Sandra R Montezuma, MD
Professional Affiliations
Academic Appointments- University of Minnesota
- Professor of Ophthalmology
- Knobloch Endowed Chair
- Director of the retina service and ophthalmic genetics at the University of Minnesota
- University of Minnesota Medical Center
- Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital
Education and Training
- Retinal fellowship
- Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, MA, US
- Ophthalmology residency
- Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, MA, US
- Ophthalmology residency
- Fundacion Oftalmologica de Santader, Clinica Carlos Ardila Lulle, Bucaramanga Santandar, Colombia
- Additional fellowship
- Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Research Retina Fellowship., Boston, MA US
- Internship
- Brigham and Women's Hospital - Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA US
- Medical School
- Universidad Nacional de Colombia, School of Medicine, Bogota, Colombia
- Internship
- Hospital San Juan de Dios, Hospital Tunal, Bogota, Colombia
Biography
Sandra R Montezuma, M.D, is a Professor in Ophthalmology at the University of Minnesota (UMN). She is a vitreoretinal surgeon, and the director of the retina service and ophthalmic genetics at the University of Minnesota (UMN) department of Ophthalmology and Visual Neuroscience.
Dr. Montezuma earned her medical degree from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia. After finishing her first residency in ophthalmology at the Fundacion Oftalmologica de Santander, Colombia in 2001, she joined the Boston Retinal Implant Project at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (MEEI)/ Harvard Medical School (HMS)/ Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where she performed basic science research in the field of retinal prosthesis for nearly 4 years. After her Research fellowship, She did a second surgical internship at Brigham and Women’s hospital in 2005 and a second residency in ophthalmology in 2008, followed by a two year surgical retina fellowship in 2010 at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary/Harvard Medical School. After 10 years in Boston at MEEI/HMS, she joined the University of Minnesota in 2010. She has practiced in the field of vitreoretinal surgery for 13 years. During her career at the UMN, she was the director of the medical student ophthalmology clerkship for 10 years. Dr. Montezuma has mentored numerous medical students, residents and retina surgeon fellows.
Dr. Montezuma has received multiple awards including: in 2010 she was awarded a Distinguished Teaching and Service Award at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary/Harvard Medical School. The same year she was awarded the Gilligham Fellowship Award at The Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology and the 13th Fellowship Research Award at the Retina Society. In 2017 she received the Distinguished Mentoring Award at the University of Minnesota Medical School and in 2018 the Knobloch Chair Professorship. The 2023 Distinguished Foundational Science Teaching Award at UMN. The 2023 Clinical Excellence Honors Presented for distinguished patient's care and service as observed and recommended by UMP peers. The 2022 Clinical Teaching Excellence Award, given by the Office of Graduate Medical Education UMN. She's been awarded the 2022 America’s Most Honored Doctors, top 5% in 2022 by the American registry and the 2020 and 2022 Castle Connolly Top doctors Award.
She has subspecialty expertise in providing medical and surgical care for all retina diseases in adults and children. She has authored/co-authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications in the ophthalmology field. She has published more than 100 peer-reviewed abstracts presented as poster or podium presentations at national and international meetings. She is active member of several ophthalmological societies including the AAO, MAO, ASRS, PAAO, WinR and ARVO. She has served as PI of numerous research including NEI sponsored clinical trials. Her research interest includes translational research in Inherited Retinal Diseases, retinal implants. retinal prosthesis Age-Related Macula Degeneration and trauma.