July 31st, 2022
Episode 28: Dr. Uday Devgan, MD
A discussion on
“Medical education & The personal journey to surgical excellence in ophthalmology”
Dr. Uday Devgan, MD
In a first for open globe talk, we are incredibly elated to host Dr. Uday Devgan, MD, also known as the ‘cataract coach’. Dr. Devgan is an international expert in ocular surgery, ranked #1 in southern California and #3 in the United States. He specializes in cataract, refractive lens, and LASIK. Dr. Devgan is a private practice surgeon at Devgan Eye Surgery and is full partner at Specialty Surgical Center of Beverly Hills. He has served as clinical professor at Jules Stein Eye Institute UCLA and has been chief of Ophthalmology at Olive View-UCLA Medical Center.
Dr. Devgan completed his undergraduate at UCLA. He graduated summa cum laude with his MD from the University of Southern California School of Medicine. He then completed his ophthalmology residency training at UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine.
Dr. Devgan has taught in over 60 countries and his ‘Back to Basics’ monthly feature is disbursed to over 80,000 ophthalmologists around the world. His global surgical mission work and his online teaching platform, ‘Cataract Coach’ (cataractcoach.com), which has garnered over 13 million views, have made him a prominent philanthropist and eminent educator in the field of ophthalmology. It is no surprise that the annual ophthalmology faculty teaching award at UCLA has gone to him a record 5 times. We hope our listeners enjoy this segment as we learn about what it takes to achieve personal excellence in ophthalmology!
Check out the video collaboration with Dr. Devgan at the cataract coach website! Link below.
Key discussion points:
“It’s the horse not the track that wins the race. It’s the good horse that can race on any track!”
2 questions asked from residency aspirants:
What have you taught yourself outside of medicine in the last few years?
Describe what an amazing day in residency would be for you?
Making connections through virtual platforms
Find a residency program that you would do well in.
School acts as a foundation
It teaches you the discipline to learn
Charting one’s own path in medicine
Practice makes perfect
10-10-10 rule
Put full effort regardless of where you start at.
“Your patients are going to see the world every waking moment for the rest of your live…you really have to hold yourself to a much higher standard.”
Length of ophthalmology at the international level
Residency and fellowship are just the beginning!
Teaching during COVID
Building cataractcoach.com
Holding nothing back
“Learning from videos can compress the learning curve”
5-minute video, x1/day!
Cataract coach sessions in meetings
Managing and editing all videos
Finding time and being efficient
Ask someone who is busy because they know how to get things done!
The choice of not doing fellowship
Being a self-learner instead through attending conferences and other resources. Seeking mentorship outside of formal training.
Dr. Robert Osher
Books:
What I say: Conversations that improve the patient-physician relationship
The real ABCs, Achievement, Balance, Contentment, A Surgeon’s analysis and a father’s legacy
Be your own competition: “You be you”
Cataract Coach curriculum
Guidance for residency
Finding mentorship
Advice for residency applications
Being purposeful about the programs you apply to
Be tenacious
Work hard in residency because the learning never stops!
Secret to success: “Every surgery I do, I’m giving the same high level of care as if it were my own eye”
Episode-based Resources: