Winners of fifth annual Resident Writer's Award program announced

John P. Berdahl, MD, of the Duke University Eye Center, Durham, NC, won first-place honors in the fifth annual Ophthalmology Times Resident Writer's Award program, it was announced Sunday evening in a dinner presentation at the New Orleans Ritz-Carlton. The program was sponsored by Advanced Medical Optics (AMO).

Dr. Berdahl placed first among 16 entries received from participants at ophthalmic teaching institutions across the country. His presentation was titled "Using Intacs corneal implants to treat ectasia after radial keratotomy." His adviser was Alan N. Carlson, MD.

Another special occasion kept Dr. Berdahl from the event, however: his wife was in labor. Colleague Richard M. Awdeh, MD, ably presented Dr. Berdahl's paper in his absence and accepted the award on his behalf.

The entry of the second-place winner, Maria A. Woodward, MD, of the Emory Eye Center, Atlanta, was titled "Multifocal lens case." Her faculty mentor was R. Doyle Stulting, MD, PhD.

Capturing the honorable mention was Anita Gupta, MD, of the Wilmer Eye Institute of Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore. Her presentation was titled "Use of iris hooks during phacoemulsification of subluxated cataracts," and her adviser was Walter J. Stark, MD.

The Resident Writer's Awards program is designed to encourage excellence in writing and presentation skills among residents.

Chris M. Calcaterra, AMO's senior vice president, Cataract Refractive Business, Americas & EAM, presented awards and checks to the winners; other participants received plaques.

This year's entries were judged by the previous winners, including Daniel Chang, MD (2003); Joshua Stein, MD (2004); Jason Halverson, MD (2005); and Omesh P. Gupta, MD, MBA (2006). Dr. Berdahl's winning entry will be featured in a future issue of Ophthalmology Times.