Jie (Jim) Gao, M.D.

Dr. Jie (Jim) Gao moved to the United States at the age of eight from Hanghzou, China and spent most of his childhood in Little Rock, Arkansas. He graduated summa cum laude from the University of California Davis with a Bachelor of Science and department citation for outstanding research in the field of neurology, physiology, and behavioral sciences. He returned to the University of Arkansas to obtain his medical doctorate graduating with Alpha Omega Alpha honors, followed by a residency in general ophthalmology at Stony Brook University in New York where he served as chief resident. He pursued further subspecialty training in ocular immunology and inflammatory diseases under the supervision of Dr. Charles Stephen Foster (prior director for the department of uveitis and ocular immunology at Harvard medical school) in Boston. He finished his second fellowship training at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston specializing in retinal disease and vitreoretinal surgery where he received the outstanding fellows teaching award. He has given talks at national conferences and published in several journals during his training. In his off time, he enjoys spending time with his family, traveling, weight training, cooking, and learning about new cultures.