in resource-limited settings, and improving cataract surgery outcomes.
In 2023, Dr. Pettey was awarded the prestigious RWO Humanisn in Ophthalmology in recognition of his incredible accomplishments in caring for underserved populations as a young ophthalmologist.
Dr. Michael Abramoff, MD, PhD
Robert C. Watzke, MD Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Iowa Physician–Scientist, University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics Physician–Scientist, Iowa City VA Health Care System Founder and Executive Chairman, Digital Diagnostics
Dr. Michael Abramoff, MD, PhD, (Fellow ARVO, Fellow IEEE) is an internationally renowned physician scientist at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics and the Iowa City VA Health Care System. He is the Robert C. Watzke, MD Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of Iowa, with joint appointments in the College of Engineering where he teaches classes on the use of artificial intelligence in medicine. Dr. Abramoff is also the founder and Executive Chairman of Digital Diagnostics, an AI-based diagnostics company that is the first company in any field of medicine to get FDA clearance for autonomous diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy in primary care and the first clearance for marketing autonomous AI-based diagnostic.
For the past 20 years, Dr. Abramoff has studied how Artificial Intelligence (AI) - based algorithms can be used to improve the lives of patients with retinal disease, focusing on autonomous AI based diagnostic and quantification algorithms, and determining the role of neuropathy in diabetes complications. Dr. Abramoff ‘s research has been continuously funded since 2004 by the National Eye Institute, the Veterans Administration, the Beckman Foundation and other federal, state and philanthropic funding agencies in the U.S. and Europe. He has authored over 300 peer-reviewed publications that have been cited over 42,000 times. He is the inventor on 20 issued patents and many patent applications. Dr. Abramoff has mentored dozens of graduate students, ophthalmology residents, and retina fellows. His passion is not only to improve health care for patients in the retina clinic, but to find ways to improve healthcare for all patients.
