Title: 1) Associate Professor of Ophthalmology; 2) Chief of Ophthalmology
Company: 1) Tulane University School of Medicine; 2) Southeast Louisiana Veterans Healthcare System
Location: New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
Rebecca Crawford Metzinger, MD, Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at Tulane University School of Medicine and Chief of Ophthalmology at Southeast Louisiana Veterans Healthcare System, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Doctors for dedication, achievements, and leadership in ophthalmology.
With more than 20 years of experience to her credit, Dr. Metzinger has excelled as the chief of ophthalmology with the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Healthcare System since 2008, a specialist in cornea and external diseases at the Tulane University School of Medicine since 2008, and an associate professor in ophthalmology and a specialist in cornea and external diseases at the Tulane University School of Medicine since 2013. She was previously active at the Tulane University School of Medicine as an assistant professor of ophthalmology from 2001 to 2004, a clinical assistant professor of ophthalmology from 2004 to 2008, and an assistant professor of ophthalmology from 2008 to 2013. During this time, she additionally served as a specialist in cornea, external diseases, refractive surgery and cataract surgery with the Ochsner Clinic Foundation from 2004 to 2007 and both an associate and a specialist in cornea and external diseases with Singer-Brint Custom Vision from 2007 to 2008. Notably, Dr. Metzinger was recruited as the team ophthalmologist for the New Orleans Pelicans in the National Basketball Association (NBA) between 2004 and 2005.
Before embarking on her professional path, Dr. Metzinger pursued an education throught the Interflex Program at the University of Michigan, from which he earned a Bachelor of Business Studies in 1992 and a Doctor of Medicine in 1995. She continued her academic efforts through an internship in the division of general surgery at the department of surgery within the University of Maryland Medical System between 1995 and 1996. Dr. Metzinger further refined her skills at the Tulane University School of Medicine, where she completed a postdoctoral research fellowship from 1996 to 1997, a residency in the department of ophthalmology from 1997 to 2000 and a fellowship in cornea and external diseases from 2000 to 2001.
In light of her impressive undertakings, Dr. Metzinger has accrued several accolades throughout her career. Inducted into the New Orleans City Businesswoman of the Year Hall of Fame in 2023 after receiving the honor in 2001, 2015 and 2023, she was proudly presented with a Regent’s Alumnae Scholarship from the University of Michigan in 1988 and a VA Gold Star Award in 2012. Dr. Metzinger was further celebrated for Best Basic Science Research Project by Tulane University in 1999, Best Clinical Research Project by Tulane University in 2000, Outstanding Performance for the Reorganization of Veteran Eyecare Services by The American Legion in 2017, the Surgical Teacher of the Year by Tulane University, and a Political Health Care Hero.
Dr. Metzinger has attributed her success to her outstanding mentors, which include Dr. Delmar Caldwell, Dr. Marguerite McDonald, and her grandmother, Mary Bridget Gallagher Wiser, who was an Irish flight surgeon in the Royal Air Force. Harboring a lifelong interest in the field of medicine, she was initially drawn to a career in surgery before discovering her passion for ophthalmology. Among her most notable achievements, she is incredibly proud of building VA clinics as well as bringing the first corneal transplants to the island of Grenada. Looking toward the future, Dr. Metzinger hopes to conduct extensive research in her field while connecting more with her family and friends during her spare time.
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