Ophthalmologist Jennifer Lopez, MD, may have never discovered her passion for treating patients’ eyes if not for a two-week elective she took on a whim during medical school. Now, after years of training and honing her skills, she is joining the University of Colorado Department of Ophthalmology as a new faculty member after completing the CU Vitreoretinal Diseases and Surgery Fellowship this summer.
As a retina specialist and surgeon, Lopez will help care for the thousands of patients in Colorado with retinal diseases, detachment or tears, and other retina-related issues. In her new role, she looks forward to teaching trainees while simultaneously improving clinical care for patients from diverse backgrounds — particularly Spanish-speaking patients who she can communicate with directly.
“It’s exciting because it feels like I’ve worked my whole life toward getting to this point,” Lopez says. “There are some fears with becoming an attending, but because I trained here, I’m very close with all the other attendings and know I’ll have their support if needed. We have an amazing program here with phenomenal clinicians, surgeons, and educators.”
Faculty at the Sue Anschutz-Rodgers Eye Center are thrilled about Lopez joining the team, says Scott Oliver, MD, chief of retina service, director of the retina fellowship program, and an associate professor of ophthalmology.
“She is a gifted ophthalmic surgeon who showed early talent for managing very difficult cases, a talented investigator with interest in social determinants of health, and a caring, compassionate physician,” Oliver says. “She fits the culture of our group and was a unanimous choice.”
Lopez, who grew up in San Jose, California, became interested in becoming a doctor when her mother was diagnosed with colon cancer while Lopez was in high school.
“She’s now in remission and is doing well, but after seeing her experience as a teenager and meeting her oncologist and surgeon, I was inspired to go into the field of medicine,” Lopez says.
After graduating from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2014 with a degree in microbiology, immunology, and molecular genetics, Lopez took a gap year and applied to medical schools. The following year, she packed her bags and left her home state of California to move to the east coast and attend the New York University Grossman School of Medicine.
“I really didn’t know anything about ophthalmology when I started medical school, but I needed to take a two-week elective and ophthalmology was the only option,” she says. “In those two weeks, I fell in love with the field. You have the continuity of care within the clinic, but you also get to do procedures and surgery. It had everything I wanted.”
Following graduation, Lopez returned to California to do a residency program at the University of Southern California Roski Eye Institute, where she discovered a passion for treating eye conditions related to the retina.
“Retina is one of the unique subspecialties where you can have continuity with patients, and I really liked that because I want to get to know my patients,” she says. “This field is also interesting because the cases are often complex, as a lot of systemic diseases manifest in the back of the eye. The surgeries can be like a puzzle, because your approach has to be tailored to each patient.”
There are many reasons a patient may see a retina specialist, otherwise known as a vitreoretinal specialist. For instance, a patient may have a tear or hole in their retina that requires a laser procedure. Another patient may have retinal detachment that requires surgery.
Other patients may have an eye disease that requires specialized, long-term care. For example, as of 2019, an estimated 19.8 million adults in the United States aged 40 and older were living with age-related macular degeneration, an eye disease where damage to part of the retina leads to blurred vision. Retina specialists also care for patients with diabetic retinopathy — a condition where patients with diabetes experience vision loss due to damaged blood vessels in the retina. In 2021, there were an estimated 9.6 million people in the U.S. living with diabetic retinopathy.
Hoping to learn how to best care for these patients, Lopez was thrilled to join the CU Vitreoretinal Diseases and Surgery Fellowship in 2023. The two-year program trains fellows to become exceptional vitreoretinal specialists who can diagnose and treat complex disorders and perform cutting-edge surgeries and procedures.
“I always thought I would go back to California, but I’ve really loved being in Colorado. Our retina program is such a gem,” she says. “During my fellowship, I grew as a clinician and as a surgeon. I’m now ready to be an independent surgeon, to make decisions on my own, and to teach future generations as I transition into my new role as an attending.”
As a fellow, Lopez trained at multiple medical sites including UCHealth, Denver Health, Rocky Mountain Regional Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and Children’s Hospital Colorado. Now, as an attending, she will continue working as a retina specialist at the Sue Anschutz-Rodgers Eye Center and Denver Health, where she is eager to help improve care for patients.
“There are so many patients, especially at Denver Health, who come in with end-stage diabetic retinopathy. A lot of them speak Spanish as their primary language, and I speak Spanish. For many of them, it’s their first time even seeing a provider who speaks the same language as them,” she says. “I feel really fulfilled because I’m able to help in a different way by helping them understand their condition better.”
For example, Lopez has encountered patients who did not understand why they needed certain medications, and it wasn’t until she took the time to explain it to them that they understood the importance of the therapies. Another patient of hers appeared to be more motivated to control his diabetes after she fully explained his condition and the steps he should take to improve his health in Spanish.
“Being a woman and a Latina in the retina field is less common, so I’m proud of the confidence I’ve gained in myself as a physician,” she says. “Working with the Spanish-speaking population is one way that allows me to give back to my community.”
Progressing into the next step of her career, Lopez has several goals for her future. One of the first is starting a project at Denver Health that focuses on improving diabetic retinopathy screening, with the hopes that improving the screening process will lead to improved outcomes for patients.
“We have some cameras in primary care clinics to do this screening, but these cameras are not heavily utilized,” she says. “We aim to conduct implementation science research to evaluate what barriers there are.”
Lopez is also interested in researching how artificial intelligence can be applied to improve eye health care. For instance, if the cameras used in the screening process were able to do real-time analysis, it could potentially result in more efficient patient care.
“Developing and improving access to care for our underserved populations is really important to me,” Lopez says. “I’m really excited for what is next. I loved my fellowship at CU, and if I had to choose again, I would 100% choose coming back here.”