Clinical Assistant Professor
Clinical Focus
Special Interests
- Surgical Retina
- Pediatric Vitreoretinal Surgery
- Ocular Genetics
Education
- MD: Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra, Santiago, Dominican Republic.
- Residency: Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo, Hospital Dr. Elías Santana Inc., Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
- Retina Fellowship: Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo, Hospital Dr. Elías Santana Inc. Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
- Medical Retina Fellowship: Toronto Western Hospital, Mount Sinai Hospital, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre,St. Michael’s Hospital. Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
- Vitreoretinal Surgery Fellowship: Toronto Western Hospital and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
- Pediatric Vitreoretinal Surgery Fellowship: The Hospital for Sick Children. Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
- Ocular Genetics and Inherited Retinal Diseases Fellowship: The Hospital for Sick Children. Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
- Vitreoretinal Surgery Research Fellowship: St. Michael’s Hospital. Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Bio
Dr. Cruz-Pimentel is a clinician-scientist whose interest in ophthalmology was sparked while volunteering in underserved communities in his home country to fight vitamin A deficiency, which is a cause of night blindness.
He earned his medical degree from the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra, where he later taught biochemistry and cell biology laboratory courses to medical students. He completed his ophthalmology residency at the Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo, serving as Chief Resident in his final year. Following residency, he undertook a two-year medical and surgical retina fellowship at the same institution.
Dr. Cruz-Pimentel pursued further advanced training in Canada to increase his clinical and surgical expertise, completing a one-year medical retina fellowship and a two-year surgical retina fellowship at the University of Toronto. In 2022, he was honoured with the Gillingham Fellowship from the Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology and the Retina Research Foundation and the Lim Family Memorial Award in 2023 for excellence in clinical care, surgery, and interpersonal skills from the residents of the University of Toronto.
He further advanced his training with a combined fellowship in pediatric vitreoretinal surgery and ocular genetics at the Hospital for Sick Children. During this training, he had the opportunity to participate as a surgeon, providing gene therapy treatment for inherited causes of blindness. This was followed by a research fellowship in vitreoretinal surgery at St. Michael’s Hospital, focusing on novel insights into rhegmatogenous retinal detachment.
Dr. Cruz-Pimentel has co-authored numerous peer-reviewed publications and book chapters on retinal diseases and surgical techniques. His clinical and research interests center on translational medicine, complex retinal diseases in adults and children, and building strong, compassionate patient-physician relationships.
In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family, reading history books, watching movies, and participating in racquet and outdoor sports.
