Dr. Alexander Izad, MD
Dr. Izad earned his Doctor of Medicine degree from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, one of the top-ranked medical universities in the world. He was also a visiting scholar at Harvard Medical School, Brown University, Emory University and Thomas Jefferson University Schools of Medicine. He completed his internship at Yale University School of Medicine and finished his residency in Ophthalmology at the State University of New York Upstate Medical University. He served as Chief Resident during his training. He completed his fellowship training in Vitreoretinal Disease and Surgery at both the University of Texas Medical Branch and the University of Texas Medical School at Houston. He began his career as an Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Arizona College of Medicine as the Director of Retina at the Southern Arizona VA Health Care System in Tucson. He continued his career in private practice in North Texas and Southern California. He founded the Highland Retina Associates in 2017 to fulfill his dream of bringing world-class retinal care to an underserved area. Dr. Izad has been actively involved in clinical research, serving as the principal investigator for many national research trials. He has published peer-reviewed articles and book chapters and lectured extensively on various subjects in retinal diseases and surgery.
He is board certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology and an active member of numerous professional organizations, including the American Society of Retina Specialists, the American Academy of Ophthalmology and Indiana Academy of Ophthalmology. He is an adjunct clinical assistant professor of ophthalmology at Indiana University School of Medicine and is involved in training our future doctors. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family, exercising and hiking.
Dr. Melih Ustaoglu, MD
Dr. Ustaoglu earned his Doctor of Medicine degree from Gazi University Faculty of Medicine, one of Turkey’s top medical schools. He completed his ophthalmology residency at Haseki Training and Research Hospital in Istanbul. During his training, he pursued observerships at the University of Tuebingen in Germany and the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
Following his residency, Dr. Ustaoglu practiced as a comprehensive ophthalmologist at tertiary care centers in Turkey, with a strong focus on cataract surgery and vitreoretinal diseases. He completed a research fellowship at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia, PA, and a rigorous medical and surgical fellowship training in vitreoretinal diseases at the University of Louisville in Louisville, KY.
An active clinician, educator, and researcher, Dr. Ustaoglu has contributed extensively to the field of ophthalmology through peer-reviewed publications and presentations at national and international conferences. He has also served on advisory boards for ophthalmology journals. He holds prestigious certifications, including the Fellow of the International Council of Ophthalmology (FICO) and the Fellow of the European Board of Ophthalmology (FEBO).
Dr. Ustaoglu is a member of the American Society of Retina Specialists, the American Academy of Ophthalmology, and the Turkish Ophthalmological Association.
Outside of his professional endeavors, he enjoys cooking for his family, running, hiking, playing tennis, watching soccer games, and traveling.