Announcing Eydie Miller-Ellis, MD, as Recipient of the 22019 FOCUS Award for the Advancement of Women in Medicine
November 7, 2019
To:PSOM Faculty
From:J. Larry Jameson, MD, PhD
Along with my colleagues from the FOCUS program, I am delighted to announce that Eydie Miller-Ellis, MD, is the winner of the 2019 FOCUS Award for the Advancement of Women in Medicine. Dr. Miller-Ellis is a Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology and Vice Chair for Faculty Affairs and Diversity at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. She also serves as the Chief of Glaucoma Service and Director of the Glaucoma Fellowship Program at the Scheie Eye Institute and Director of Glaucoma at the Philadelphia Veterans Administration Medical Center.
Dr. Miller-Ellis has lectured nationally and internationally on glaucoma diagnosis and management, and on training the eye care team. Her research interests include risk factors for the development and progression of glaucoma, pharmacological and surgical treatment of glaucoma, and diagnostic techniques. She is very involved in resident education and is a three-time recipient of the Surgical Teaching Award at the Scheie Eye Institute. She has also received the Suzanne Veronneau Troutman Mentorship Award from Women in Ophthalmology, the Distinguished Alumna Award from the Department of Ophthalmology at the Yale University School of Medicine and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She received the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s Achievement Award in 2008 and the Senior Achievement Award in 2015. In 2014, Dr. Miller-Ellis was elected to the Academy of Master Clinicians at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. She has also been recognized by Best Doctors in America and named a Top Doctor in Philadelphia Magazine.
She is Co-Director of the Rabb-Venable Excellence in Research Program for the National Medical Association, Ophthalmology Section. This program is geared toward increasing the number of underrepresented minorities in ophthalmology residencies and academic ophthalmology and is supported by a grant from the National Eye Institute. She is also Past President of the International Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology.
Dr. Miller-Ellis has shown an unwavering commitment to the advancement of the careers and goals of women and minorities in medicine. She serves as the Diversity Officer on the Ophthalmology Department Committee on Appointments and Promotions. Dr. Miller-Ellis’s efforts to advance women and minorities in Ophthalmology is evident through her commitment to mentorship. Dr. Miller-Ellis is a surgical mentor for junior faculty, helping them make the transition to becoming independent surgeons. Dr. Miller-Ellis is also a recognized sponsor, nominating junior faculty to be speakers at academic meetings or to serve on national committees, thereby supporting their regional and national exposure.
Comments from some of Dr. Miller-Ellis’s mentees help to summarize her exceptional career, “She is a true mentor in all aspects of the word,” “Without Dr. Miller, there would certainly be fewer women in our field.” And finally, “she is simultaneously technically excellent and professionally nurturing.”
In sum, Dr. Miller-Ellis has been a highly effective advocate for women and underrepresented minorities in science and, in doing so, has benefitted all faculty as well as the culture of science at Penn Medicine. We are pleased to recognize her many efforts and thank her for the institutional change she has brought about with her determination and leadership.
The FOCUS Award for the Advancement of Women in Medicine recognizes a faculty member at Penn Medicine, male or female, whose outstanding efforts and achievements have promoted the career success, leadership, and overall quality of life for Penn women in academic medicine.