On Saturday, April 25th, UNC Ophthalmology hosted the 2026 UNC Eye Symposium, a daylong, annual CME learning event in Chapel Hill, NC, benefitting eye specialists (MDs, ODs) from the department, across North Carolina and beyond. At the podium, expert UNC Ophthalmology faculty and invited speakers illustrated how the latest evidence-based approaches in their respective areas of eye practice provide medical and surgical solutions in treating complex cases of ocular disease. This year, the UNC Eye Symposium offered eye specialists in attendance not only an agenda rich in CME learning. Presentations of complex cases were cleverly centered around a theme — “Halloween in April: Experts Share Their Scariest Cases.”
UNC Eye Symposium Course Director, Sterling A. Barrett Distinguished Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, and the department’s Interim Chair David Fleischman, MD, FACS, noted: “Personifying the gravest cases that ophthalmologists treat carried out the intent of this event so well. From our guest speakers [Drs. Cheela, Van Stavern, and Berdahl] to our very own faculty, all of our presenters stuck right on theme in sharing some of their scariest cases. Our field can be humbling, and it’s sobering to see your academic heroes share their worst cases. It’s important to come together at CME events like [the UNC Eye Symposium] to learn from the experience of peers in order to benefit our own patients.”
UNC Ophthalmology Residency Program Director and Associate Professor of Ophthalmology Alice Zhang, MD, stated: “Watching our faculty and guest speakers bring their scariest cases to life through the Halloween theme was genuinely inspiring, and it turned what can be a dense CME day into something electric and memorable.”
Taking a themed approach to presentation of CME learning earned UNC Ophthalmology high marks from eye specialists in attendance. Following the Symposium, the department hosted another first-of-kind event — UNC Ophthalmology’s inaugural alumni reception. At a reception bringing together current department members with residency graduates practicing across the U.S., 40+ attendees celebrated the strength, expansion, and rich traditions of UNC Ophthalmology over almost five decades. The occasion allowed the department to recognize graduates from milestone years (5, 10, 15, 20) and enabled all in attendance to share light-hearted and serious reflections on their residency experiences at UNC.
Five-year residency graduate Bryan Strelow, MD, (Class of 2021) reflected: “It’s easy to recall how much time I spent with my classmates over three intense years of learning to practice ophthalmology. The fatigue, pressure, and emotional toll of residency can be an incredibly isolating. Fortunately, our program had a family-like culture in which we all had one another’s backs. The support of peers and mentors gave our confidence a needed boost during an intensive period of having to learn a wide range of practice in our field to graduate as competent ophthalmologists.”
Dr. Zhang commented: “As a residency program director, you pour so much into your residents over three years, and then the very best outcome is that they leave and go build incredible careers and lives elsewhere. Getting to welcome them back through this inaugural alumni reception was a gift, and pairing that reunion with the energy of a Symposium day that truly delivered made this one of the most meaningful events our department has hosted.”
Dr. Fleischman concluded: “Our Department is nearing its 50th year anniversary. It was important to set the stage for honoring our alumni and teammates who have made UNC Ophthalmology such a unique and wonderful place to learn, work and care for our patients. I’m thrilled to have seen so many of our alumni join us from around the country for this event.
The same type of teamwork that got our alums through training was vital to the success of hosting our annual Symposium and inaugural alumni reception on the same day. Both events were so much fun and executed so well. There could be no one better at taking care of all the details — big and small — than our residency coordinator Olivia Hall. I’m grateful for all the hours, ideas, and focus she invested in planning and executing these two back-to-back events.”
