Pediatric Retinal Diseases

R.V. Paul Chan, MD, MSc is the John H. Panton, MD Professor of Ophthalmology at the Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary, University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). He is the Co-Director of the Vitreoretinal Fellowship and serves as Director of the Pediatric Retina and Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) Service. His clinical practice focuses on vitreoretinal surgery, with an expertise in pediatric retinal disease. Dr. Chan received his BA from the University of Pennsylvania, MD from the Temple University School of Medicine, and MSc from Weill Cornell Medical College (WCMC). After completing ophthalmology residency at the New York-Presbyterian Hospital of WCMC, he went on to a Fellowship in Vitreoretinal Surgery at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Chan spent nine years on faculty at WCMC, as Director of the Retina Service and Vitreoretinal Fellowship, before moving to UIC in 2015.

Dr. Chan is Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs and Global Ophthalmology at UIC and is a global leader in pediatric blindness prevention and ROP. His primary research interests focus on utilizing new technology and imaging techniques to better evaluate and manage children with retinal disease. He has authored over 100 peer-reviewed articles and receives grant funding from the NIH, the NSF, and several charitable foundations. He is a core team member of the imaging and informatics for ROP (i-ROP) consortium and leads the Global Education Network for ROP (GEN-ROP), which is an international collaboration of investigators with expertise in neonatology, ophthalmology, biomedical informatics, international health, and medical education. Together, they have developed tele-education and telemedicine programs, and have established clinical, teaching, and research collaborations in Asia, Latin America, and Arica. Dr. Chan also serves as a consultant for programs sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Orbis International, and Helen Keller International (HKI).

Dr. Chan is on the board of trustees for HKI and is a member of the board of visitors for Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University. He served as the founding executive editor of the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s (AAO) Global Ophthalmology (GO) Guide, is an assistant editor for the journal, Retina, and is on the editorial board for the Journal of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, the Asia-Pacific Journal of Ophthalmology, and the Journal of VitreoRetinal Diseases. He is an active member and holds leadership positions in a number of major ophthalmic societies, including the American Eye Study Club, the American Ophthalmological Society, the Club Jules Gonin, the Retina Society, the Macula Society, the American Society of Retina Specialists, the Chinese American Ophthalmological Society, and is a founding member of the Vit-Bukle Society. Dr. Chan is also an honorary member of the Thai Retina Society. He has served on the Global ONE advisory board and the ethics committee for the AAO. Currently, Dr. Chan is the associate secretary for english language for the Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology (PAAO) and is the secretary for Global Alliances for the AAO.