CEF of AAPOS Board of Directors

Faruk Orge, MD

Derek T. Sprunger, MD

Faruk H. Örge MD, FAAO, FAAP
Director-at-Large
Term: July 2018- July 2021
Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital
Cleveland, OH

Dr. Faruk Örge is the William R. and Margaret E. Althans Chair and Professor in Pediatric Ophthalmology, Director and the Fellowship Director of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Adult Strabismus in Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, which is one of the few US News ranked Children’s Hospitals. He also is a Professor of Ophthalmology and Pediatrics, CWRU. After completing a research fellowship for 2 years, an internship, residency, and a clinical fellowship in Indiana University, he opted to return to his country to serve as an academician at Yeditepe University. He has been in his current institution since 2007 and serving as the Director since 2010. Dr. Örge was named the William R. and Margaret E. Althans Chair and Professor in Pediatric Ophthalmology in 2012.

He is recognized as one of the best clinicians regionally, and is listed in the Best Doctors of America (since 2009), Top Doctors (since 2011), and Who’s Who (2014). He was named one of the UH CMC “Distinguished Physicians” in 2019, which was given to only select physicians as the highest recognition of clinical excellence and exemplary track record as a faculty member.

Teaching He has been serving the American Association of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus in many committees (Nominated to join the AAPOS BOD in 2018 as Director et Large, Scientific Program Committee, Public Information Committee, Professional Education Committee, former Chair of the Social Media Committee). He is a current ABO examiner and the AAPOS Liaison for ABO. He is a holder of the medical Educators Education Course Certificate. He is currently the Fellowship Program Director and the UH EI Residency Associate Director. His innovations in teaching were integrated into national organizations such as ORBIS/Cyber-sight, AAPOS, and the AAO; such as telemedicine, live webinars (first to produce national and international sessions in the field of ophthalmology), online journal clubs, unique learning tools such as interactive basic and complex strabismus simulators, retinoscopy simulator. He is the Editor in Chief for the AAO’s newly formed KTEF Pediatric Ophthalmology Education Center (the biggest online educational source in the world for pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus that has been visited by 126,000 users/physician with more than 1million visits in 2018 from more than 200 countries since its inception in 2015). He is the Vice-President of the International Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus Council, overseeing multiple international projects to prevent and eradicate childhood blindness. He is the President of Cleveland Ophthalmological Society in the 2019-2020 cycle.

Research Interests He currently has many projects running regarding almost all aspects of pediatric ophthalmology (ROP, glaucoma, microsurgery, cataract, genetic conditions, lid trauma, consultation, sedation, strabismus, nystagmus, amblyopia, etc.) Funded by NIH/NEI, KTEF Research Grant, Cleveland Foundation, Rainbow research awards, Case Coulter grant, UH TVSF funding (two separate projects), CWRU PFI Funding, Ohio Amblyope Registry, UH Innovation day, pharmaceutical companies (Alcon, Bausch and Lomb, Novartis, Laediant). He holds a patent for a novel glaucoma device and filed several patents on drug delivery, eye imaging, wound healing, and other therapeutic technology.

Dr. Örge graduated from University Hospitals Leadership Development Program in 2012, the AAO Leadership Development Program 2015 class, and Harvard Program for Chairs and Chiefs of Clinical Services 2020.