Rising Star: Ticiana De Francesco

Ticiana De Francesco took early advantage of two glaucoma fellowships she was offered: a fellowship in San Paulo at the University of Campinas in 2019 and another at the University of Toronto in 2020 – under the mentorship of Power Lister Ike Ahmed. Working with Ahmed in Canada particularly inspired De Francesco. She explains, “The most important thing that the fellowship brought me was to be encouraged to think differently and push myself beyond my limits – and that's when I started to see things in a different perspective.”

Moving back to Brazil after her Canadian fellowship – and emboldened by her new perspective – De Francesco now divides her time between her private practice at Clínica de Olhos De Francesco, and teaching hospitals (Hospital de Olhos Leiria de Andrade and Escola Cearense de Oftalmologia in Fortaleza, where she is able to pursue her passion for training the next generation of residents and fellows. “This is one of my biggest professional priorities right now,” she says.

De Francesco explains that research is a vital aspect of her career. She is currently working on a PhD on glaucoma surgical and laser outcomes. “I work a lot with innovation, with new devices and new technology,” she says. “My biggest focus on research right now is surgical interventional glaucoma and microinvasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS).”

De Francesco looks forward to continuing to work with a wide array of “amazing colleagues and amazing companies.” She also hopes to make more space for women in ophthalmology, especially in Brazil, and specifically in leadership positions. “Being a young Latin woman from Brazil,I hope I can inspire others to think differently and bring diversity into the ophthalmology field,” she says.

De Francesco’s aforementioned mentor and ophthalmic hero, Ike Ahmed, had this to say about her: “In three short years since completing her training, she has burst onto the global scene, becoming a leader in research, education, and innovation. She has already authored and published some of the key glaucoma surgical papers, and is actively involved in the design and monitoring of major clinical trials.”

Noting her passion for teaching and training residents and fellows, Ahmed adds that De Francesco is a much sought after speaker at meetings around the world. “She has become a highly skilled glaucoma and complex anterior segment surgeon, and has published novel techniques in these areas,” he says. “But probably most notably, she has become an inspiration to many young eye doctors around the world with her unique and humble style and persona.”

Ticiana De Francesco is an adjunct assistant professor at John Moran Eye Center, University of Utah, a staff ophthalmologist at the Clínica de Olhos De Francesco, Brazil, and an attending surgeon at the Hospital de Olhos Leiria de Andrade and Escola Cearense de Oftalmologia, Brazil.