Resident Writer's Award Winner

John P. Berdahl, MD, a third-year resident at the Duke Eye Center, Duke University, Durham, NC, was named the winner of the fifth annual Resident Writer's Award program at the 2007 annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology in November in New Orleans.

Dr. Berdahl earned his undergraduate degree in physics summa cum laude at Augustana College, Sioux Falls, SD, where he minored in chemistry and biology. He completed medical school at Mayo Medical School, Rochester, MN, and an internship at the Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, AZ. During his residency, he received the Robert Machemer Research Award for his work related to cerebrospinal fluid pressure in glaucoma. On completion of his residency, he will undertake a fellowship in cornea, external disease, and refractive surgery at Minnesota Eye Consultants under Richard Lindstrom, MD, and David Hardten, MD.

Currently, 15 residents are undergoing training in ophthalmology at Duke. The full-time faculty of the Duke Eye Center consists of 43 clinicians, including 26 subspecialists, six general ophthalmologists, and 11 researchers. Duke's ophthalmology residency program was rated the fifth best in the country in the latest Ophthalmology Times best programs survey of ophthalmology department chairpersons and residency program directors.