Jacob Winters, MD, is the 2024 winner of the Department of Ophthalmology’s Dorothy Christie Scott Award.
Named after Dr. Dorothy Scott, the award was endowed by her late husband Glenwood in honor of his wife’s many years of providing vision care to the community. Prior to her passing in 2002, she made annual treks to the British West Indies to provide treatment to residents who otherwise would not have had access to vision care. Because of this dedication to the community, this award is given to a University of Pittsburgh Ophthalmology resident who has shown the same dedication to providing care for underserved populations.
Dr. Andrew Williams chose Dr. Winters as the recipient due to his dedication to care for patients in the community and beyond. “He goes out of his way to ensure that patients receive the follow up they need after urgent eye care,” Dr. Williams said. “For instance, on two occasions, patients from central Pennsylvania were referred urgently for trauma surgery. Dr. Winters assisted with the surgery but then went above and beyond to reach out to local ophthalmologists in their home communities to ensure follow up and proper communication about their care received in Pittsburgh. He applies the same focus on continuity for patients in our own community to facilitate follow up care, and he connects our patients with resources that would help them to maintain care, such as referrals to our patient navigator program. He has demonstrated commitment to caring for the whole patient in our community and from across the state.”
Dr. Winters graduated from Purdue University and spent several years as a high school teacher, which included being awarded Teacher of the Year. After trekking The Way of Saint James pilgrimage in Spain, he realized he wanted to pursue a career as a physician.
He has published several peer-reviewed papers about the eye, as well as authored and contributed to several articles on the American Academy of Ophthalmology EyeWiki site including “A Brief Guide to Spanish in Ophthalmology,” which aids eye professionals in better communicating with Spanish-speaking patients.
Dr. Winters plans to practice comprehensive ophthalmology with a focus on caring for underserved populations.