Alumni in Medicine: Mansoor Movaghar, M.D. ’87

• Associate Clinical Professor, Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus Surgery, University of California San Diego/Rady Children’s Hospital
• M.D. University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey – Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
• B.A. Biological Basis of Behavior, University of Pennsylvania

Describe your responsibilities and day-to-day work at UCSD.
My responsibilities at UCSD include caring for children with eye disorders like strabismus (misaligned eyes), amblyopia (weak vision), blocked tear ducts, and cataracts among others. I perform surgery on children and adults with strabismus and various  problems. Working with ophthalmology residents and fellows as well as pediatric and family medicine residents and medical students, there are many teaching opportunities from how to make children comfortable in an exam to how to surgically correct vertical and torsional double vision from a fourth cranial nerve palsy.

What is the most rewarding part of your work?
The most rewarding part of my work is seeing patients’ happiness, having straight eyes, better vision, and passing on my experience to help both children and adults in the future. It makes me smile when parents tell me their child was excited to come see me.

How did your passion for medicine/health care begin and were there any specific experiences that had an impact on you?
I decided to become an ophthalmologist when I was eight years old. This was a result of getting glasses and seeing all the interesting equipment in the ophthalmologist office. An experience that affirmed my belief in ophthalmology happened during Intensive Learning with City Project in ninth grade while learning about Philadelphia. A classmate and I got lost in the city and as we were speaking, a blind woman happened to pass us and asked where we wanted to go. I thought she couldn’t help us because she couldn’t see. She then gave us detailed directions, including the bus number, and which stop to get to our destination. It then dawned upon me that she had a mental map of the city that was better than what I could see with my eyes. It made me realize vision adds a richness to our lives that we frequently take for granted.

How has your Moorestown Friends education served you in your career and life?
The writing skills I developed with the English department have helped me over my entire career. My math and science background provided a strong foundation for my medical career. What I learned in my Spanish classes is something I use almost every day. While I may not always be speaking grammatically correct, I am able to communicate why a patient may need glasses, patching, or surgery, without always requiring an interpreter in clinic or on medical missions to South America.

Do you have any additional MFS stories or memories you would like to share that were influential in your life?
There are so many stories I could tell that it is difficult to pick just one. I would say MFS is a very special place. It was shaped by the school’s mission, values, the amazing faculty, and the diverse group of students. Looking back, I appreciate the opportunity to be part of that wonderful community. I am thankful to have attended MFS.

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