77th Annual
Wills Eye Conference
March 6-8, 2025
Philadelphia, PA
TECHNICIAN PROGRAM FACULTY
Mary Reich Cooper, MD, JD
Associate Professor
Program Director, Healthcare Quality and Safety
Program Director, Operational Excellence
Interim Program Director, Population Health
Dr. Cooper is Associate Professor and Program Director for Healthcare Quality and Safety and Operational Excellence. She is also Interim Director of the Population Health Progam. She designed and inaugurated the Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Leadership (QIPS) program and the implementation of the Health System Science curriculum for the Sidney Kimmel Medical College in the JeffMD curriculum.
She is on the Board of the American College of Medical Quality, the QTIP Editor for the American Journal of Medical Quality, and a national speaker on patient safety, healthcare quality, leadership, and social determinants of health.
Much of Dr. Cooper’s career has been leading healthcare quality and patient safety for academic medical centers and affiliated organizations. Dr. Cooper was the Chief Quality Officer and Senior Vice President, Clinical Services for the Connecticut Hospital Association (CHA) from 2012 to 2021. At CHA, she was responsible for overseeing the implementation of High Reliability Science throughout the hospitals in Connecticut, creating value for the hospitals with their quality and safety strategy, and working closely with the state government and quality organizations. Dr. Cooper also oversaw CHA’s work in Population Health, including Social Determinants of Health and the Connecticut Perinatal Quality Collaborative.
Prior to her work at CHA, Dr. Cooper was in Rhode Island for five years, where she was Senior Vice President and Chief Quality Officer for Lifespan Corporation, a four-hospital health system based in Providence. She was an Assistant Professor in Medicine (Research) at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and a Member on the Rhode Island State Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline for five years. She went to Lifespan in July 2007, after twelve years at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, where she served as the Chief Quality Officer.
Dr. Cooper received her undergraduate degree cum laude from Duke University, her medical degree from Temple University School of Medicine, where she was elected to AOA, and her degree in health law from Pace University School of Law. She has numerous publications and grants, and her interests are large-scale change and health policy.
Shruthi Harish, MD
Neuro-Ophthalmologist
Wills Eye Hospital
Dr. Shruthi Harish, MD, is a neuro-ophthalmologist with a unique background combining expertise in the fields of ophthalmology and neurology. She obtained her medical degree from Kempegowda Institute, Bangalore, India, and subsequently completed an ophthalmology residency at Jawaharlal Institute (JIPMER), Pondicherry, a renowned medical university in India. Furthering her specialization, she pursued a clinical fellowship in glaucoma at Nethradhama Hospital, Bangalore.
Driven by a fervent passion for knowledge, Dr. Harish ventured to the United States, where she engaged in ophthalmic research in Houston and Cleveland. However, her unwavering dedication to clinical practice led her back to embarking on a neurology residency at Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia and culminating in a neuro-ophthalmology fellowship from Houston Methodist Hospital.
An academician by nature, Dr. Harish has contributed extensively to the field, publishing papers on various topics in neuro-ophthalmology and presenting posters at national conferences, including the American Academy of Neurology and the North American Neuro-ophthalmology Society. Her exceptional drive and patient-centered approach empowers her to deliver comprehensive and meticulous patient care. With her combined training in neurology and ophthalmology, she ensures an unparalleled level of expertise and compassion in her practice.
Ajay Kuriyan, MD
Retina Attending Surgeon
Wills Eye Hospital
Sara E. Lally, MD
Ocular Oncology
Wills Eye Hospital
Sara E. Lally, MD is a board-certified ophthalmologist with the Ocular Oncology Service at Wills Eye Hospital. She is an Assistant Professor at Thomas Jefferson University and is active with professional societies including the American Academy of Ophthalmology and International Society of Ocular Oncology. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, she attended medical school at Sidney Kimmel Medical College and completed her residency at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pennsylvania. Dr. Lally completed a two-year clinical fellowship in Ocular Oncology at Wills Eye Hospital.
Dr. Lally’s clinical interests include conjunctival and eyelid tumors. She has developed innovative new surgical techniques to treat cancers in the region near the eye and provide preservation of sight. Each week she is greatly involved in surgical procedures and therapies for eye cancers. She works extensively with the oculoplastics department removing eyelid tumors; the oculoplastics team will then reconstruct the lid. Another interest is orbital disease. Dr. Lally works in collaboration with other departments to provide best care for patients with orbital tumors, particularly those that have invaded the sinus or brain. Dr. Lally also manages babies and young children with serious eye diseases and cancers.
Dr. Lally is involved in numerous research projects investigating novel treatments for conjunctival, eyelid, and orbital disease, with preservation of the eye. She has explored treatments for radiation effects on the eye and is experienced with movable ocular implants following enucleation that provide the patient with a natural appearance.
Tatyana Milman, MD
Ocular Pathology
Wills Eye Hospital
Tatyana Milman, MD, is a physician in the Ocular Pathology Service at Wills Eye Hospital and a Professor, Ophthalmology and Professor, Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology, Sidney Kimmel Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University (SKMC), working as an Ophthalmic Pathologist and Comprehensive Ophthalmologist. She received her medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in 2000 followed by Ophthalmology Residency training at the Institute of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences (IOVS) – New Jersey Medical School. Dr. Milman was certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology in 2005. After completion of Ophthalmic Pathology fellowship at Wills Eye Institute, Dr. Milman joined the faculty in the Departments of Ophthalmology at the IOVS-NJ Medical School and at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, where she functioned as an ophthalmic pathologist and comprehensive ophthalmologist, and took an active part in resident education.
Dr. Milman completed a second residency in Anatomic Pathology at the University of Pennsylvania in 2017 and received certification from the American Board of Pathology.
Dr. Milman is a recipient of grants for creation of Illustrated Atlas and Virtual Microscopy Educational Modules in Ophthalmic Pathology. Her research interests include clinical-pathologic correlations in ophthalmic pathology. She has 62 published peer reviewed articles and has contributed chapters to several key volumes in the field of Eye Pathology, including World Health Organization Classification of Eye Tumors, ARP/AFIP fascicle on the Tumors of the Eye and Ocular Adnexa, and Duane Ophthalmology. Dr. Milman has been awarded Certificates of Appreciation from the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Board of Ophthalmology for her service on various committees dedicated to maintenance of certification and education in Ophthalmology and Ophthalmic Pathology. She is a regular presenter at the American Association Ophthalmic Pathology, the Eastern Ophthalmic Pathology Society and the Verhoeff-Zimmerman Society.
Marisa Schoen, MD
Cataract and Cornea Surgeon
Wills Eye Hospital
Dr. Marisa Schoen received her undergraduate degree at the University of Pennsylvania and then attended medical school at Thomas Jefferson University. She completed her ophthalmology residency at Wills Eye Hospital, where she was selected as chief resident during her final year. After residency, Dr. Schoen moved to Los Angeles, California to complete a 1-year fellowship in anterior segment surgery before returning to Philadelphia. She is an attending surgon at Wills Eye Hospital.
Alison Watson, MD
Oculoplastic and Orbital Surgery Physician
Wills Eye Hospital
Dr. Watson completed her internship at Lankenau Medical Center in Wynnewood, PA and her Ophthalmology Residency at Wills Eye Hospital of Thomas Jefferson University. During her time at Wills Eye, she was elected to The National Gold Humanism Honor Society and was awarded the Jefferson Volunteer Faculty Association Resident Award, which recognizes one resident university-wide who displays outstanding clinical excellence along with empathy and professionalism.
Dr. Watson went on to complete her combined American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (ASOPRS) and American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery (AACS) accredited oculofacial plastic and orbital surgery fellowship at TOC Eye and Face in Austin, Texas. During this time, she had the opportunity to participate in thousands of surgeries ranging from cosmetic facial plastic surgery to orbital trauma, and complex periorbital and facial reconstruction. She continued her commitment to international medicine by participating in a surgical mission to Vietnam, as well as continuing her academic pursuits, participating in multiple research projects, and authoring a number of peer reviewed publications. She has presented at multiple conferences including the national ASOPRS and AACS meetings.
Board certified in Ophthalmology, Dr. Watson provides specialty focused care in all areas of oculoplastic and orbital surgery including both functional and cosmetic eyelid surgery, eyelid and facial reconstruction, nasolacrimal surgery, orbital fracture repair and Thyroid Eye Disease. Her combined fellowship experience and concentrated exposure to facial cosmetic surgery has made her uniquely equipped to perform periorbital and forehead/brow cosmetic surgical rejuvenation as well as injectable facial rejuvenation.