Clinic to Home2: An IOP Conversation with Dr. Chaya

Craig J. Chaya, MD, practices anterior segment ophthalmology and surgery, focusing on the medical and surgical management of routine/complex cataracts and glaucoma.

Dr. Chaya received his medical degree from Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, California, and his BS degree from La Sierra University, Riverside, California. He completed residencies in internal medicine at the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center and ophthalmology at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. Additionally, he received training in international ophthalmology as a Himalayan Cataract Project/Freedom Foundation Fellow in Kathmandu and Hetauda, Nepal, and completed a glaucoma fellowship at the University of Utah, John A. Moran Eye Center.

In addition to the main University of Utah campus location, he also practices at Moran’s clinics at the Redwood and Midvalley health centers, along with the Salt Lake Veterans Medical Center and Primary Children’s Medical Center. He is an Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of Utah Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences.

Dr. Chaya has an interest in international ophthalmology and serves as Moran’s Division Chief of Global Ophthalmology. He has worked as a consultant and volunteer in Guam, Micronesia, Ghana, Haiti, Thailand, and Nepal. His research interests include novel glaucoma surgical devices and international blindness prevention. His philosophy is to provide customized, compassionate eye care that considers the whole person.

Barbara M. Wirostko, MD, FARVO, is Moran’s Resident Research Director and Adjunct Professor of Ophthalmology and Biomedical Engineering. She is a board-certified ophthalmologist, glaucoma specialist, and a Fellow of The Association of Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO).

As a serial entrepreneur for biotech startups, she has received millions in grants as the principal investigator (PI) for funding from the Department of Defense and National Science Foundation. Her research interest is in novel glaucoma therapeutics, sustained delivery of therapeutics for ocular pathologies, and better understanding the genetics and associated systemic diseases of exfoliative syndrome, a common cause of open-angle glaucoma.

Dr. Wirostko has scored in the top 10 percent nationwide for patient satisfaction. Her honors include Moran’s Clinical Faculty of the Year Award in 2015 and the Third Annual Distinguished Alumni Award from the Edward S. Harkness Eye Institute, Columbia University. She is the current recipient of a major National Glaucoma Research award from the BrightFocus Foundation.

Her professional and scientific experience includes serving on the editorial boards for Ophthalmology Glaucoma, Acta Ophthalmologica, and Journal of Glaucoma. She’s an active committee member for ARVO and a scientific advisor for the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine, The Glaucoma Foundation, and the Glaucoma Research Foundation.