If Daniel Ozzello, MD, director of the residency program at the University of Colorado Anschutz Department of Ophthalmology, had to describe the graduating Class of 2026 in one word, it would be “grit.”
“Each of them has faced personal or professional challenges at some point during their training, and they have consistently responded with courage, hard work, teamwork, and drive,” Ozzello says. “I am incredibly proud of the Class of 2026. They have demonstrated remarkable grit and poise throughout their training. They have grown into leaders, and I am excited to see where their careers go.”
The graduating residents, hailing from across the globe, have spent the past four years at the CU Anschutz campus honing their skills and developing meaningful relationships with colleagues, mentors, and patients. While some are preparing to enter private practice, others plan to embark on a fellowship following graduation. Regardless of their plans, they each share in one mission: to deliver exceptional eye care to patients.
Members of the graduating class are:
To prepare residents to become the next generation of leaders in ophthalmology, trainees are exposed to a variety of ophthalmic conditions in different patient populations at multiple clinical settings, including the Sue Anschutz-Rodgers Eye Center, the only academic eye center within a 500-mile radius. Residents also work with patients at the Rocky Mountain Regional Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Children’s Hospital Colorado, and Denver Health.
“Our residency is one of the busiest in the country,” Ozzello says. “I hope the training has prepared them to be adaptable, lifelong learners who are ready to embrace the continually shifting health care landscape and take excellent care of their patients.”
When Evie, one of this year’s graduating residents, moved to the United States at the age of 15 to begin her college education, she had no idea it was the start of her journey to becoming a future specialist in uveitis, an underserved and understudied field of ophthalmology.
Growing up in Lagos, Nigeria, Evie’s parents wanted her to pursue higher education in the U.S. where they felt she would have better opportunities. In 2013, she boarded a plane, on her own, to head to Bowling Green, Kentucky, and start her studies at Western Kentucky University, where she majored in biology.
“It’s the American dream to be able to get opportunities that you can’t have in your country and achieve your dreams,” Evie says. “Coming here alone was hard, but it was also exciting. There were also a lot of other international students, so I didn’t feel alone. We became like a family.”
Driven to help others, after graduating in 2017, Evie wanted to attend medical school. She was accepted into the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri, but deferred for a year due to financial barriers she faced as an international student.
“During that time, I was working and conducting research in cardiology in St. Louis, but it was a rough year and emotionally draining,” she says. “There were times where I worried that things would not work out.”
However, through coordinating with her school, Evie was able to secure enough funding to begin her training in 2018. During her third year of medical school, she signed up for an ophthalmology elective that changed her career trajectory.
“I loved seeing the pathology of the eye, and it was great to have patients be participants in their care. Also, there was such a camaraderie with the other residents and attendants,” she says. “I really enjoyed the different procedures, such as cataract surgery. It was amazing to see that a 15-minute procedure could change someone’s life.”
Evie’s interest in the residency program at CU Anschutz stemmed from an ophthalmology mentor who was a former CU Anschutz resident. Craving a new environment, Evie interviewed in Colorado and found that it matched what she was looking for, making it her top choice.
“Another resident, Tiffany Wu, we both went to WashU, and we both applied to Colorado. We found out on Match Day that we both matched here, and it was great,” Evie says.
During residency training, Evie gained more exposure to uveitis, a broad term for a type of eye inflammation that can lead to vision problems and permanent blindness. There are a variety of different factors that can cause this inflammation, making it difficult to diagnose and treat. Through learning from mentors like Alan Palestine, MD, chief of the department’s uveitis and ocular immunology section, Evie discovered a passion for the field.
“It’s a field of ophthalmology that people still don’t know much about. With these patients, who are going through a condition that can be painful and difficult to resolve, you build a relationship with them that is really rewarding,” Evie says. “I’ve seen the trust that my attendings have built with their patients. They are amazing people, and I hope to be like them.”
After graduation, Evie will begin a uveitis fellowship at Northwestern University in Illinois, where she hopes to further develop her skills and advance understanding of uveitis. Ultimately, her goal is to bring her skills to patients beyond the U.S.
“I really want to do global ophthalmology work. I’ve always been interested in giving back to my country, Nigeria, because I haven’t been back since 2013. There is so much need there,” she says, explaining that there is a lack of infrastructure to provide specialized care for conditions such as uveitis.
In her future career, she aims to build connections in Nigeria so she can visit and help educate local health care workers on how to provide eye health care. She is inspired by mentors like Malik Kahook, MD, a professor of ophthalmology who volunteers with Orbis Flying Eye Hospital, an aircraft that helps deliver eye care and training to people around the globe.
“I’ve learned from my mentors that teaching is one of the best approaches. If you can educate people and adapt methods to how they live and the resources they have, then when you leave, they can continue the work, and it will be a self-sustaining project,” she says.
Although Evie is excited to begin her uveitis fellowship training, she says it is bittersweet to leave Colorado, where she has met incredible colleagues and mentors.
“Residency training is not easy,” she says. “But if you are able to find a supportive community, that is what will help you get through the challenges.”
For many ophthalmology residents, their training consists of spending four years at the same institution. That wasn’t the case for Style, whose grit was put to the test in 2024 when his original residency program in New York unexpectedly shut down.
He had already spent three years at the program, but now he found himself in search of a place to complete his training. He discovered a newfound home at CU Anschutz, which had a vacant spot in its residency class.
“I did an interview with residency leaders, and it felt like a fit from the start,” he says. “I found my new ophthalmology family.”
Style, who grew up in New Jersey, was drawn to medicine from a young age, as he was inspired by his father being a physician. After earning a double major in biology and psychology at Rutgers University, he followed in his father’s footsteps and attended the same medical school, the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.
As part of his medical training, Style did a rotation in ophthalmology that was originally meant to last one week, but he enjoyed the field so much that he pursued it further. It offered the perfect blend of opportunities to provide care to patients, perform surgeries, and make a tangible impact.
Although it was challenging to have to transfer residency programs, Style received immense support from faculty members and colleagues at CU Anschutz.
“The transition was challenging because you have to learn a new system, meet new people, and hold onto the knowledge that you gained during your previous training while remaining open to learning new skills and techniques,” he says. “But the community of this program was there for me, helping me develop as an ophthalmologist. It’s a very supportive atmosphere to overcome these challenges. Ultimately, you don’t really grow without struggle and challenge, and I think I’m better for it.”
Style describes his training at CU Anschutz as comprehensive, purposeful, and fulfilling. He says it was especially rewarding to provide care to patients of different backgrounds at a variety of medical sites. One patient, for instance, was a man in his 40s with bilateral white cataracts, resulting in him being essentially blind. The man was unhoused, and his lack of vision could pose a higher safety risk.
“We did cataract surgery on both of his eyes on the same day, and within one hour after the operation, he had some level of restored sight. Witnessing his reaction was really gratifying,” Style says. “This operation fundamentally changed his life, and now, so much more of the world is open to him.”
Style says he now feels well prepared to take care of patients and perform surgeries thanks to the training he received at CU Anschutz.
“The training has been fantastic, with plenty of opportunities to develop your skills. The faculty have a wealth of knowledge, and they are willing to teach you and make sure you get the most out of your training,” he says. “Everyone has been such a family here.”
Following graduation, Style will return to New York to begin working in private practice at the Ophthalmic Consultants of Long Island, where he will offer comprehensive eye care and perform cataract surgeries. His top priority is to be an ophthalmologist who patients feel they can trust to offer them the best care possible.
“Just because residency is ending doesn’t mean that the learning ends,” he says. “There is more to learn, and I know that the relationships I’ve developed at CU Anschutz will still be there for me in my future endeavors if I need advice.”
Throughout his ophthalmology training, a key lesson Style has learned is the importance of pursuing one’s passions and making the most of the journey.
“My advice to others is to have fun and do what you enjoy,” he says. “Choose the path that you want to show up and participate in every day, because that is what will prevent you from burning out or losing purpose in your path.”