Balamurali Ambati

Dr. Balamurali Ambati, currently working in the Univeristy of Utah School of Medicine, is an Associate Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences and Director of Corneal Research. He is an Indian-American ophthalmologist, educator, and researcher. He is known for being a child prodigy. He finished a doctorate at an early age. He is known as the 'Real Life Doogie Howser.' He is also known for his keen interest in research programs. He is indeed a very inspiring person and has that one motive to make a difference in people's lives. It's what keeps him going. He is a person who loves to explore and works on coming up with new forms of treatments for abnormal levels of diseases. Dr. Ambati also loves to play games and is a sport loving person. He is a source of inspiration to his juniors and is known for his exceptional skills and talent towards his field of interest. Read on!

Early Life
Dr. Ambati, a native of Vellore, India, moved to New York with his family when he was three. At the age of four, Ambati was doing calculus. He was a student who had skills far beyond his level of maturity. At the age of eleven, he graduated from high school and co-authored a research book on AIDS. His other interests are playing chess, basketball and Ping-Pong. He graduated from the New York University at the age of thirteen. At the age of seventeen, he graduated from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City on May 19, 1995. He became the world's youngest doctor in the year 1995. His father Dr. Rao taught Balamurali and his brother to stay focused and achieve success. His father, Dr. Rao, convinced school administrators to allow his son to study at his own pace - nearly twice as fast as his peers. His mother is a Tamil linguist and a mathematician. Dr. Balamurali Ambati's family immigrated to United States of America for better opportunities, which were certainly made good use of.

Career
Dr. Balamurali Krishna Ambati practices ophthalmology in Salt Lake City, Utah and is currently working as an Associate Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences & Director of Corneal Research in the University of Utah of Medicine. He specializes in the field of Ophthalmology. Dr. Ambati had to delay his entry into an ophthalmology program for 2 years due to allegation of dowry demands by his sister-in-law's family. He and his family were detained for more than 3 months. He and his family were later acquitted by the court in 1999. Dr. Ambati performs laser vision correction or refractive surgery, LASIK, cornea transplants, cataract extraction, besides other procedures that are about the anterior segment of the eye. He also carries out research on molecular mechanisms of angiogenesis, the growth of new blood vessels in the cornea, and molecular pathways of the antigenic cascade in the cornea. He completed an ophthalmology residency at Harvard University, where he developed strategies to reverse corneal angiogenesis, after winning at the Westinghouse Science Talent Search and the International Science & Engineering Fair.

Contribution
Dr. Ambati's contributions to business innovation and research were recognized during the 2010 Utah Innovation Awards, where his university startup company iVeena, was a finalist in the medical devices category. Dr. Ambati was selected for his outstanding contributions to the development of medical devices and research. One of the surgical instruments he developed, the Ambati Phaco Tip, will be featured in Cutting Edge: What's New in Cataract Surgery at the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO). His major contributions can be seen in the Cornea Refractive surgery process.

Awards and Accolades

• He received the prestigious Raja-Lakshmi Award in the year 1995 from Sri Raja-Lakshmi Foundation, Chennai.
• In 1995, he entered the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's youngest doctor, at the age of 17.
• Dr. Ambati was also nominated as Business Professional of the Year for 2010 by the Utah Asian Chamber of Commerce.
• He won a fellowship for Cornea & Refractive Surgery (2002) from the Duke University. He is also did extremely well at the Westinghouse Science Talent Search and the International Science & Engineering Fair.

Timeline
1977: Born in Hollis Hills, New York State, USA.
1991: He completed his B.A, Biology from the New York University.
1995: Doctorate in Medicine from Mount Sinai School of Medicine, became the youngest doctor in the world.
1997: Internal Medicine Residency from Beth Israel and Medical School.
2001: Ophthalmology Residency from Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary.
2002: Won a fellowship for Cornea & Refractive Surgery from Duke University.
2010: Won the ARVO award.

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