UNC Ophthalmology is pleased to announce that Associate Professor of Ophthalmology Meredith Klifto, MD, has been appointed the department’s new Medical Director, effective March 1st. As Medical Director, Dr. Klifto oversees clinical services and operations across all enterprise patient care sites, focusing her leadership on UNC Ophthalmology’s advancement in quality, safety, access, and patient experience. In this role, she additionally supports faculty and staff development, partners with administrative and operational teams to optimize workflows, and guides strategic initiatives that improve access, patient experience, and system performance. 
Dr. Klifto has strong leadership experience in operations and education across the healthcare system and institution. Within UNC Health, she participated in clinical operations decision-making as a UNC Holly Springs (outpatient) Surgery Operational Planning Committee member (2021–2023). Within the UNC School of Medicine, she serves as a Foundation Phase Academic Coach, providing individualized academic coaching to medical students on learning strategies, test-taking and wellness. Dr. Klifto is also a UNC School of Medicine Academy of Educators (AoE) member.
Dr. Klifto completed her glaucoma fellowship at UNC (2018-2019), and in early career, she is deeply committed to medical education. Since joining faculty in 2020, she has mentored UNC Ophthalmology residents and glaucoma fellows on becoming clinically competent next-gen ophthalmologists and curious scholars. As a department leader, she chairs UNC Ophthalmology’s Resident Clinical Competency Committee (2020–present).
In the field, Dr. Klifto serves nationally as an American Board of Ophthalmology Oral Boards Examiner (2024–2025) and is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology