More than 200 School of Medicine faculty members were nominated by their peers for recognition on National Doctors’ Day, March 30, 2024. And, while the Department of Ophthalmology applauds the deserved accolades heaped on colleagues from other departments, we are especially proud of the two ophthalmologists who were singled out for recognition this year: Dr. Jason H. Peragallo and Dr. Nieraj Jain
Jason Peragallo, MD
Jason H. Peragallo, MD doesn’t seek out praise for his work. With appointments in Emory’s Neuro-ophthalmology and Pediatric Ophthalmology & Adult Strabismus sections, he’s too busy.
But the praise is there.
And it’s not luke-warm.
Writes one patient in a post-visit survey:
“Only a miracle worker could’ve done better. And we know God is the Master Healer.”
Another patient was more succinct:
“Amazingly wonderful.”
But it’s his boss, Dr. Allen Beck, the F. Phinizy Calhoun Sr. Chair of Ophthalmology and director of the Emory Eye Center, whose praise best explains why his fellow physicians chose Peragallo for this honor.
“Jason Peragallo is laser focused on treating children with neurological problems that affect vision or movement of the eyes,” says Beck. “We are so fortunate to have an internationally known expert to provide wonderful care for these kids.”
A native of Long Island, New York, Peragallo had two interests competing for a career commitment when he was a college-bound high school student: a fascination with optics and a love of music.
“If I hadn’t chosen medicine, I would probably have been a high school music teacher,” he admits. “I started playing tuba when I was 8 or 9 years old. I was in bands and orchestras in high school, so I did consider going to music school.”
He still plays the tuba. In fact, you can see him perform with the Atlanta Wind Symphony on May 11. But, fortunately for Emory, medicine won out.
“I’ve always been interested in the workings of the eye, the mechanics. And during my residency, I discovered that I loved working with different patients, figuring out the mysteries behind different diagnoses, and solving problems,” he says.
During his 12-year tenure at Emory, Peragallo has gained widespread respect in the ophthalmology community for both his evaluation and treatment of strabismus caused by neurologic disease and for his treatment of children with neuro-ophthalmic diseases. He has conducted strabismus research in patients with neurologic disorders, as well as research in idiopathic intracranial hypertension.
Tackling cases that straddle both of his clinical sub-specialties has kept Peragallo on his toes. But he is equally drawn to the research that will push the field forward. He is currently collaborating with Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia on a multi-center research project that will focus on idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH), a condition that causes swelling of the optic nerve that can result in blindness.
“I like to be able to bring solutions to my patients. And IIH is a growing problem in the US and the world,” he says. “We want to figure out what the underlying causes are.”
-Kathleen E. Moore
Nieraj Jain, MD
This is the second year in a row that Nieraj Jain, a retina specialist and the head of Emory's Ophthalmic Genetics section, has been honored on National Doctors’ Day. He stops just short of wincing when this is pointed out.
“I mean, this is really a great team that we work with. They have a lot of expertise that you can’t find elsewhere,” he says, referring to the highly trained technicians and ophthalmic photographers who assist him with patients each day.
“When everything clicks with our team, it allows me to do my best work for my patients. And this past year, it has also allowed me to focus more on one of my passions: mystery retinal degenerations.”
Mystery?
Every patient presents a different challenge – some of them new or puzzling. Jain is part of an informal network of retina specialists who regularly consult with each other on difficult or complicated diagnoses. These ongoing collaborations advance patient care at the Emory Eye Center on a daily basis. They also give direction to Jain’s clinical research.
Again, Jain credits his research colleagues with recent advances he’s made.
“We have a great team of clinical research coordinators, clinical fellows, and, this year, a new post-doctoral fellow (Sakshi Shiromani, MBBS), who have helped to uncover new findings regarding the toxicity of pentosan polysulfate, a drug used for bladder pain syndrome. That’s a condition we discovered at Emory, through our clinical research.”
Jain and his colleagues have also made great strides identifying and researching novel treatments for inherited retinal diseases, some of which are currently in clinical trials. He quietly acknowledges the value of this work, but ends the conversation by pointing fingers again:
“I have had the good fortune of being financially supported in my research by grateful patients, donors, and foundations, who have allowed us to take our research program to the next level.”
And it’s that next level where we expect to find Jain next year, as well.