Dr Bita Esmaeli served as a tenured Professor of Ophthalmology at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston from 1998 to 2024. She was the founding member and Chief of Section of Ophthalmology at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center from 1998 to 2004 and the Ophthalmic Plastic Surgery Fellowship Program Director from 2001 to 2024. She has led a world-renowned orbital and adnexal oncology referral practice for over 26 years.
Dr Esmaeli’s practice focus is surgical treatment of orbital tumors, lacrimal gland carcinomas, eyelid cancers, melanoma of eyelid and conjunctiva, and reconstructive surgery in the periocular region including lacrimal and orbital surgery. Her research interests include early detection of metastasis including sentinel lymph node biopsy for ocular adnexal melanomas and carcinomas, multi-disciplinary eye sparing approaches for lacrimal gland and other orbital tumors, molecular targets for treatment for ocular and orbital cancers, and neoadjuvant treatments for eyelid and conjunctival cancers with the overarching theme of preserving vision and ocular function while eliminating cancer.
Dr Esmaeli has authored over 320 peer-reviewed manuscripts, over 60 invited articles, books, and book chapters, and has spearheaded numerous clinical trials and research protocols. Dr Esmaeli served as the co-Chair of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) project for uveal melanoma sponsored by the National Cancer Institute. She teaches widely throughout the world and is a frequent guest speaker at national and international meetings and has delivered numerous named lectures.
She has received many prestigious awards and honors including the Merrill Reeh Pathology Award and the Research Award from the American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (ASOPRS), the American Academy of Ophthalmology Senior Achievement Award, Best Doctors in America, and Top Doctors Award, The American Association of Cancer Research Team Science Award, and Educator of the Quarter Award at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. Dr Esmaeli was the recipient of the Wendel Hughes Award given by the American Society of Oculofacial Plastic Surgery (ASOPRS) in 2022. Dr Esmaeli is a member of the American Ophthalmologic Society. Dr Esmaeli serves on the Board of Governors of the American College of Surgeons and is the co-chair of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) Ophthalmic Oncology task force.
Dr Esmaeli enjoys singing as a soprano in the choir of Christ the King Lutheran Church in Houston. She has been a painting student at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston Glassel School and enjoys active travel, cooking, and spending time with family and friends.

Alon Kahana, M.D., Ph.D. is Professor of Oculoplastic Surgery and Vice Chair for Academic Affairs in the Department of Ophthalmology, Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, and founder of Kahana Oculoplastic and Orbital Surgery in Livonia, Michigan.
Born in Israel, Dr. Kahana grew up in Israel and Connecticut. Dr. Kahana received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Biochemistry, Summa Cum Laude, from Brandeis University. He earned an M.D. and a Ph.D. (with Honors) in Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology with full scholarship through the Medical Scientist Training Program at The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. He completed his residency in Ophthalmology, followed by an ASOPRS fellowship in Oculofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the University of Wisconsin under the preceptorship of Dr. Mark Lucarelli. He simultaneously completed an ASCS fellowship in Facial Cosmetic Surgery under the preceptorship of Dr. Bradley Lemke. Dr. Kahana’s fellowship thesis won the Marvin Quickert Award from the American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (ASOPRS).
In 2007, Dr. Kahana was recruited to the faculty of the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center, where he was promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure, with an international reputation in orbital and pediatric oculoplastic surgery. At the University of Michigan, he ran a research lab studying orbital stem cells and cancer, with funding from the National Eye Institute and multiple foundations, including Research to Prevent Blindness. He was Principal Investigator for the VISORB clinical trial on the treatment of periocular basal cell carcinoma. He was also co-director of the thyroid eye disease program. In 2020, Dr. Kahana left the University of Michigan and joined the faculty at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, where he holds the rank of Professor, is a member of the Beaumont Eye Research Institute, and serves as Vice Chair for Academic Affairs. In 2022, Dr. Kahana founded his own private practice, Kahana Oculoplastic and Orbital Surgery, based in Livonia, Michigan. He now splits his time between Beaumont Medical School and his private practice.
Dr. Kahana has authored over 90 peer-reviewed publications, multiple book chapters and reviews, and has given >100 lectures throughout the United States and internationally, including several endowed lectures and visiting professorships. In 2016, Dr. Kahana founded the North American Society of Academic Orbital Surgeons, serving as President until 2025. In 2020, Dr. Kahana was given the honor of delivering the annual Ralph E. Wesley ASOPRS Foundation Lecture. In 2023, he was selected as the inaugural Chief Editor of the Oculoplastics, Orbit and Trauma Section of Frontiers in Ophthalmology, a peer-reviewed journal. He is a Program Director for an ASOPRS-approved fellowship in Oculofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, and teaches ophthalmology residents at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak.
In his spare time, Dr. Kahana enjoys family activities with his wife and 4 children, participating in athletic activities (especially golf, tennis, skiing, and jogging), listening to and playing music (guitar, piano and bass), and reading history, Judaica and mystery novels.

Dr. Neil Miller is Professor Emeritus of Ophthalmology, Neurology, and Neurosurgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He has authored over 600 articles, 97 chapters, and 15 books, including the 4th edition of “Walsh and Hoyt's Clinical Neuro-Ophthalmology” and has co-edited the 5th and 6th editions of this textbook as well as four editions of an abbreviated version of the textbook: “Walsh and Hoyt’s Clinical Neuro-Ophthalmology: The Essentials”, the most recent of which was published in 2020. Dr. Miller also has co-authored three editions of “The Neuro-Ophthalmology Survival Guide”, a textbook designed for both physicians and students. The third edition was just published in 2024. Dr. Miller has spoken at numerous local, national, and international meetings and has given 70 named lectures around the world. In addition, he has been involved in several clinical trials in the field of neuro-ophthalmology. Many of Dr. Miller’s previous Fellows and residents hold faculty positions at major institutions throughout the United States and around the world.

Professor Susan Mollan has an established international reputation in Neuro-ophthalmology. She is an Honorary Professor at the University of Birmingham, England. She is the first international member of the board at the North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society and a research theme chair for the European Neuro-Ophthalmology Society. She has been instrumental to the stable running of the British Isles Neuro-Ophthalmology Club and the UK Neuro-Ophthalmology Society. She is a Royal College of Ophthalmologists international senior examiner, who sets exams, supports candidates and examiners, and assures examination standards.
Her research citizenship includes being an associate editor at Eye Open (Springer); section editor in neuro-ophthalmology for Eye (Springer); sub-editor for original contributions at Journal of Neuro-ophthalmology (Lippincott); and a board member for Neuro-ophthalmology (Taylor and Francis).
Her impactful publications include over 200 peer reviewed articles and 13 book chapters. She reported the first randomized control trial into weight loss methods in idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) (2021). She actively works to provide and pragmatic guidance for clinicians and these include the IIH consensus guidelines (2018); European League Against Rheumatism Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA) guidelines (2019); British Society of Rheumatology GCA guidelines (2020); the European Headache Federation GCA guidelines (2020); the Guidelines of the International Headache Society for Controlled Clinical Trials in IIH (2024). She is currently part of the European Alliance of Association For Rheumatology task force for polymyalgia rheumatica and large vessel vasculitis 2025 and a cerebrospinal fluid section panel member panel for the European Association of Neurological Surgeons.

Vivek R. Patel, M.D., is Vice Chair of Academic Affairs, Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology and Chief of Neuro-ophthalmology and Adult Strabismus at the University of California, Irvine, Gavin Herbert Eye Institute. He completed medical school at the University of Saskatchewan, ophthalmology residency at McGill University, and neuro-ophthalmology fellowship at USC/Doheny Eye Institute. Dr. Patel is a dedicated educator, having served as a Residency and Fellowship Program Director, and has been named Teacher of the Year 8 times in his career. He currently directs the Neuro-ophthalmology & Adult Strabismus fellowship at UCI and is co-director of their Neuro-ophthalmology & Orbital Surgery international fellowship. Dr. Patel is a co-author of the 3rd and 4th editions of Walsh & Hoyt’s Clinical Neuro-Ophthalmology: The Essentials. He serves as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Neuro-Ophthalmology. He serves as an examiner for the American Board of Ophthalmology. Dr. Patel’s research has focused on studying structural and functional changes in the visual pathways following retinal and optic nerve injury, using diffusion tensor tractography and functional MRI techniques, funded by the NIH to delve deeper into this emerging area of neuroscience.

Dr. Prasad is the Chief of Neurology at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center and Professor of Clinical Neurology at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. Prior to taking this position, Dr. Prasad was the Vice Chair for Education for the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Department of Neurology and Associate Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School. He served as Program Director of the Harvard Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Massachusetts General Hospital Neurology Residency Program, which is the largest training program in the country. In 2022 he received the Outstanding Residency Program Director award from the American Academy of Neurology and the Pillar of Education award from Mass General Brigham. He served as Chief of the Brigham and Women’s Division of Neuro-Ophthalmology for six years.
Dr. Prasad completed an undergraduate degree in English Language and Literature at Yale University, where he graduated with honors. He completed his medical training at the University of Pennsylvania, where he obtained his medical degree and then completed a medical internship, neurology residency, and fellowships in both Neuro-Ophthalmology and Cognitive Neurology.
Dr. Prasad is a renowned teacher who has received numerous teaching awards. Out of a combined teaching faculty of over 200 at BWH and MGH, he was selected as the teacher of the year award on four occasions (2013, 2014, 2019, and 2020). He was a recipient of the prestigious Bernard Lown Award for Excellence in Teaching at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He has served as visiting professor at numerous institutions nationally and internationally. He has authored over 100 peer-reviewed manuscripts, including research on the distributed functional networks implicated in cognitive visual disorders such as visual hallucination, delusional misidentification, and unawareness of visual loss. Drawing from his experience as a leader in medical education, his recent papers describe the creation and impact of a progressive parental leave during neurology residency. Together with Drs. Allan Ropper, Martin A. Samuels, and Joshua Klein, he is co-author of the 11th and 12th editions of Adams and Victor’s Principles of Neurology. With Dr. Joseph Rizzo, he is the co-author of the e-textbook Modern Neuro-Ophthalmology: Anatomy and Physiology of the Human Visual System.

Edward “Ted” Wladis MD is professor and chair of the Lions Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology at the Albany Medical College, where he directs the American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (ASOPRS)-approved fellowship in oculofacial plastic and reconstructive surgery. Dr. Wladis completed his undergraduate education at Columbia University, received his MD from the State University of New York – Upstate Medical Center, performed his residency in ophthalmology at Rutgers, and did his fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania – Scheie Eye Institute.
In addition to providing the full range of oculoplastic surgical care, Dr. Wladis is actively engaged in both basic science and clinical research, with a particular focus on identifying key biologic aberrancies in rosacea and orbital disease that may guide clinical decision making or be used for therapeutic purposes. He currently sits on the ethics and fellowship directors’ committees of ASOPRS, and previously ran its oral examination and served as editor of the knowledge center. At the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), he serves as chair of oculoplastic section of the ophthalmology technology assessment committee.
Dr. Wladis previously received the Marvin Quickert Thesis Award (2008), the Research Award (2012), the Bartley Frueh Award (2012, 2013), the Merrill Rhee Pathology Award (2018, 2024), and the Orkan Stasior Leadership Award (2024) from ASOPRS and the Achievement Award (2013), Secretariat Award (2020), and Senior Achievement Award (2021) from the AAO.