Gifford-Truhlsen Conference
Thuy Doan, MD, PhD, was the 2023 Stanley M. Truhlsen, MD Memorial lecturer.
The annual Gifford-Truhlsen Conference provides a venue for presentations by the residents, fellows and alumni of the department.
Included in the conference are lectures by four prominent visiting professors, who are invited to present named lectures. These lectures are named for individuals who have contributed to the development and prominence of UNMC and the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences.
The 32nd annual conference will be held May 28 - 30, 2026 and will include two days of surgical simulation training, as well as basic science and clinical science research presentations.
2026 Agenda will be available soon.
Register for the conference: Registration Link
2026 Keynote Lectures
Read about the prominent speakers who will present named lectures at the 32nd annual conference.
Harold Gifford Jr. Memorial Lecture
John Vukich, MD, will present the 2026 Gifford Lecture. Dr. Vukich specializes in presbyopia correction, refractive cataract surgery an the use of implanable collamer lenses (ICL). A Wisconsin native, he is the founding member of Summit Eye Care in Wisconsin. He attended Emory University and Emory Medical School in Atlanta, GA. Dr. Vukich completed his surgical residency in ophthalmology at the University of Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary in Chicago.
Stanley M. Truhlsen, MD, Memorial Lecture
G. Baker Hubbard, III, MD will present the 2026 Truhlsen Lecture. Dr. Hubbard is the Thomas M. Aaberg Chair in Ophthalmology within Emory University’s School of Medicine. He has served at Emory Eye Center since 2000 and currently holds the position of Chief of the section of Vitreoretinal Surgery & Disease. Additionally, he is Vice-Chief of the Ophthalmology Service at Children’s Hospital of Atlanta, Egleston. He is past director of the Vitreoretinal Fellowship training at Emory Eye Center.
Judy and C. David Fritch, MD, Lecture
David Huang, MD, PhD will present the 2026 Fritch Lecture. Dr. Huang is the Director of Research of Casey Eye Institute, the Wold Family Endowed Chair in Ophthalmic Imaging, and Professor of Ophthalmology and Biomedical Engineering at the Oregon Health & Science University. Dr. Huang leads the Center for Ophthalmic Optics and Lasers, which comprises 6 faculty members and more than 40 researchers engaged in both technology development and clinical research. He is a practicing ophthalmologist specializing in cornea and refractive surgery.
