Department Chair Welcome

The Hamilton Eye Institute is dedicated to improving lives in Memphis, the Mid-south, and beyond with innovative vision research, world class patient care and inspired education in an environment where every member of our staff, faculty, educational programs, and greater community is valued and supported.

 

Welcome to the Hamilton Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.  I am exceedingly grateful to serve as Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and Director of the Hamilton Eye Institute. The Hamilton Eye Institute is the vision our founders Ralph Hamilton, MD and Barrett G. Haik, MD, FACS; a comprehensive ophthalmology center housing clinical care, research, and teaching. We improve lives in Memphis and the Mid-South by our efforts to restore and preserve vision. The Hamilton Eye Institute adheres to the University of Tennessee Health Science Center mission statement of transforming lives through collaborative and inclusive education, research/scholarship, clinical care, and public service.

Our translational research faculty is led by four nationally and internationally renowned principal investigators; each of whom maintains funding from the National Eye Institute. Their innovative research in macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, drug discovery, and artificial intelligence seeks to identify new treatment for the most common causes of visual loss in Memphis and Mid-South. They collaborate closely with our clinical faculty bringing “bench to beside”.

Our clinical faculty include nationally and internationally recognized specialists in cataract surgery, cornea and refractive surgery, diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration, glaucoma, neuro-ophthalmology, ocular oncology, ophthalmic plastic reconstructive surgery, pediatric ophthalmology, retinal degeneration, adult strabismus, and uveitis. Our clinicians collaborate with University Clinical Health, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, Baptist Memorial Hospital, Regional One Health, the Veteran’s Administration Medical Center, and St Jude Children’s Research Hospital to provide compassionate and expert patient care.

We offer a three-year, ACGME-accredited residency training program with 15 trainees. Our residents receive comprehensive training across our partnering hospital systems. Their training is complimented by weekly didactics and state-of-the-art surgical skills transfer lab.  Additionally, we have three fellowship programs: pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus, oculofacial plastic surgery, and ocular oncology.

We are extremely grateful to our donors as their generosity continues to help our department excel.

Please explore our website to learn more about the clinical, research, and educational opportunities at Hamilton Eye Institute.

Sincerely,
Matthew Wilson, MD, FACS
Professor and Chair, Department of Ophthalmology
Director, Hamilton Eye Institute
Ocular Oncology Fellowship Director