J. Kevin Belville, MD
This book represents a career-long interest by Dr. Belville in advancing ophthalmic surgical skills. During his residency at Cornell, Dr. Belville was inspired by renowned ophthalmologists, especially Professors Coleman, Lincoff, Chang, Ellsworth, and Abramson, to instruct others.
Dr. Belville experienced his first teaching appointment as Chief Resident at Cornell.
During his year aboard ORBIS, Dr. Belville had the unique opportunity to train surgeons in over a dozen countries worldwide.
Over the past 20 years, Dr. Belville has been a clinical instructor, previously at the Washington Hospital Center in Washington DC, and currently at UCLA in Los Angeles, California.
Dr. Belville has produced instructional LASIK videotapes, written book chapters and journal articles, and has lectured worldwide.
Ronald J. Smith, MD, MPH
Dr. Smith earned his medical degree from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Stony Brook. He went on to complete a clinical research fellowship with Professor Harvey Lincoff in the Department of Ophthalmology at Cornell/Presbyterian New York Hospital. He acquired his meticulous approach toward teaching surgical skills from Dr. Larry Jindra during his residency in Ophthalmology at SUNY Stony Brook.
In 1995, Dr. Smith entered a 2-year fellowship program in cornea-external ocular disease and refractive surgery at the UCLA/Jules Stein Eye Institute, where he participated in the FDA trials of photorefractive keratectomy and LASIK. His outstanding performance earned him the Clinical Research Award for his work on corneal topography. Working with Robert Maloney, who shaped his analytical approach to evaluating corneal disease and intraocular inflammation, Dr. Smith wrote the first published report on DLK, Diffuse Lamellar Keratitis: Description of a New Syndrome (Ophthalmology. 105:1721- 1729,1998).
During his fellowship training with Drs. Robert Maloney, Bartly Mondino, Gary Holland, and Barry Weissman, he was inspired by the academically rigorous environment of mutually supportive teaching, research and patient care. This example has motivated Dr. Smith to publish his clinical and research findings on LASIK and refractive surgery in the Journal of Refractive Surgery, Ophthalmology, and the American Journal of Ophthalmology.
Dr. Smith conducts laser vision correction courses in the United States and abroad. After finishing his fellowship, he became the director of a prominent laser refractive center in Beverly Hills. Dr. Smith recently completed a Master of Public Health program at UCLA to further develop his academic skills. He currently serves as an assistant professor at the UCLA Jules Stein Eye Institute and volunteers with the Lions’ Club and Flying Samaritans.
