Ophthalmologist Dr. Marjan Farid recognized for eye care innovations

Ophthalmologist Dr. Marjan Farid recognized for eye care innovations

The Roger Steinert, MD, Legacy Award is a testament to leadership, dedication and expertise in the field

Orange, Calif. - The work of pioneering ophthalmologist Dr. Marjan Farid was recently recognized with the Roger Steinert, MD, Legacy Award at the June 20-21 Octane Ophthalmology Tech Forum in Irvine.

"This recognition is a testament to Dr. Farid's unwavering dedication, expertise and leadership in ophthalmology," says Dr. Baruch D. Kupperman, director of the UCI Health Gavin Herbert Eye Institute.

"Her work continues to inspire her colleagues and shape the future of eye care."

Award honors a legacy

The award, created by nonprofit Octane OC in 2017, remembers and honors the legacy of the late UCI Health ophthalmologist Dr. Roger Steinert for his numerous innovative contributions to the field. Among his advancements is revolutionizing modern laser surgery techniques to prevent blindness and improve vision.

Farid honored him in her acceptance speech:

"Roger Steinert was my mentor, colleague and friend. He taught me so many things, not only to be a great clinician and surgeon, but he also taught me how to think ... about problems and how to derive innovative solutions to those problems in our industry."

Committed to a world without blindness

Farid, a professor of ophthalmology and director of UCI Health Severe Ocular Surface Disease Program, has carried on Steinert's legacy of leadership and his commitment to a world without blindness. She has restored vision for hundreds of people with serious damage to the surfaces of their eyes.

She is one of the few ophthalmologists in the country who is able to perform the complex ocular stem cell transplantation procedure.

It is largely because of Farid's work that the Gavin Herbert Eye Institute was named by the Holland Foundation for Sight Restoration in 2023 as the first of five centers of excellence for severe ocular disease in the United States and the only one on the West Coast.

She performs corneal transplants of all types, including femtosecond laser-enabled lamellar keratoplasty and limbal stem cell transplants.

As the author or co-author of numerous peer-reviewed publications, her research has focused on corneal surgery and the use of the femtosecond laser in corneal transplantation.

Farid has also been named a Physician of Excellence by the Orange County Medical Association every year since 2012. She also served as chair of the cornea clinical committee with the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) from 2023 to 2024.

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About UCI Health

UCI Healthis the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine, and the only academic health system based in Orange County. UCI Health is comprised of its main campus, UCI Medical Center, a 459-bed, acute care hospital in in Orange, Calif., four hospitals and affiliated physicians of the UCI Health Community Network in Orange and Los Angeles counties and ambulatory care centers across the region. Listed among America's Best Hospitals by U.S. News & World Report for 23 consecutive years, UCI Medical Center provides tertiary and quaternary care and is home to Orange County's only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, high-risk perinatal/neonatal program and American College of Surgeons-verified Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center, gold level 1 geriatric emergency department and regional burn center. UCI Health serves a region of nearly 4 million people in Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.