A homecoming for Pediatric Fellow Dr. Jeannette Stallworth

As a Bellevue native, Dr. Jeannette Stallworth, the current Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus fellow, is thrilled to serve in the area where she was raised.

Ophthalmology currently has four fellowships – Retina, Pediatric, Oculoplastics, and Uveitis. The Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus Fellowship began in 2012, said Fellowship Director Associate Professor Erin Herlihy, MD.

“We are so pleased to have Jeannette here as our fellow this year,” she said. “There is a shortage of pediatric ophthalmologists nationwide, and we are glad she could come home to complete her training.”

Dr. Herlihy said the fellow participates in a wide range of clinical care and surgical procedures that comprise pediatric ophthalmology and adult strabismus, including pediatric cataract and glaucoma surgery, nasolacrimal and pediatric oculoplastic procedures, surveillance and treatment of retinoblastoma, retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), uveitis, and inherited retinal diseases. The fellow works collaboratively with many other pediatric subspeciality services at Seattle Children’s. The fellow also has the opportunity to interact with vision scientists at UW and Seattle Children's. 

“One of the amazing parts of this pediatric fellowship program is the variety of experiences,” Stallworth says.

Her weeks are full, with numerous clinics and two days per week operating at Seattle Children’s, participating in retinopathy of prematurity rounds at both UWMC-Montlake and Seattle Children’s weekly, performing research, and additionally operating with Associate Professor Courtney Francis, MD, on adult strabismus cases twice a month. She also works with ocular oncology specialist Andrew Stacey, MD, and oculoplastics specialist Chris Chambers, MD, on their pediatric patients at Seattle Children’s. She has her fellow clinic and helps run the inpatient consult service.

Dr. Stallworth is participating in a research project with Dr. Michelle Cabrera, Associate Professor and Division Director, Pediatric Ophthalmology. Premature infants are at risk for ROP, a disease of the developing retina. Seattle Children’s pediatric ophthalmologists use advanced technology to noninvasively image newborn eyes with a handheld version of a technology found in most ophthalmology offices, Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT).

Dr. Stallworth graduated from Newport High School before attending Princeton University, graduating magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics. She then earned her medical degree from the Duke University School of Medicine.

“I had originally thought I might become a pediatrician, but it was as a medical student that I first became interested in ophthalmology,” she said. “I enjoyed surgery, and ophthalmology offers such a wide variety of cases.”

Dr. Stallworth completed her general surgery internship and an ophthalmology residency at the University of California, San Francisco, where she was awarded a Heed Fellowship.

Outside of work, Dr. Stallworth enjoys playing the cello, traveling, and spending time with her husband and eight-month-old daughter.

Visit the department website here to learn more about the department’s fellowship programs.