North Carolina Eye, Ear, Nose, and Throat -- Ophthalmology

Dorothy M. Bell M.D. is a Board Certified Ophthalmologist specializing in cataract and intraocular lens surgery. She has an undergraduate degree from Michigan State University and a medical degree from the University of Chicago. Her internship and residency were at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is a native of Princeton, West Virginia but has practiced in Durham, NC since 1975. She is currently an examiner for the American Board of Ophthalmology for certification of ophthalmologists. She has three children and enjoys skiing, gardening and reading science fiction.

Asra Firozvi, M.D. was born in Stamford, CT but moved to Texas at a very young age. She graduated valedictorian from Alief Hastings High school. Dr. Firozvi graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a BA in Spanish and a minor in Biology. She then continued her education by obtaining a medical degree from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center.

During residency, Dr. Firozvi developed a strong interest in the diagnosis, management, and surgery of glaucoma. This led her to pursue a fellowship in glaucoma under the directorship of Dr. Robert Stewart at Houston Eye Associates. Throughout her education, Dr. Firozvi has been awarded several scholarships and awards and has been a member of several professional societies. She is currently a member of the American Glaucoma Society and the American Academy of Ophthalmology. She has also conducted and participated in numerous research studies throughout the course of her medical career. She is fluent in English, Spanish and Urdu. In her free time, Dr. Firozvi enjoys spending time with her family. She also enjoys traveling and cooking.

Tonica Johnson, M.D. is a fellowship-trained specialist in cataract surgery, diseases and surgeries of the cornea and refractive surgery.

Education Training
Dr. Johnson graduated from MIT with a BS in electrical engineering. She then went on to complete a Master's Degree in electrical engineering at Stanford University.
After her engineering training she worked as an engineer at Bell Communications Research, but had a change of heart and felt drawn to the medical field through exposure from volunteer work in medicine. A graduate from Emory University School of Medicine, she completed her ophthalmology residency at Case Western Reserve University and her cornea fellowship training at Doheny Eye Institute of the University of Southern California.

Memberships/Affiliations
Dr. Johnson is board certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology and is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology as well as the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

Personal
She especially loves traveling to areas in developing countries to help indigent patients who would not have access to medical care without volunteer doctors. So far these countries have included Ghana, Kenya and Guatemala. She looks forward to and enjoys these opportunities to share her skills and time through mission trips every year.

John A. Kulits, M.D., is a board-certified ophthalmologist, who provides

comprehensive services for children and adults, including routine eye

exams, cataract and glaucoma surgery, and minor eyelid procedures. He

received his undergraduate degree in natural sciences at The Johns

Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD. After receiving his J.D. at the

University of Washington School of Law in Seattle, WA and practicing

law for six years, he returned to school and earned his M.D. at the

University of South Dakota School of Medicine. He completed his

transitional residency at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital in

Roanoke, VA and his residency in ophthalmology at Geisinger Medical

Center in Danville, PA. Dr. Kulits and his wife Holly Marie have

three sons and a daughter. They enjoy spending time together, playing

tennis, basketball and football and horseback riding.

J. Richard Marion, M.D. is a specialist in oculoplastic and reconstructive surgery and has practiced ophthalmology in the Durham area since 1994. He is a native of Winston Salem, NC, and a graduate of Duke University. Dr. Marion received his medical degree from Duke University School of Medicine and also completed his residency in ophthalmology at Duke University Eye Center.

He did a fellowship in Cornea and External Disease at Duke University Eye Center and a fellowship in Oculoplastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami, FL. He was an Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at Wake Forest University Eye Center for 8 1/2 years before going into private practice. Dr. Marion enjoys running, biking, and spending family time with his wife and two daughters.

Dwight D. Perry, M.D. Dr. Dwight D. Perry is a specialist in cataract and refractive surgery and has practiced ophthalmology in the Durham area since 1985. He is a Durham native and received much of his medical training in his home state.

Education/Training
Dr. Perry graduated summa cum laude from North Carolina Central University and later received his Medical Degree and completed his residency at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He completed his internship at the State University of New York at Stony Brook and studied as a research fellow in ophthalmology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Perry is certified in a wide variety of advanced vision correction procedures, including VISX Customvue LASIK, Intralase bladeless LASIK, Verisyse phakic lens implants as well as ReZoom, Acrysof ReStor and Toric lens implant procedures.

Memberships/Affiliations
Dr. Perry is a Diplomate of the American Board of Ophthalmology. He also serves as an examiner for the American Board of Ophthalmology and is a Fellow of both the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American College of Surgeons. Dr. Perry is on the attending staff of Durham Regional Hospital and North Carolina Specialty Hospital. He has served on the Board of Directors of Durham Regional Hospital and currently serves on the Board of Directors of North Carolina Specialty Hospital.

While Dr. Perry has an impeccable record of service in the Durham medical community, he is also active in civic affairs. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Central North Carolina Chapter of the American Red Cross, the Foundation for Better Health of Durham, and the John Avery Boys and Girls Club. He mentors high school students interested in the medical profession by providing them with career shadowing opportunities. Dr. Perry is also a member of the North Carolina Central University Board of Trustees.

Personal
Dr. Perry is married to Veronica J. F. Ray, MD and has two children, Eva and Dwight, Jr.

Joan T. Roberts, M.D. is a specialist in pediatric ophthalmology and pediatric and adult strabismus (ocular misalignment). She graduated cum laude from the University of North Carolina Greensboro. She received a master's degree from Emory University and subsequently received her medical degree from Duke University School of Medicine. After a year internship at Fairfax Hospital in Virginia,

Dr. Roberts completed her ophthalmology residency at Georgetown University Center for Sight. She then completed a pediatric ophthalmology fellowship at Georgetown University School of Medicine. She is Board Certified in Ophthalmology and is a member of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus. Her special interests include treatment of strabismus (ocular misalignment) in children"s and adult amblyopia, tearing disorders and a wide variety of pediatric ophthalmic problems. She participates in clinical research on multiple pediatric problems and is a member of a NIH funded pediatric group known as PEDIG. Providing a child friendly environment for her pediatric patients is very important to her. She enjoys spending time with her family and bird dogs. Her hobbies include mountain biking, skiing and fishing.

David L. Sappenfield, M.D., a specialist in diseases and surgery of the retina and vitreous, joined North Carolina Eye, Ear, Nose & Throat in 1989. He grew up in Fayetteville, NC, and attended Davidson College where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa. He then went to medical school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and subsequently completed an internship in

internal medicine there. He went on to a residency in Ophthalmology at the University of Florida in Gainesville and received his subspecialty training at the Foundation for Retinal Research in New Orleans. Dr. Sappenfield enjoys computers, classic Ford Mustang restoration, and general tinkering.

Daniel Simon, M.D., is a board-certified comprehensive ophthalmologist specializing in cataract surgery, glaucoma care, and ocular surface disease. Born and raised on Long Island, he earned a Bachelor in Science from the State University of New York College at Geneseo, a liberal arts college in upstate New York, and graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1998. He received his medical degree from the State University of New York at Downstate in Brooklyn, NY four years later, prior to a one year internship in Internal Medicine at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City.

Dr. Simon's ophthalmology training was completed at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, VA, where he became well trained in all aspects of comprehensive eye care. He has presented clinical research at both the national and state levels, and has received recognition from the Virginia Society of Ophthalmology for his advocacy work on Capitol Hill. He comes to North Carolina Eye, Ear, Nose, and Throat after three years in private practice in the Charlotte area. He enjoys golfing, working around the house, but most of all, spending time with his wife and two boys.

William D. Wilcox, M.D. is a Board Certified comprehensive ophthalmologist specializing in cataract and intraocular lens surgery. He has undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Pittsburgh. Following a Straight Medical Internship at the University Hospital of the University of Pittsburgh, he went on to a year of Fellowship followed by 3 years of Residency Training in

Ophthalmology at the University of Pennsylvania Scheie Eye Institute in Philadelphia. He had the honor of serving as Chief Resident the last 18 months of his training. He then served two years in the U.S. Navy Medical Corp. as an ophthalmologist at the Naval Regional Medical Center, Charleston , S.C. following which he moved to Durham where he has been in private practice since 1977. To better serve his patients, he merged his practice with North Carolina Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat in December, 2004. He has certification from the National Board of Medical Examiners and the American Board of Ophthalmology. Present appointments include the Attending Staff at Durham Regional Hospital and Courtesy Staff at North Carolina Specialty Hospital and Person Memorial Hospital. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and has membership in the North Carolina Society of Eye Physicians.

N. William Young, Jr. M.D. is a comprehensive ophthalmologist specializing in cataract and intraocular lens surgery. He is a Durham native and a Duke University graduate. He received his medical degree from Duke University and completed his residency in ophthalmology at Duke in 1970. He is certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology and is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. In August 2000 he was privileged to be joined in practice at North Carolina Eye, Ear, Nose & Throat by his son, Timothy N. Young, M.D., Ph.D. In his spare time Dr. Young enjoys golf, Duke basketball, boating and spending time with his wife and grandchildren.

Milton James, M.D. is fellowship trained in the diagnosis and management of disorders of the retina and vitreous. He is certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology.

Dr. James completed his undergraduate degree at Columbia University and earned honors during his medical school training at Hahnemann Medical College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Dr. James completed his internship at the University of Southern California in the Los Angeles County Hospital system. He then completed his Ophthalmology residency at the Health Science Center at Syracuse University and received fellowship training in vitreo~retinal disorders at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta. Prior to his entry into private practice, Dr. James worked with ORBIS International, a nonprofit humanitarian organization designed to treat and prevent blindness throughout the world. Dr James has provided eye care in Asia, Africa, Central America and the Caribbean.

Before joining North Carolina Eye, Ear, Nose & Throat, Dr. James practiced in northeastern Ohio as a retina specialist and was an Assistant Clinical Professor of Surgery at Northeastern Ohio University School of Medicine.

Dr. James was involved in the Collaborative Ocular Melanoma Study and has also helped to evaluate different surgical techniques related to muscle surgery in children and adults. He is also a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the American Medical Association and the American Society of Retina Specialists.