Stephen Updegraff | |
|---|---|
| Alma mater | |
| Known for | LASIK |
| Medical career | |
| Field | ophthalmic surgery |
Stephen Updegraff,M.D.,FACS (born January 31, 1962, inSt. Petersburg, Florida) is an Americanrefractive surgeon best known for his early involvement in, and contributions to,LASIK.[1] He is aFellow of the American College of Surgeons, a board-certified member of theAmerican Board of Ophthalmology, a founding member of the American College of Ophthalmic Surgeons, and a member of the International Society of Refractive Surgery, the American Academy of Ophthalmology, theAmerican Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, and the Pine Ridge Eye Study Society. Updegraff currently serves as the medical director of Updegraff Vision in St. Petersburg, Florida.[2]
Updegraff was born in St. Petersburg, Florida. Updegraff was a descendant of the Dutch[3] and GermanOp den Graeff family. He was a direct descendant ofHerman op den Graeff,mennonite leader ofKrefeld, and his grandsonAbraham op den Graeff, one of the founders ofGermantown and in 1688 signer of thefirst protest against slavery in colonial America.
Stephen Updegraff graduated fromThe McCallie School in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He was exposed to the medical treatment of eyes at an early age by his father,ophthalmologist Ambrose Updegraff, M.D., whom he accompanied on hospital rounds to visit patients who had undergone eye surgeries.[4]
Updegraff received his bachelor's degree in biology fromEckerd College in 1984,[5] and his M.D. from thePenn State College of Medicine in 1989.[6]
Updegraff completed a six-month internship and his ophthalmic residency at theLouisiana State University Eye Center inNew Orleans, where he performed research onexcimer lasers, focusing specifically on procedures such askeratomileusis.[7] During a fellowship at theUniversity of Texas-Houston's Hermann Eye Center, Updegraff worked for Stephen G. Slade, M.D.,[8] then one of only two surgeons in the United States performing keratomileusis,[9] and was a member of the team chaired by Slade and Luis A. Ruiz, M.D., that developed LASIK.[8]
During its 1994FDAclinical trials, Updegraff performed the third LASIK surgery in the United States. He then became the first surgeon to perform LASIK inAsia, where he demonstrated it and taught its techniques to hundreds of doctors inChina.[10] Updegraff currently has seven patents on technologies for LASIK and microsurgery of the eye,[11][12] and he frequently lectures and publishes on issues and advancements in refractive surgery.
1995-97 Advisory Panel, Ethicon Surgery[12]
1996-00 Skills Transfer Advisory Board Member, American Academy of Ophthalmology[12]
1997-00 USA Representative, International Society of Refractive Surgery Global Council[12]
1998-00 VISX Star Surgeon, Top 50 Excimer Laser Surgeons, United States[12]
1999 Outstanding Career Achievement Award, Eckerd College[12]
2000 Best Presentation, International Society of Refractive Surgery[12]
2001 Achievement Award, American Academy of Ophthalmology[12]
2003 Outstanding Business of the Year Award, St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce[12]
2003 Performed first Crystalens lens implant surgery in Florida[20]
2003-05 Board of Trustees Member, Prevent Blindness[12]
2007 Kritzinger Memorial Award, International Society of Refractive Surgery & South African Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery[12]
2008 Center of Excellence Award, Crystalens[12]
2009 Best Paper of Session, American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery[12]
2009-11 Dean's Council on Science member, Eckerd College[12]
2009 Distinguished Citizen Award, West Central Florida Council Boy Scouts of America[21]
2010-12 Best Doctors in America list[12]
2010-11 Leading Innovators in Premium IOL implant surgery list, Premier Surgeon[12]
2011 Top Doctors list, U.S. News & World Report[22]