Decatur Georgia Retina physicians named Top Doctors in Atlanta

Drs. Michael S. Jacobson, Jay Stallman, and Mark J. Rivellese of the Decatur office of Georgia Retina (465 Winn Way, Lower Level, Suite 100) — one of the largest retina-only medical practices in the southeastern United States — were recently honored as Top Doctors in metro Atlanta.

Dr. Michael S. Jacobson was named to the 2014 list of Top Doctors in the July issue of Atlanta magazine, while Drs. Jay Stallman and Mark J. Rivellese were included in the prestigious national Top Doctor online listing by Castle Connolly, a leading healthcare research company. Two additional Georgia Retina physicians, Drs. Scott I. Lampert and Atul Sharma, joined Dr. Jacobson as a Top Doctor in Atlanta magazine’s July issue. With five physicians named, Georgia Retina is one of the few practices in any speciality to have nearly half of its physicians recognized as Top Doctors.

The Top Doctors listing is compiled annually by Castle Connolly Medical Ltd. — an established healthcare research company based in New York City. The organization also compiles Atlanta magazine’s list of Top Doctors annually. Doctors are nominated for consideration through both a nationwide survey and a peer nomination process open to licensed physicians in DeKalb, Fulton, Cobb, Clayton, and Gwinnett counties. Castle Connolly’s physician-led team of researchers then select the Top Doctors through a rigorous peer review screening process that includes an evaluation of educational and professional experience.

Georgia Retina CFO Paul Lucas said the practice is honored to have so many of its physicians recognized as Top Doctors by their peers. “We’re incredibly proud that Drs. Stallman, Rivellese, Jacobson, Lampert, and Sharma have been included in these prestigious lists. All of our physicians — both those honored as Top Doctors and those who are not — are a wonderful reflection on the entire practice for the exceptional level of care they provide to the Atlanta community,” said Lucas.

Dr. Michael S. Jacobson is a board certified ophthalmologist who has been working solely with retinal and vitreous diseases since 1987. Dr. Jacobson graduated from Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, and later attended the University of Connecticut School of Medicine in Farmington, Connecticut. He completed his residency at the University of Maryland in Baltimore, Maryland, and a two-year retinal and vitreous fellowship at the University of Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary in Chicago, Illinois. Dr. Jacobson is a member of the American Medical Association, the Georgia Society of Ophthalmology, the American Society of Retina Specialists, and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Dr. Jacobson has been recognized as a Top Doctor for four consecutive years.

Dr. Jay Stallman is a board certified ophthalmologist and has been in private practice as a vitreo-retinal specialist since 1990. Dr. Stallman graduated with highest honors from the combined six-year program of Boston University School of Medicine in Boston, Massachusetts. After his residency in ophthalmology at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Cleveland, Ohio, he completed a two-year fellowship in vitreo-retinal surgery at Tulane Medical Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. Dr. Stallman is a Fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American College of Surgeons, and is also a member of the American Society of Retinal Specialists. He has published articles in several professional journals, and regularly serves as an advisor to several journals to select articles submitted for publication. Dr. Stallman has also served as the principal investigator of a number of large multicenter clinical trials conducted at Georgia Retina.

Dr. Mark J. Rivellese is a board certified ophthalmologist. He received his undergraduate and medical education at the State University of New York at Stony Brook in Stony Brook, New York. After completing a general surgery internship and a residency in ophthalmology at Rush Presbyterian — St. Luke’s Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois — he studied medical retina and vitreo-retinal surgery at the New England Eye Center at Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Rivellese has participated in multiple clinical trials for the investigation of macular degeneration, retinal vascular disease, and retinopathy of prematurity. His particular areas of interest include the medical and surgical treatment of diabetic retinopathy, ocular melanoma, and retinopathy of prematurity.

At Georgia Retina, patients’ vision needs are the top priority. As one of the largest retina-only medical practices in the southeastern United States, Georgia Retina specializes in treating diseases of the retina, macula, and vitreous. Its 11 board-certified ophthalmologists have received special Fellowship training in vitreo-retinal diseases and surgery, and are engaged in clinical trials with the goal of advancing research into retinal diseases, their causes, and their cures. For more information, visit www.garetina.com.