For Sarah Groessl, MD, a 1996 graduate of the University of Wisconsin Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences (DOVS) ophthalmology residency program, a career in pediatric ophthalmology has brought both intellectual engagement and deeply rewarding relationships with patients and their families.
Today, Dr. Groessl is a pediatric ophthalmologist with SSM Health Davis Duehr Dean Eye Care in Madison, WI, where she has practiced for more than two decades. But when she was considering where to train, it was the people at DOVS who made a lasting impression.
“While interviewing for residencies and fellowships, I was impressed with the dedication to teaching and mentorship at the UW,” she said. “I recall Dr. (Richard) Appen’s approachable interview style as well as Dr. (Frank) Meyer’s interest in the education of the residents.”
Several faculty members would go on to play an especially important role in shaping her career.
“Drs. (Burton) Kushner, (Thomas) France and (Monty) Mills were exceptional mentors influencing my decision to go into pediatric ophthalmology,” she said.
After completing her residency at the UW, Dr. Groessl pursued a pediatric ophthalmology fellowship with Dr. Zane Pollard at Scottish Right Medical Center. She then spent a year as clinical staff at Emory in Atlanta, GA. She then joined Children’s Eye Physicians in Denver, CO where she enjoyed six years working with wonderful colleagues building the practice.
In 2004, Dr. Groessl and her family returned to Madison, bringing her career back to the community where her ophthalmology training began. She joined Davis Duehr Dean, where she has spent the past 22 years caring for children and their families. In addition, she helps train the new generation of ophthalmologists as a Clinical Assistant Adjunct Professor with DOVS. She enjoys teaching family medicine residents, optometry students, and medical students through various DOVS education programs.
Over the course of her career, Dr. Groessl has contributed to many aspects of pediatric eye care. Among her proudest accomplishments is her collaborative work developing standard practices and guidelines for traditional and machine-based vision screening of children across the four-state SSM system.
Yet for Dr. Groessl, some of the most meaningful rewards of the profession happen one patient and one family at a time.
“I greatly enjoy building long-term relationships with families and patients as well as the fresh faces of new patients,” she said. “The most intellectually rewarding part of my practice is piecing together the puzzles of unusual cases and tenaciously finding the most appropriate treatment available.”
That combination of curiosity, persistence and commitment to patients has remained at the heart of her practice.
“I consider my dedication to the care of my patients the primary focus of my practice,” she said.
It’s a philosophy that also shapes the advice she offers to today’s ophthalmology trainees as they prepare to enter the field: enjoy it.
“The day-to-day changes and challenges facing most practitioners can be frustrating at times,” she said. “Try not to let the frustration of logistics zap your joy.”