Stephen A. Meffert, MD

Dr. Meffert grew up in Iowa in a medical family; both his father and grandfather were surgeons. After high school in Iowa he moved on to college at Duke University, where he graduated with distinction in Zoology (and met his future wife!). Returning to the Midwest, he earned a master’s degree in Zoology from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, where his thesis involved vision-based behavior. Dr. Meffert then attended the University of Iowa School of Medicine. At the University of Iowa, he was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society and received a scholarship to study at Oxford University in England during his senior year of medical school. During medical school, his interest in vision led him to the ophthalmology department, where several subspecialty rotations ignited an early interest in vitreoretinal surgery.

The new doctor then completed internship and ophthalmology residency at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco, where he served as chief resident in his final year of residency. During residency, Dr. Meffert enjoyed training with many of the finest vitreoretinal surgeons in the Bay Area. His search for additional learning opportunities led him to Santa Rosa, where he was fortunate to be mentored by Drs. Patrick Coonan and Patrick Caskey, who would become his future partners.

The next stage of training, vitreoretinal surgical fellowship, brought Dr. Meffert to New Orleans. In Louisiana he studied under vitreoretinal pioneer, Dr. Gholam Peyman. Dr. Meffert served as chief fellow in his second year of fellowship and, with Drs. Peyman, Chou and Conway, began editing a new textbook, Vitreoretinal Surgical Techniques. Now in its second edition, this book has become an 800-page compendium of vitreoretinal surgical techniques and retinal pharmacologic interventions. The first edition was published in 2000; the second updated edition was completed in 2007.

Following fellowship in Louisiana, the Meffert family was happy to return to beautiful Sonoma County in 1998. Dr. Meffert joined North Bay Vitreoretinal Consultants to practice with Drs. Coonan and Caskey. In addition to enjoying the wonderful patients in his practice, Dr. Meffert likes mountain and road biking and is a founding and board member of a volunteer group, VeloMed, which provides on-bike medical support for cycling events. His older daughter, Liana, recently started down the medical path at the University of Iowa, College of Medicine.