enVISION Spring 2011 - UC Davis Health System

• Spring/Summer 2011
28
In addition to caring for active duty men and
women, Chaz also cares for the large military
retiree population in San Antonio, dealing with
the full range of corneal and external diseases of
the eye. He served as the sole ophthalmologist in
the Coalition Forces during Operation Enduring
Freedom in Afghanistan, treating solders from
the U.S., United Kingdom, Canada, Spain,
Korea and elsewhere with both routine eye care
as well as management of severe war-related
injuries. In addition, Chaz was able to provide
significant humanitarian eye care to the local
Afghani population.
Dr. Reilly examining patients at the front in Afghanistan.
His humanitarian work has continued through
the military command by organizing eye care
missions in Honduras, Panama, and Peru.
“Being able to care for the men and
women of the Armed Forces who
sacrifice so much for our country is an
honor I will cherish forever.”
As a full-time academic ophthalmologist, Dr.
Reilly has experienced a steep trajectory of
responsibility. Only two years after completing
his UC Davis fellowship, he was named
Consultant to the Air Force Surgeon General,
and only five years after his fellowship,
he was named Chair of the Department of
Ophthalmology at Wilford Hall. Dr. Reilly
points out that his experience at UC Davis
had an enormous impact on his personal and
professional life, preparing him to function in
virtually any environment without hesitation.
“The traits that UC Davis reinforces
in ophthalmologists—dedication,
kindness, compassion, respect for those
around you—are the same traits that
make a good Air Force officer”
Happily married to his wife of 22 years, Suzie,
Dr. Reilly plans to continue to provide highlevel
care to the military and to train the next
generation of Air Force ophthalmologists.
Major Abraham Suhr, former Glaucoma Fellow at UCD,
pictured at the front in Iraq.
Major Abraham Suhr, M.D.
Major Abraham Suhr is Director of the
Glaucoma Service at Brooke Army Medical
Center (BAMC). He completed his fellowship
in glaucoma under the mentorship of James
Brandt and Michele Lim here at UC Davis in
2007. A native of San Luis Obispo, California,
he settled on ophthalmology as a career in the
6th grade! Later, when considering medical
schools, he was impressed with the collegiality
of the students at the Uniformed Services
University School of Medicine and joined
the Armed Services. He chose UC Davis
for fellowship training because he wanted
“mentors who would be interested in me and
my education”.