Department Welcomes New Faculty and Providers

The Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences is pleased to welcome seven new colleagues to our team: one faculty researcher, three ophthalmology faculty, and three optometry faculty.

Ophthalmology Faculty

a woman in a blue suit, a man in a blue suit with a striped tie, and a man in a gray suit with a red tie — (left to right) Abigail Jebaraj, MD; Douglas Snyder, MD; Eric Weinlander, MD, FACS

Abigail Jebaraj, MD joins us from the Moran Eye Center in Salt Lake City, Utah where she completed her ophthalmology residency training. She obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Planned Programming, graduating summa cum laude, with a minor in Music and Medicine, at the University of Oklahoma. Dr. Jebaraj then obtained her Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine.

Douglas Snyder, MD comes to us from Washington University in St. Louis, where he completed his fellowship training in Neuro-Ophthalmology. He obtained his Bachelor of Science degree at Kent State University in Ohio, followed by a Doctor of Medicine degree at the Northeast Ohio Medical University. Dr. Snyder completed his ophthalmology residency training at Saint Louis University and served as the Administrative Chief Resident.

Eric Weinlander, MD, FACS joins us from Davis Duehr Dean Eye Care, SSM Health in Madison, Wisconsin. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Biology from Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin and his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health. He then completed his ophthalmology residency at the W.K. Kellogg Eye Center at the University of Michigan and a Cornea, External Disease, and Refractive Surgery fellowship at the John A. Moran Eye Center, University of Utah.

Drs. Jebaraj, Snyder, and Weinlander all started at UW Health in October 2023.

Optometry Faculty

a woman in a black jacket and blue blouse, a man with a striped bow tie, and a man in a white shirt with glasses — (left to right): Kallie Harrier, OD, MPH, FAAO; Andrew Kornaus, OD, FAAO, FSLS; Michael Rickels, OD

Kallie Harrier, OD, MPH, FAAO joined the team on September 11, 2023. Dr. Harrier is a graduate of the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. She loves the interconnectedness of the human body and how systemic diseases present in the eye. She is also interested in the impact sight loss has on mental health. Her practice is split between comprehensive optometry and low vision. She practices out of our University Station Clinic.

Andrew Kornaus, OD, FAAO, FSLS earned his Doctor of Optometry degree from Indiana University School of Optometry and completed the Anterior Segment Disease and Contact Lens residency at SSM Davis Duehr Dean. Dr. Kornaus, who practices out of the University Station Clinic, splits his practice between comprehensive optometry and our urgent care clinics. His first day with UW Health was January 23, 2023.

Michael Rickels, OD graduated from the Illinois College of Optometry. He is practicing out of our University Station and Deming Way clinics. Dr. Rickels’ practice is split between comprehensive optometry and our glaucoma clinics. His first day in clinic with us was September 6, 2023.

Research Faculty

Ismail Zaitoun, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences. Dr. Zaitoun earned his PhD in genetics, epigenetics and developmental biology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2010. His research interests include hypoxicischemic insult on retinal vascular integrity and function, hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs) to retinal vascular damage, ischemic stroke insult on the neurovascular unit at the cellular level – both in vivo and in vitro -, pro- and anti-apoptotic proteins in eye vasculature under developmental and pathologic conditions. Prior to this position, Dr. Zaitoun worked as an associate scientist in the Nader Sheibani, PhD Research Laboratory.