Dr. Lihteh Wu

Following the completion of his undergraduate studies at Cornell University, from which he graduated with distinction in all subjects, Dr. Lihteh Wu went on to Tulane University School of Medicine to pursue his medical education. During this time, he was awarded a Pew Research Fellowship that allowed him to spend a year at the Rockefeller University in New York. He then trained at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York City (internship), the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City (ophthalmology residency), and the National Retina Institute in Baltimore under the mentorship of Drs. Bert Glaser and Robert Murphy (vitreoretinal fellowship). In 1999, Dr. Wu returned to Costa Rica, where he was appointed Associate Professor at the University of Costa Rica and Director of the Asociados de Macula Vitreo y Retina de Costa Rica in San José, Costa Rica. He is currently Visiting Professor at the Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary of the Department of Ophthalmology of the University of Illinois Chicago School of Medicine, USA.

Dr. Wu is a founding member of the Pan-American Collaborative Retina Study (PACORES) Group. He has authored and co-authored more than 110 peer-reviewed articles and over 46 chapters, and has edited 5 books. He has been awarded the Senior Honor Award (2007) by the American Society of Retina Specialists; the Senior Honor Award (2010) by the Greek Vitreoretinal Society; and the Achievement Award (2006) and Senior Achievement Award (2013) by the AAO. In addition, he was the 2014 Sociedad Panamericana de Retina y Vitreo GLADAOF Lecturer and the 2017 American Journal of Ophthalmology Lecturer at the PAAO meeting, and in 2018 was inducted into the Retina Hall of Fame. He sits on the editorial board of various journals, including the American Journal of Ophthalmology, Retina Cases and Brief Reports, the Journal of VitreoRetinal Diseases, and the International Journal of Retina and Vitreous.

Dr Wu is past President of the Pan-American Retina and Vitreous Society and served as the Vice-President for the PAAO. He also served two terms as President of the Costa Rican Ophthalmological Association and on the board of trustees of the AAO. In addition, he is certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology. He is a member of the Club Jules Gonin Executive Committee, the Vail Vitrectomy Program Committee, Macula Society, Retina Society, and American Society of Retinal Specialists. Dr. Wu has been invited to speak at several international meetings, such as the AAO Retina Subspecialty Day and the Vail Vitrectomy Meeting.