Episode 5: Shamik Bafna, MD

On this episode of Cell & Flare, we are joined by Shamik Bafna, MD, a cataract and refractive surgeon at the Cleveland Eye Clinic and Clear Choice Custom LASIK Center in Cleveland, OH who completed his medical and ophthalmic training at the University of Michigan and Baylor. He discusses his journey from comprehensive ophthalmology to comprehensive refractive surgery, how to balance work and travel, handling the pressure of surgery, the path to the podium, partnering with private equity, and various aspects of private practice.

0:00:00 | Opening
0:00:27 | Intermittent Micro Travel
0:03:01 | Life Is Creating Memories
00:03:43 | Instagram VS. Reality
00:05:06 | Social Media Influencers
00:08:11 | Lights, Camera, Action!
00:11:55 | (Social) Media Sensationalism
00:12:40 | My Life’s A Movie
00:14:49 | Globe Trekking
00:20:14 | The Purest Place On Earth
00:22:01 | Life Is Too Short To Worry
00:24:49 | All Who Wander Are Lost
00:25:43 | Work Hard, Work Harder
00:29:01 | Finding Your Niche In Medical School
00:31:33 | Eye Surgeons Have LASIK
00:33:19 | Putting The “O” In “ROAD”
00:36:54 | Do One, See One, Teach One
00:40:35 | The Pressure Of Surgery
00:41:53 | The Highest Levels Of Surgery
00:44:26 | How To Handle The Pressure Of Surgery & Become A Better Surgeon
00:50:03 | Hitting Your Stride In Private Practice
00:52:13 | Life Before Refractive Surgery Fellowships
00:53:27 | Transitioning to Comprehensive Refractive Surgery
00:56:16 | Meeting William Wiley, MD
00:59:40 | Building Your Reputation As A New Ophthalmologist
1:05:05 | How To Develop A Private Practice Research Department
1:10:39 | How Clinical Research Can Change Lives
1:15:13 | Path To The Podium
1:17:47 | Cultivating Your Ophthalmology Family
1:19:21 | The Beauty Of Refractive Surgery
1:22:06 | How To Grow As A Surgeon
1:24:04 | Should You Partner With Private Equity?
1:28:45 | How To Vet Private Equity
1:29:56 | The Rise And Fall (And Rise) Of Private Equity
1:34:22 | The Horizon

TABLE OF CONTENTS