Christina Rapp Prescott, MD, PhD, a renowned cornea and cataract surgeon, has joined NYU Langone Health’s Department of Ophthalmology as the vice chair for education and director of the cornea service.

Dr. Prescott, who also is an associate professor of ophthalmology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, joined NYU Langone from Johns Hopkins Medicine, where she was assistant professor in the Department of Ophthalmology at the Wilmer Eye Institute. She specializes in anterior segment surgery and performs complex cataract and corneal surgery in both children and adults.

“Dr. Prescott is a highly regarded surgeon and educator whose expertise will help advance the goals of the institution and add to the department’s distinguished faculty,” says Kathryn A. Colby, MD, PhD, the Elisabeth J. Cohen, MD, Professor of Ophthalmology and chair of ophthalmology at NYU Langone. “Having known each other for many years, Dr. Prescott and I are excited to work together to enhance the training of future ophthalmologists and to provide the highest quality of eye care for patients.”

As part of her oversight of the Department of Ophthalmology’s wide-ranging education programs, one of Dr. Prescott’s first activities as vice chair is to enhance the surgical curriculum in the Ophthalmology Residency. Plans for the revitalized program include a state-of-the-art simulator, multiple practice laboratories, and dedicated faculty surgical mentors.

“NYU Langone historically has provided an exceptional clinical experience for residents due partly to the multiple locations where residents train, including at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue and the VA NY Harbor Healthcare System,” says Dr. Colby. “With the arrival of Dr. Prescott, we plan to build on this legacy to become one of the best ophthalmology programs in the country.”

Dr. Prescott also plans to work with her colleagues across the cornea service to further develop their personal clinical expertise and advance surgical techniques.

“I’ve been fortunate to have many wonderful mentors who both taught and inspired me,” says Dr. Prescott. “NYU Langone has amazing residents and faculty, and my goal is to support them so they can accomplish more than they currently think is possible.”

About Dr. Prescott

After receiving a BA degree in biophysics from Columbia College, Dr. Prescott completed a combined PhD/MD program—also known as medical scientist training program—at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver, which is when she realized she wanted to become an ophthalmologist.

Dr. Prescott completed her internship and residency at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut. During her first year as an ophthalmology resident, she met Dr. Colby at a Women in Ophthalmology meeting. “I was so inspired by Dr. Colby that I decided to pursue a cornea fellowship at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, where she was at the time,” says Dr. Prescott.

After completing her training, Dr. Prescott took a position as assistant professor in the Corneal Division at Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, in 2012, where she remained until her recent appointment at NYU Langone.

Over the course of her career, Dr. Prescott has presented at several national and international ophthalmologic conferences, developed international collaborations with cornea surgeons in India, and published numerous research papers, review articles, and book chapters.

Dr. Prescott’s office is at the NYU Langone Eye Center, located at 222 East 41st Street in Midtown Manhattan.

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Deborah “DJ” Haffeman
Phone: 646-284-5630
deborah.haffeman@nyulangone.org