Alumni Update

Ross Alum Now Chief Resident in Ophthalmology at New York Hospital

You could say that a single stitch led Dr. Tod Haller, a 2005 graduate of Ross University School of Medicine, to pursue a career in medicine.

A self-described accident-prone child and the son of an ophthalmologist, Dr. Haller spent enough time in emergency rooms to know just what they were like and the details of what the practice of medicine involved. But this didn’t scare him like it would most kids—it intrigued him. In fact, during one trip following a particularly nasty gash to his leg that resulted from a collision with a fire extinguisher while playing hackysack, the emergency room physician let Dr. Haller assist with one of the stitches. It was obviously only a matter of time before he pursued a career in medicine. 

Dr. Haller found out about Ross University from his uncle, who had worked in several New York hospitals with Ross students and was impressed with their skills and abilities. Dr. Haller had the same impression after meeting with Ross faculty and staff during the admissions process, which made his decision to attend Ross an easy one. 

When it came time to choose a specialty, Dr. Haller always assumed he would go into pediatrics; however, during his clinical rotations he started looking into other options. In particular, he found himself interested in ophthalmology after studying some of his father’s charts as part of a research project. Although he had always intended to follow his own path, he became fascinated with the field and began to spend more time at his father’s office. It wasn’t long before he decided that ophthalmology was the specialty for him.

“The eye is one of the only parts of the body where you can see many systemic diseases manifesting in one place,” said Dr. Haller. “It’s truly fascinating when a patient comes in for glasses and you look in their eye and find something completely unexpected.”

Currently, Dr. Haller is working as chief resident in ophthalmology at Bronx Lebanon Hospital Center in New York City, where he also completed his clinical rotations. In addition, he is focused on research and recently completed a project entitled “Diminished Endothelial Cell Counts in Corneas with Krukenberg Spindles,” which he presented at the 2008 American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery Symposium in Chicago.