Honoring and celebrating an outstanding Program Director in ophthalmology, the award recognizes the critical role of the Program Director and celebrates the contributions of the awardee.
The Straatsma Award for Excellence in Resident Education (the “Straatsma Award”) was established through the generosity of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), the Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology (AUPO) and private funds to recognize and celebrate an outstanding Program Director in ophthalmology. The award carries the name and honors the accomplishments of Bradley R. Straatsma, MD, JD, former Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at UCLA and former Director of the Jules Stein Eye Institute. The award is presented annually at the Annual Meetings of the AAO and the AUPO and includes a cash prize.
Nominations will open in February 2027.
2026 Straatsma Award for Excellence in Resident Education Recipient
Saras Ramanathan, MD
Saras Ramanathan, MD, is Professor of Ophthalmology, Vice Chair for Resident Education, Residency Program Director, and the Steven P. Shearing Endowed Chair in Ophthalmology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). A nationally recognized clinician-educator and cataract surgeon, Dr. Ramanathan has dedicated her career to advancing ophthalmology education through innovation in surgical training, curriculum development, education scholarship, and mentorship.
Over the past three decades, Dr. Ramanathan has mentored more than 200 residents while transforming residency education at both the institutional and national levels. At UCSF, she developed a comprehensive longitudinal surgical curriculum that integrates simulation, video-based learning, wet-laboratory training, and progressive surgical responsibility. She also redesigned the residency's clinical and research curricula, leading to improved board performance, increased scholarly productivity, and more than half of graduates pursuing careers in academic ophthalmology.
Dr. Ramanathan has provided national leadership through the Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology (AUPO). She served on the founding faculty of the AUPO Surgical Curriculum for Ophthalmology Residents (SCOR), helping establish national standards for cataract surgery education. She also founded the AUPO Consortium of Ophthalmology Researchers in Education (AUPO-CORE), a collaborative network that advances multi-institutional education research and promotes evidence-based educational innovation across UME and GME training programs.
Dr. Ramanathan serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Academic Ophthalmology, the specialty's only journal dedicated to academic and educational scholarship. She also co-developed UCSF's NIH/NEI-funded R38 Program in Resident Opportunities for Mentored Ophthalmic Training in Experimentation (PROMOTE), creating a structured residency pathway for training future clinician-scientists.
A dedicated mentor and advocate for educational excellence, Dr. Ramanathan has championed initiatives that strengthen diversity, foster educational innovation, and prepare the next generation of academic leaders in ophthalmology. In recognition of her sustained national contributions to residency education and educational leadership, she has been selected to receive the 2026 AUPO Bradley R. Straatsma Award.
Award Information
Nominees for the Straatsma Award must fulfill the following criteria:
- Be a Member of AUPO and a Member or Fellow of the AAO
- Have served as a Program Director at an ACGME-accredited AUPO member program for a minimum of 3 years
- Currently serve as the Program Director
- Embody the qualities of:
- Commitment to resident education
- Dedication to the residency training process
- Active engagement in program leadership
- Innovation in and/or advancement of residency education in Ophthalmology at the Regional, National or AUPO level
- Be the consummate teacher/mentor/advisor
Special consideration in the selection process will be given to:
- current activities, not simply to length of service or to contributions made many years previously
- nominees who have published in peer-reviewed literature on subjects related to residency education
- innovative work
- those who have achieved a leadership role in medical education
- achievement in mentoring other educators/future educators
- Candidates must be nominated by their Department Chair
- The Application Packet must include the following items (10 pt. font or greater):
- A nomination form completed by the Chair
- One (1) supporting letter (each not to exceed two pages) from an ophthalmologist who is not a current trainee
- A copy of the Nominee’s current Curriculum Vitae
- A list of peer-reviewed publications by the Nominee that are relevant to residency education
- A signed letter from the Nominee (not to exceed two pages) summarizing the Nominee’s accomplishments as Program Director and plans for future activities. The Nominee must also agree in the letter to present at the AUPO Annual Meeting on a topic related to residency training if chosen as the Awardee.
- The application packet must be compiled by the Department Chair and submitted electronically by April 15.
- All completed applications will be reviewed by a Selection Committee and a recommendation forwarded to the AUPO Board of Trustees for approval and the AAO Board of Trustees for approval.
- The Awardee will be notified by July.
Past Award Recipients
| Jennifer Lindsey, MD, MBA | Andreas K. Lauer, MD (2013) |
| Pratap Challa, MD (2024) | Thomas A. Oetting, MD (2012) |
| Fasika Woreta, MD, MPH (2023) | Richard A. Harper, MD (2011) |
| Laura K. Green, MD (2022) | Maria M. Aaron, MD (2010) |
| Evan “Jake” Waxman, MD, PhD (2021) | Mark S. Juzych, MD (2009) |
| R. Michael Siatkowski, MD (2020) | Paul D. Langer, MD (2008) |
| Susan Culican, MD, PhD (2019) | James P. Dunn, Jr., MD (2007) |
| Preston Blomquist, MD (2018) | Karl C. Golnik, MD (2006) |
| Shahzad Mian, MD (2017) | Anthony C. Arnold, MD (2005) |
| Steven J. Gedde, MD (2016) | Nicholas J. Volpe, MD (2004) |
| Tara Uhler, MD (2015) | Alfredo A. Sadun, MD, PhD (2003) |
| Laura L. Wayman, MD (2014) |