Saving Sight: Eyes on Equity in Black & Hispanic Communities

Faculty

Angela Elam, MD, MPH

Assistant Professor
Associate Chair for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion,
Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
University of Michigan Medical School

Dr. Angela Elam is an Assistant Professor and Associate Chair for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences at the University of Michigan, a glaucoma specialist and a health disparities researcher. Dr. Elam attended the University of Pittsburgh for undergrad, where she received a B.S. in Neuroscience and a B.A. in Spanish. Before attending medical school at Duke University, she was a middle school Spanish teacher in her home state of Virginia. After her time at Duke, she went back to the University of Pittsburgh for residency, followed by a glaucoma fellowship at the University of Michigan, where she subsequently joined the faculty.

Dr. Elam's mission is to conduct research in ophthalmology that informs health policy and moves the field toward equity in eye care. She has authored multiple publications exploring sociodemographic disparities in eye care, is an NIH K23 awardee, and led the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s Taskforce on Disparities in Eye Care’s efforts to create a roadmap for eye care providers to combat existing disparities in vision health and eye care. Her current research focus is designing community-led interventions to increase eye care utilization in high-risk communities. In addition to being a busy clinician and researcher, Dr. Elam is a wife and mother to two children, ages 6 and 4.

Paula R. Newsome, OD, MS, FAAO, FAAARM, CHC

Optometrist
CEO
Advantage Vision Center

Dr. Paula Newsome graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in Biology. During her junior year at UNC, she was recruited by UAB Medical Center to attend there on an instate scholarship. She was one of the first 3 UAB medical center students to receive both an OD and a Masters of Science in Physiological Optics. She then pursued a residency at the Eye Institute in primary eye care in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After a short teaching stint as an assistant professor at UMSL School of Optometry where she taught ocular pathology, ocular pharmacology and pre-clinic courses, she moved to Charlotte to begin her own private practice.

Dr. Newsome has beaten the odds and with all the latest technology in her practice has developed a very large medically oriented practice treating a large population of people with diabetes, hypertension, and glaucoma. The practice sees roughly 20 plus patients per day and she continues to do mission work throughout the community along with doing mission work internationally. She was the first African American female optometrist to start a private practice in the state of North Carolina and the second to be licensed to practice in NC. Opening a practice, solo cold, she has over 20,000 active patient records.