UAMS Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute Hires Omair Ali, M.D., as Director of Outreach
| LITTLE ROCK — Ophthalmologist Omair Ali, M.D., has joined the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute as the director of global and community outreach.
Ali will lead the institute’s many outreach initiatives to save and restore sight to patients in need, including the “Gift of Sight” cataract program for Marshallese and Pacific Islander patients in Northwest Arkansas. He also will lead the GoVision mobile screening unit, which performs free eye exams for grade school children in central Arkansas. His position allows residents and medical students to travel on medical mission trips to countries around the world.
“Dr. Omair Ali has extensive experience in global ophthalmologic care and has a passion for providing care to the underserved and improving access,” said Paul Phillips, M.D., the institute’s director. “He is a valuable addition to the Jones Eye Institute.”
In his clinical role at UAMS, Ali will treat patients across the spectrum, addressing everything from glasses and cataracts to glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy. At the UAMS Health Eye Clinic in Little Rock, he will also work closely with residents and medical students to improve their education in ophthalmology and community outreach.
Ali comes to UAMS from Weston Laser and Vision Institute in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he provided comprehensive eye care. He graduated from the UAMS College of Medicine, with a focus on eye research in 2016 and completed an internal medicine residency at Howard University Hospital in Washington, D.C., an ophthalmology residency at Louisiana State University Shreveport, and an academic global ophthalmology fellowship at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia.
“I went to medical school at UAMS and spent a lot of time as a medical student as an aspiring ophthalmologist at Jones Eye,” said Ali. “My wife and her family are also from Arkansas, so it is time for me to give back and say thank you to everyone who helped get me here.”
Ali has been involved in outreach for many years. While a student at UAMS, he volunteered with the UAMS 12th Street Health and Wellness Center, Harmony Health Clinic, and Sight Savers Ophthalmology Clinic. Over the last few decades, he has helped organize free eye screenings and treated patients in India, Guatemala, Rwanda, Burundi, Ghana, Haiti, and Pakistan.
“I think one of the most important aspects of what we do in eye care is engaging with people and improving vision and access to healthcare in our local communities,” Ali said. “We must remember that global work also includes our local neighborhoods as well. The Jones Eye Institute has always focused on helping Arkansans. Having this dedicated position ensures we are using our resources to keep our community engaged and taken care of.”
Ali is accepting new patients. To make an appointment, please call the UAMS Health Eye Clinic at 501-686-5822.
UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a main campus in Little Rock; a Northwest Arkansas regional campus in Fayetteville; a statewide network of regional campuses; and seven institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Psychiatric Research Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Translational Research Institute, and the Institute for Community Health Innovation. UAMS includes UAMS Health, a statewide health system that encompasses all of UAMS’ clinical enterprise. UAMS is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 3,553 students and 1,030 medical residents and fellows, and two dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with about 12,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS, its regional campuses, Arkansas Children’s, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube or Instagram.###