Enterprising Ophthalmology
Four people, three stories, one topic: entrepreneurship
Ophthalmology and entrepreneurship go together well. An aging population means that there’s a growing market, margins are good, and new drugs and technologies are continually being introduced that are transforming the way ocular disease is diagnosed and managed. Simply put, a lot of people want improved vision. If you can provide it better than the competition, there’s money to be made.
Building a success story isn’t easy, and there’s no one right way to do it. We interviewed four people who have experienced considerable success within ophthalmology to hear their stories of building an eye institute (Nikki and Farhad Hafezi), running a successful and resilient clinic (Arthur Cummings), and making the leap from the NHS to starting an eye hospital, and designing, developing and marketing a new IOL design (Bobby Qureshi).
Nikki and Farhad Hafezi are a husband-and-wife team who have taken on the challenge of building a new eye hospital and research center in Zürich: the ELZA institute.
Nikki is in charge of ELZA’s business strategy and development, and is also the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of GroupAdvance (fundraising and business development service provider) and EMAGine (developer and manufacturer of ophthalmic medical products).
Farhad serves as ELZA’s Chief Scientific and Chief Medical Officer. He’s also Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Geneva, Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at the Keck School of Medicine, at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA, and was instrumental in building IROC, the Institute for Refractive and Ophthalmic Surgery with Michael Mrochen and Theo Seiler. Farhad is also one of the pioneers of corneal collagen cross-linking, being a great proponent of its use for the treatment of corneal ulcers.
Arthur Cummings is the Medical Director of the Wellington Eye Clinic, Sandyford, Dublin. A well-known congress speaker who has been involved in the development and clinical evaluation of many of ophthalmology’s recent innovations, he shares his experience of not only building a highly successful cataract and refractive practice in Ireland, but of also surviving the storm of recent Irish austerity measures.
Bobby Qureshi was just finishing his training and about to start a Consultant position within the UK’s National Health Service, when he founded the London Eye Hospital (LEH) in 2004, followed by London Eye Hospital Pharma in 2011.
In 2014, LEH Pharma launched iolAMD – a micro-incision, injectable telescopic implant that solved the big problems that held back earlier telescopic implants from a more widespread adoption. It could be the most successful new implant in history. He’s also independently wealthy, and has never had to court or answer to investors.
Follow the links to read their stories
Planning for Success by Nikki and Farhad Hafezi
Focusing On Fundamentals by Arthur Cummings
What You Can Achieve… When You Believe in Yourself by Bobby Qureshi
I spent seven years as a medical writer, writing primary and review manuscripts, congress presentations and marketing materials for numerous – and mostly German – pharmaceutical companies. Prior to my adventures in medical communications, I was a Wellcome Trust PhD student at the University of Edinburgh.
I have an extensive academic background in the life sciences, having studied forensic biology and human medical genetics in my time at Strathclyde and Glasgow Universities. My research, data presentation and bioinformatics skills plus my ‘wet lab’ experience have been a superb grounding for my role as a deputy editor at Texere Publishing. The job allows me to utilize my hard-learned academic skills and experience in my current position within an exciting and contemporary publishing company.
