Specializing in tumors of the eye in children and adults, she is the author of 50 peer-reviewed publications, 11 book chapters, and serves as a reviewer for 20 major ophthalmic journals. In addition to managing all aspects of vitreoretinal disease, Schefler also brings expertise in the evaluation and treatment of eye tumors and related diseases in children including: retinoblastoma (including intra-arterial chemotherapy, laser, freezing therapy, radiation, surgery, and others); Coats' Disease; persistent fetal vasculature; medulloepithelioma; iris and ciliary body tumors; leukemia/lymphoma; and vascular tumors.
"We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Schefler to our already outstanding Children's ophthalmology team," said Susie Distefano, CEO of Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital. "Deeply passionate about caring for children, Dr. Schefler and her superior clinical expertise will play an important role in expanding our pediatric ocular oncology services so that we may continue to provide the highest level of care to Houston's youngest patients."
Schefler comes to Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital from the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, the top-rated eye hospital in the country, where she served as Co-Director of Ocular Trauma and as an Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology performing vitreoretinal surgery and ocular oncology surgery. Schefler graduated Cum Laude from Yale University with Highest Distinction in Behavioral Neuroscience. She received her medical degree from Cornell University with Honors and was awarded the Dean's Research Award and the Edward Norton Prize, awarded to the student with the best performance entering the field of ophthalmology.
After completing a one-year pre-residency fellowship with ocular oncologist David Abramson, MD, at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Schefler spent time learning from world-renowned ocular oncologists Carol and Jerry Shields, MD, at the Wills Eye Institute. She then completed her ophthalmology residency, vitreoretinal surgery fellowship, and an ocular oncology fellowship at Bascom Palmer, where she was awarded a Heed Ophthalmic Award, a Society of Heed Fellows Award, and the Ronald G. Michels Fellowship Foundation Award, the nation's highest honor for a retina surgery fellow.
Schefler is an active member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, the American Society of Retina Specialists, and the International Society of Ocular Oncology. She is fluent in Spanish and spends her free time with her husband and two children. In addition to Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital, she also sees pediatric patients at the Robert Cizik Eye Clinic, which is located in the Memorial Hermann Medical Plaza.