The Eye & Ear Foundation is happy to announce that Caroline Vloka, MD has been awarded this year’s Dorothy Christie Scott Academic Mission Award in Ophthalmology. Dr. Vloka is a second-year resident in ophthalmology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Her current research projects focus on better understanding the natural history of periorbital infections, risk factors for need for surgery and regional differences in microbiology. Additionally, she is working on other projects that evaluate different aspects of orbital pathology and lid surgery. In her free time, she enjoys cooking and discovering new restaurants in Pittsburgh.
The Dorothy Christie Scott Academic Mission Award, which is named after Dr. Dorothy Scott, was endowed by Dr. Scott’s late husband Glenwood in honor of his wife’s many years of providing vision care to the community. Dr. Scott, who passed away in 2002, was one of two women in the University of Pittsburgh’s medical class of 1956 and the first female resident in ophthalmology at what was then the Eye and Ear Hospital of Pittsburgh. Throughout her career and retirement Dr. Scott and her husband made annual treks to the British West Indies to provide treatment to residents who otherwise wouldn’t have access to vision care. Because of this dedication to the community, this award is given annually to a University of Pittsburgh Ophthalmology resident who has shown the same dedication to providing care for underserved populations.