She is a California native and Stanford graduate. She also accepts medicare patients in her practice. About Us
Dr. Barbara Shang is a Board Certified Optometrist and Eye Doctor who has been practicing ophthalmology for over 10 years. When she is not seeing patients, Dr. Shang enjoys spending time with her husband and family, traveling, reading and watching the Los Angeles Lakers. She is an activ
e member of the Los Angeles County Medical Association, the American Optometric Association and the California Optometric Association. Dr. Barbara Shang attended University of Stanford for her undergraduate degree in science, then UCLA School of Medicine for her Doctor of Medicine degree. What is Ophthalmology? Ophthalmology is the medical specialty that deals with the eyes and visual system. The term "ophthalmology" comes from the Greek word "ophthalmos" which means "eye." An ophthalmologist is a doctor who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of eye diseases and injuries. He or she is usually board certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology. What should you do if you have an Eye Problem? The first thing you should do if you have any eye problem whatsoever is to see your primary care physician or another doctor who is board certified in family medicine, internal medicine or general practice for a full examination including a visual inspection of both eyes. If everything is normal, your doctor will probably tell you to go back to your regularly scheduled program of exercises, vitamins, and eating right. What does it take to become an ophthalmologist? Undeniably, the most difficult part of becoming an ophthalmologist is passing the board certification examination. This is a three-hour multiple-choice examination which covers the basic sciences as well as the clinical years of medical school. Passing this examination requires dedication, hard work, and a total commitment to learning. Only after passing this test can you apply for residency training which lasts 3 to 4 years. After residency, you will have to complete 1 to 2 years of specialty training in either cornea and refractive surgery or glaucoma before you can apply for certification. This specialty training requires additional hospital clinical rotations which usually consist of 24-hour shifts. In addition, you must pass the United States Medical Licensing Examination or "USMLE" which is given by the Federation of State Medical Boards. The USMLE is a ten-hour examination which covers both basic science and clinical medicine. The USMLE is given every two years and is necessary to maintain your license to practice medicine in any state in the union. If you are board certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology, it is unnecessary to take the USMLE. However, if you are not board certified, it is mandatory that you take the USMLE. What Does it Take To Become A Doctor? All in all, becoming a doctor requires at least seven years of full time study. However, some specialties require more than ten years of study. For example, a brain surgeon will spend four to five years studying the basic sciences and another seven to ten years in residency training before he or she is competent to perform surgery. During residency training, the doctor will be expected to learn at least two to three new things every day. This is a very high demand on the doctor's time and can cause a severe disruption in his or her personal life. The average annual income of an ophthalmologist is $250,000 which is higher than the average American physician. However, only about 1% of American physicians become ophthalmologists. Therefore, if you want to be one of the fortunate few who make this kind of money, you must either love what you are doing or you must work extremely hard at whatever career you choose. Other Ophthalmologists Ophthalmology is a small field. There are only about 35,000 practicing ophthalmologists in the entire United States. Of these, only about 4,500 are board certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology. Another 2,500 to 3,500 of these doctors are certified by the various regional boards in the United States. The other 18,500 to 21,500 doctors who are not board certified are all general practitioners or family physicians. These doctors have completed four or five years of medical school and may or may not have any special training in ophthalmology whatsoever. They will probably never read an ophthalmology book, take an ophthalmology course, or perform an ophthalmology procedure. These doctors are "the flock" who practice medicine as their primary career. They are very comfortable with the basic sciences and are capable of diagnosing and treating most eye problems that fall within their realm of expertise. Education
What is Stanford University? Stanford is a private, elite, research university located in Stanford, California. It was founded in 1891 by philanthropist and industrialist, Leland Stanford. Today, Stanford has an enrollment of 7,200 undergraduate students and a graduate enrollment of 9. Approximately 30% of the undergraduates at Stanford come from outside the United States. Many of these international students pay tuition costs which are double the amount paid by domestic students. Stanford offers more than 150 undergraduate majors and minors. The most popular major at Stanford is Business Administration which is offered by almost every school. Other popular majors include Psychology, Biology, Chemistry, English, Communications, Computer Science, Political Science and Sociology. What is University of California, Los Angeles? UCLA was founded in 1909 by a small group of Los Angeles businessmen who wanted to provide a high-quality education to the children of Southern California's growing middle class. UCLA's current campus is located in Westwood on the west side of Los Angeles. There are seven main buildings on the UCLA campus including Ackerman Union, Bradbury Building, Charles E. Young Research Library, Engineering Building, Geisel School of Medicine, Royce Hall, and the William E. Humphrey Conference Center. These seven main buildings are surrounded by many smaller ones which contain classrooms, faculty offices, and departmental and student lounges. In addition to these main buildings, there are approximately 30 smaller research facilities on the UCLA campus. The undergraduate population at UCLA is about 22,000 students. Approximately 20% of these students are international. The undergraduate major of choice at UCLA is Business Administration. Other popular majors include Psychology, Communication, Education, Biology, Chemistry, Political Science, Economics, International Relations, Art History, Sociology, Anthropology, and Theater. What is University of California, Los Angeles Medical School? UCLA's medical school was established in 1919. In 1972, the medical school moved to its present location in the northwest corner of the university campus. There are currently 732 students in the medical school. More than half of these students are undergraduate students who want to become physicians. Undergraduates must complete at least four years of study at UCLA to receive a bachelor of science degree. After they receive their bachelor's degree, the students can then apply to the medical school. The undergraduate program is very similar to that of a standard baccalaureate program. The difference is, the medical school curriculum has more classes and requires more pre-requisite courses to be taken. These pre-requisite courses are called "bridge courses". Students can choose from among 17 different bridges. The most popular of these bridges are psychology, biology, chemistry, and math. After the students take all these required courses and pass the medical school entrance exam, they must then complete three years of medical school. During these three years, the students are considered pre-med students and they take most of their classes along with other pre-medical students. At the end of the third year, the students take the United States Medical Licensing Examination which is a four-hour multiple-choice test that evaluates the knowledge and skill of the student in areas such as anatomy, pathology, microbiology, pharmacology, medical ethics, and medical terminology. What is Howard Hughes Medical Institute medical research fellowship? In 1986, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) was created by philanthropist and entrepreneur Howard Hughes. The Institute's primary mission is to advance biomedical research with an emphasis on finding the genetic basis for human disease and developing new technologies that will help doctors treat patients more effectively and make the world a healthier place. One way the Institute accomplishes this goal is through its prestigious medical research fellowships. Each year, HHMI sponsors approximately 100 research fellowships in the U.S. The fellowships are usually one to three years in duration and provide stipends of between $40,000 and $120,000 per year. Fellows work with scientists at leading research institutions such as Yale, Johns Hopkins, Stanford, Caltech, and the University of Chicago. Many of the fellowships include a health insurance package and some have a relocation allowance. The fellowships are very competitive and only about 15% of applicants are accepted. What is Microbiology? In brief, it is the study of microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoa) and their relationship to human and animal health. Basically, all disease is caused by microorganisms. Some diseases are caused by the infection of the body by relatively “friendly” microorganisms (such as bacteria) whereas others are caused by the invasion of the body by disease-causing microorganisms (viruses, fungi, or protozoa). When this happens, the disease-causing organism may be identified and killed by the immune system but, sometimes, the disease-causing organism itself mutates and becomes resistant to the drugs commonly used to kill it. This phenomenon is called Antimicrobial Resistance or simply “AMR”. This is a serious threat to human health and is becoming one of the greatest medical challenges of our time. Microbiology is a very important field of study for dentists because it provides them with an in-depth understanding of oral and dental diseases which are often caused by microorganisms. What is the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland? Furthermore, what are they doing that is so important? Simply put, the NIH provides support for basic and applied biomedical research. The NIH has been rated the most effective federal agency in generating new knowledge. The NIH is the largest funder of research in the world. In 2016, their budget was $31 billion dollars. One of the main ways they spend the money is on grants and contracts for scientific research. They give out about 10 to 12 billion dollars per year in such funding. Another way they spend their money is by providing start-up funds for private companies who are conducting research. They also provide various types of funding for academic institutions and other non-profit organizations. The NIH has over 900 scientists located at more than 300 different institutions throughout the United States. They have a huge number of grant programs and an equally impressive number of contracting opportunities. The NIH also has an enormous amount of information about their programs, grantees, and other relevant facts. Their website (www.nih.gov) is an excellent source of information. Location
About Irvine, California
Irvine is located just north of downtown Los Angeles in Orange County. It is part of the Inland Empire which is slightly smaller than Rhode Island and has a population of over 3,000,000 people. It is known as the "Capital of the Resort Cities" because it is home to several large hotels including the Sheraton Irvine Hotel and Towers, the Embassy Suites Hotel, the Marriott Irvine/Orange County Airport, the Westin Irvine/Orange County Airport, and many more. There are over 2,000 hotel rooms within 10 miles of the main campus of UCI and another 10,000+ hotel rooms within 30 miles. About Orange County
As the most populous county in California, with a population of over 4,000,000 people, Orange County is located south of Los Angeles County and north of San Diego County. It is bordered by the Pacific Ocean on the west, Los Angeles County on the north, San Clemente and San Diego Counties on the east, and Riverside County on the south. The only land border with Mexico is across the U.S. border in San Diego County. The county has an area of 5,300 square miles and is home to the cities of Anaheim, Buena Park, Brea, Buena Park, Fullerton, La Habra, La Palma, Los Angeles, Newport Beach, Orange, Placentia, Santa Ana, Stanton, Tustin, and many others. There are more than 600 streets in Orange County and each one has a unique name. The most famous are probably U.S. Route 1 (the Pacific Coast Highway), State Route 22 (the Orange Blossom Trail), State Route 52 (the Grand Avenue), and State Route 55 (the Irvine Corridor). About Irvine Medical Center
Irvine Medical Center is a 932-bed acute care teaching hospital located in Irvine, California that was founded in 1965. It is the largest private hospital in California and the ninth largest in the United States. The hospital is part of the Irvine Health network which also includes the UCI Medical Center, the Orange County Great Hospital, the Covina Hospital, and many other medical facilities. Irvine Medical Center named one of the Best Hospitals in America by US News & World Report, and has received the Distinguished Hospital Award from the Institute for Health Quality, which is given to those hospitals that have demonstrated superior performance over an extended period of time. In 2012, 2013, and 2014, Irvine Medical Center was ranked #1 in California and #4 in the nation by US News & World Report for Cardiac Care. For more information, go to: www.irvinemd.com.
