Fresh from a Fellowship at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh Medical Centre (UPMC), Dr Elizabeth Conner has returned to her hometown and joined the team at SES as a paediatric ophthalmologist and corneal surgeon.
The 13-month long fellowship saw Dr Conner working under Professor Ken K Nischal and Dr Matthew Pihlblad on a wide range of paediatric cases and conditions. Professor Nischal is renowned for his work in the field of anterior segment dysgenesis, which Dr Conner has a special interest in. She is now bringing this expertise, and her learnings in the field of ocular genetics, to her work here. Dr Pihlblad is a world class strabismologist, so Dr Conner is also able to see and treat adults and children with eye movement disorders here at Southern Eye Specialists.
Dr Conner was born in Wellington and completed her medical training across the country (from Dunedin via Christchurch, Wellington and Nelson to Auckland). Before her time in Pittsburgh, she completed a fellowship at the Christchurch Public Hospital under the guidance of Dr Mark Elder, Dr John Rawstron and Dr Antony Bedggood. This experience formed the foundation of her practice in areas of corneal surgery, cataract surgery and strabismus. Her days are already busy at SES – there is plenty of demand for this specialist knowledge.
Life’s certainly busy away from work too. Here, her time with whanau is valued above all. Raising three young children keeps life interesting, and an annual trip to Queenstown for the half marathon keeps her motivated to stay fit throughout the year.
With a passion for travel Dr Conner also appreciates the opportunities her career offers to go beyond our borders. She is currently looking forward to an upcoming presentation at the Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology in Malaysia on corneal crosslinking in people with developmental delay.
We’re sure there’ll be more news stemming from Dr Conner’s expertise in the near future. Watch this space!