Eyeworld

EW IN OTHER NEWS 128 by Ellen Stodola EyeWorld Staff Writer Coupling up in ophthalmology Together for nearly 30 years, 2 ophthalmologists discuss their "medical marriage" F or Reay Brown, MD, and Mary Lynch, MD, Atlanta, ophthalmology isn't just a profession—it's part of the family. Both luminary ophthalmologists (and glaucoma specialists), they have been married for 28 years and have practiced medicine together, separately, and in several locations. In this issue for the month of Valentine's Day, they spoke about their careers, their relationship, and what it is like being married to someone in the same medical specialty. Their story For Dr. Lynch, ophthalmology runs in the family. "My grandfather was an ophthalmologist, my uncle was an ophthalmologist, and 2 of my cousins are ophthalmologists," she said. "I always thought I would be an ophthalmologist." After attending Johns Hopkins as an undergraduate and doing volunteer work at the hospital, Dr. Lynch decided to stay there for medical school. "I spent 13 years in Baltimore, and it was in the middle of that time that I met Reay," she said. For Dr. Brown, the choice to become an ophthalmologist was not necessarily an obvious one. After graduating from Harvard and working as a banker in San Francisco, he received his medical degree at the University of Michi- gan. Dr. Brown headed to Baltimore to Johns Hopkins for his training, and it was there that he met his future wife. "I met Mary when we were both running on the track," he said. "I thought she was beautiful, and I started talking to her." But after learning that she was a fourth-year medical student, he was February 2015 Dr. Brown and Dr. Lynch on their wedding day in Dallas in 1986 skeptical about the relationship's future, as he had a rule about not marrying a doctor. "I thought it would just be too complicated," he said. "I finished medical school and stayed at Hopkins to do my internship," Dr. Lynch said. "When I arrived for the first day of my residency and Reay was there as a third-year, I recognized that he was the guy running on the track." While singing a duet at the an- nual skit performed by the residents at the Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute, Dr. Lynch and Dr. Brown realized they had real chemistry. However, it would be 2 more years before they finally got together. They were married in 1986. Matching up practice locations Compromise was an important aspect of their relationship from the beginning. "We were worried about finding jobs in the same city," Dr. Brown said. This was largely because he had finished his training in Baltimore a year before Dr. Lynch, and their timelines were not synchronized. "I did my fellowship in Miami and then came back to serve as chief resident at Hopkins, and Mary still had her fellowship year to com- plete," he said. "So I got a job with an HMO in Maryland to wait for Mary. Then we moved to Texas as a team in 1985. We immediately be- gan working on projects and papers together. We were young, ambitious, and enthusiastic. It was a very happy time." They were recruited to join the faculty at Emory University in 1988. Emory was appealing to them because it was close to family on the East Coast and needed 2 glaucoma specialists immediately. In 1994, Dr. Lynch transitioned to working at the Atlanta Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center. Emory was interested in developing the VA department with a full-time chief of ophthalmology. With 3 young children at home, Dr. Lynch volunteered to make the transition. "I always thought it was going to be a temporary move and I would go back to practicing at Emory," she said. "But I really enjoyed working with the veterans, and now 20 years later, I'm still here!" "She built the Atlanta VA up into a powerhouse," Dr. Brown said, adding that it has one of the best VA ophthalmology departments in the country, with an excellent training program. In 1999, Dr. Brown left Emory to found Atlanta Ophthalmology Associates with David Palay, MD. Sharing a medical specialty Being married to someone in the same medical specialty has had some challenges, but Dr. Lynch and Dr. Brown agreed that overall it has been fulfilling. "In the beginning, when we were in practice together and we had our young family, it was difficult because our schedules were mirror images of each other," Dr. Lynch said. "When one person was in clinic, the other was in the OR and vice versa. It was hard to be flexible and available.

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