David Hwang, MD
Professor
Ophthalmology
School of Medicine

415-514-6919

A native of Illinois, USA, David G. Hwang, MD, FACS obtained both his undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), graduating first in his medical school class in 1984.

Show full bio (470 words) Hide full bio

After two years of internal medical residency and three years of ophthalmology residency at UCSF, he completed concurrent fellowships in cornea and refractive surgery as well as uveitis at the University of Southern California/Doheny Eye Institute as a Heed Fellow. In 1990 he joined the full-time faculty at the University of California, San Francisco, where he is currently Professor and Vice Chair and holds the Pearl T. Kimura and Samuel J. Kimura MD Endowed Chair in Ophthalmology. He serves as Director of the Cornea Service, Director of the Refractive Surgery Service, and Associate of the Francis I. Proctor Foundation for Research in Ophthalmology at UCSF.

Dr. Hwang has served in leadership and executive roles in a number of professional organizations, including President of the Ocular Microbiology and Immunology Group, Executive Secretary of the Max Fine Cornea Society, Medical Director of Ophthalmology at the UCSF Medical Center, and Medical Eye Bank Director of the UCSF Tissue Bank. He has chaired the joint American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO)-Centers for Disease Control Task Force for the Use of Vancomycin in Ophthalmology and has served on the writing committee for the Cornea and External Disease volume of the AAO Basic and Clinical Science series, in which he was responsible for authoring and editing the section on ocular infectious and external eye disease.

A committed educator, Dr. Hwang is active in the teaching of students, residents, and fellows and has received the Kimura Award for Excellence in Teaching from the UCSF Department of Ophthalmology. He has organized and taught numerous postgraduate courses and conferences at the regional, national, and international level and is a frequently invited speaker at national and international meetings. He has been the recipient of several named lectureships, been awarded the Honor Award and Senior Achievement Award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology, and been named to the “Best Doctors in the United States” list every year since 1996.

Dr. Hwang’s university-based referral practice is focused on corneal, cataract, and refractive surgery, with special interests in ocular infectious disease, corneal endothelial dystrophies and diseases, and high-risk corneal transplantation. He has conducted translational research into cellular transplantation and gene therapy approaches to corneal endothelial disease. He described the relationship between inadequate dosing of topical fluoroquinolones and subsequent antimicrobial resistance, and he reported the pharmacodynamic and genomic mechanisms underlying such development. As a result of his investigations, Dr. Hwang widely advocated for changing prevailing antimicrobial prescribing patterns away from prolonged, intermittent, and/or tapering dosing towards short-term, suprathreshold dosing.

His clinical interests include the development of innovative surgical techniques and instrumentation in corneal, cataract, and refractive surgery. He has published over 100 original articles and scientific abstracts and has co-authored two texts in cornea and refractive surgery. He resides in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, an ophthalmologist, and their three sons.

Awards

Show all (25) Hide

  • Certificate in Honor of Lifetime of Commitment to the Study and Advancement of Ophthalmology, California State Assembly, 2017
  • Recognition in Honor of Exceptional Research in the Field of Ocular and Corneal Disease, California State Senate, 2017
  • Recognition of Distinction and Merit for Outstanding Service to the People of San Francisco, San Francisco Board of Supervisors, 2017
  • Glaucoma Foundation Honoree, The Glaucoma Foundation, 2017
  • Special Congressional Recognition in Honor of Outstanding and Invaluable Service to the Community, United States Congress (sponsor: Speaker of the House, Hon. Nancy P. Pelosi, California), 2017
  • Recognition for Service in Ophthalmology and Leadership in Ophthalmological Research, United States Senate (sponsor: Hon. Dianne Feinstein, California), 2017
  • The 2017 UCSF Exceptional Physician Award, University of California, San Francisco, 2017
  • Judy and C. David Fritch MD Lecturer, University of Nebraska, 2016
  • Pearl T. and Samuel J. Kimura MD Endowed Chair in Ophthalmology, University of California, San Francisco, 2015-now
  • ARVO-Cornea Society VISTA Distinguished Scientific Lecturer, Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology and The Cornea Society, 2015
  • Senior Achievement Award, American Academy of Ophthalmology, 2010
  • Morgan-Sarver Lecturer, University of California, Berkeley School of Optometry, 2008
  • Who's Who in America, Life Member, Who's Who in America, 2001-now
  • Honor Award, American Academy of Ophthalmology, 2000
  • Steven G. Kramer Endowed Chair in Ophthalmology (5-year term), University of California, San Francisco, 1998
  • America's Best Doctors (25 consecutive years to date), Bestdoctors.com (previously Woodward & White, publisher), 1996-now
  • Named in "Brain Trust: 101 People Who Make this The Smartest Place on Earth", Focus Magazine, 1995
  • Kimura Award for Excellence in Teaching, University of California, San Francisco Department of Ophthalmology, 1994
  • Heed-Knapp Fellow (declined after appointment to faculty of UCSF), The Heed Foundation, 1990-1991
  • National Research Service Award, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, 1989-1990
  • Heed Fellow, The Heed Foundation, 1989-1990
  • Hogan Award for Outstanding Scientific Research, University of California, San Francisco Department of Ophthalmology, 1989
  • Asbury Award for Outstanding Clinical Research, University of California, San Francisco Department of Ophthalmology, 1988
  • First Prize, UCSF Academic Excellence Award (achieved highest honors in every course over 4 years), University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, 1984
  • Medial school graduation rank: #1 of 144, University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, 1984

Education & Training

Show all (6) Hide

  • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Champion Training University of California 2018
  • Fellowship - Cornea, External Disease, and Refractive Surgery School of Medicine USC/Doheny Eye Institute 1990
  • Fellowship - Uveitis School of Medicine USC/Doheny Eye Institute 1990
  • Residency - Ophthalmology School of Medicine University of California, San Francisco 1989
  • Residency - Internal Medicine School of Medicine University of California, San Francisco 1986
  • M.D. School of Medicine University of California, San Francisco 1984

Interests

Show all (6) Hide

  • refractive
  • development of new surgical techniques in corneal
  • cataract surgery
  • clinical trials in cornea and ocular infectious disease. Scientific research interests: cellular transplantation and gene therapy for corneal endothelial disease
  • ocular infectious disease
  • including epidemiology and mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance in ophthalmology

Websites

Show all (1) Hide

Publications (36)

Top publication keywords:
Corneal StromaSkin, ArtificialAza CompoundsCorneal NeovascularizationAnti-Infective Agents, LocalOcclusive DressingsLenses, IntraocularCorneal InjuriesDisinfectantsKeratitisAntisepsisKeratomileusis, Laser In SituChlorhexidineRetinal Artery OcclusionEndothelium, Corneal

Show all (31 more) Hide