Interviews

Ian J. Neeland, MD, FACC, FAHA, is co-director of the Center for Integrated and Novel Approaches in Vascular-Metabolic Disease for University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute and director of the UH Center for Cardiovascular Prevention, in the Cleveland, Ohio, area. Here, he explains how sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors can treat metabolic physiologic effects of sleep apnea.

Robert J. Hopkin, MD, clinical geneticist, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, details various known and understudied health-related quality-of-life factors in patients with Fabry disease.

It’s right to acknowledge that dental, hearing, and vision are important for total health care for Medicare beneficiaries, said Melissa Andel, MPP, vice president of health policy at CommonHealth Solutions.

The high cost of specialty drugs makes it important to use companion diagnostics and other tests to make sure the drug is going to the right patient, said George Van Antwerp, MBA, managing director, Deloitte Consulting.

Will Nutland, DrPH, is cofounder of PrEPster, an honorary assistant professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and an activist.

There has been significant use of digital tools in specialty pharmacy during the COVID-19 pandemic, but it remains to be seen if that move will remain permanent in addition to other offerings, in a less acute setting of care, said Lance Grady, market access practice director, Avalere Health.

Robert J. Hopkin, MD, clinical geneticist, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, discusses current and emerging therapeutic and technological advancements in the management of Fabry disease.

Jonathan Silverberg, MD, PhD, MPH, associate professor of dermatology, director of clinical research and patch testing, George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, explains efficacy and safety implications of JAK inhibitor use for atopic dermatitis.

Robert A. Gabbay, MD, PhD, chief scientific and medical officer at the American Diabetes Association, explains the Health Equity Now initiative and how it shines a light on health disparities.

Adriaan Voors, MD, professor of cardiology and director of the Heart Failure Clinic, University Medical Center Groningen, the Netherlands, addresses the lack of prescribing for sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors during hospitalization for acute heart failure by highlighting their benefits and that they are part of guideline-directed treatment.

David Ramsey, MD, PhD, MPH, explains findings from a study on telehealth use among patients with diabetes in Massachusetts.

James Auran, MD, a professor of ophthalmology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and president of the American Society of Ophthalmic Trauma, outlines the benefits and challenges of transferring ophthalmic care to outpatient facilities.

Anne Barmettler, MD, an associate professor of ophthalmology, visual sciences, and plastic surgery at Montefiore Medical Center discusses patient feedback on Tepezza (teprotumumab) for thyroid eye disease.

Leon Herndon Jr, MD, a glaucoma specialist, ophthalmologist, and professor of ophthalmology at the Duke University Eye Center, discusses how a patient’s age can affect their glaucoma symptoms and treatment.

Aaron Lee, MD, an associate professor of ophthalmology at University of Washington, describes how artificial intelligence (AI) is used in ophthalmology now and how it could be utilized in the future.

Victoria Ly, MD, MPH, explains the results of her study on follow-up among students in Arkansas who failed their vision screening tests.

Judith Lavrich, MD, and Jordan Hamburger outline findings from their research on virtual school and children's eye health.

Surgical decisions with children who have ophthalmic conditions need buy in from parents, but also the children as they get older, said William Katowitz, MD, attending surgeon in the Division of Ophthalmology at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Certain ophthalmic subspecialties were more well suited for telemedicine use based on what tends to get covered in patient visits, said Darren Chen, MD student at Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences.

Most of the adverse events that resulted from use of teprotumumab have been reversible, said Shoaib Ugradar, MD, UCLA Stein Eye Center Santa Monica.

Unlike other options in the past, teprotumumab actually addresses bulging eye and double vision associated with thyroid eye disease (TED), which patients primarily care about, explained Robert G. Fante, MD, FACS, president of the American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery and facial plastic surgeon and cosmetic surgeon, Fante Eye & Face Centre in Denver, Colorado.

Whether or not a child’s vision is impacted by ptosis, there are usually alternatives to surgery, which is elective, said William Katowitz, MD, attending surgeon in the Division of Ophthalmology at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Robert A. Gabbay, MD, PhD, chief scientific and medical officer at the American Diabetes Association, explains why clinical trials need to be inclusive and how the Health Equity Now initiative is working to recruit more diverse populations with diabetes.

Theresa Juday, RPh, director, Specialty Product Development, CVS Health, speaks about the barriers affecting uptake of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) as a first-line treatment for insomnia.

Robert A. Gabbay, MD, PhD, chief scientific and medical officer at the American Diabetes Association, discusses COVID-19 vaccinations among people with diabetes as they have been disproportionally affected by the pandemic.

Jonathan Silverberg, MD, PhD, MPH, associate professor of dermatology, director of clinical research and patch testing, George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, discusses the involvement of the JAK/STAT pathway in the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis.

The American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery (ASOPRS) will be meeting in person in New Orleans to go over the latest scientific advances, said Robert G. Fante, MD, FACS, president of ASOPRS and facial plastic surgeon and cosmetic surgeon, Fante Eye & Face Centre in Denver, Colorado.

At the American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery (ASOPRS) 2021 Fall Scientific Symposium, Shoaib Ugradar, MD, UCLA Stein Eye Center Santa Monica, will receive an award for his work on floppy eyelid syndrome and using collagen cross-linking to stiffen the eyelid and help patients.

Richard Wasserman, MD, PhD, an allergist and immunologist with Allergy Partners of North Texas, an early adopter of food allergy oral immunotherapy (OIT), discusses how attitudes have changed around the practice.

James Auran, MD, a professor of ophthalmology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and president of the American Society of Ophthalmic Trauma, explains what he is most looking forward to at the 2021 conference of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO).