The Academy is pleased to present Amalia M. Miranda, MD, with the Guest of Honor Award. Selected by the president each year, this award honors individuals for significant contributions to ophthalmology and the Academy.
We recognize Dr. Miranda for her commitment to the Academy in many different roles. She has been a member of the Oklahoma Academy of Ophthalmology for many years and has served as EyePAC chair since 2004. After the 1998 Oklahoma state legislation allowing optometrists to perform eye laser surgery, Dr. Miranda raised EyePAC money and personally delivered checks, developing a reputation with legislators as a trusted professional.
She served as president of the Oklahoma Academy of Ophthalmology 2007-2009, remains on the Board of Directors and serves as PAC chair and treasurer. She also organizes the society’s annual EyeBall, which raises funds for eye charities.
In 2010 she became alternate councilor to the Academy and is currently serving her second term as the Oklahoma councilor. She served on the Secretariat for State Affairs from 2011-2016 and remains an active member of the Surgical Scope Fund Committee, on which she is recognized for her fundraising abilities. Through a Leadership Development Program cross-fertilization project, Dr. Miranda also became the Academy participant in the European Leadership Development Program 2007-2009.
Dr. Miranda received her undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Seville, Spain, where she completed her ophthalmology residency training. But after a 1983 move to Oklahoma City to join Dean A. McGee Eye Institute, she has become a well-known Oklahoman. After two years in the lab doing corneal research, she became director of Dean McGee’s low-vision clinic, while practicing General ophthalmology. In 1993, she joined Glaucoma and Laser Surgery Associates in Oklahoma City and practiced there until 2009, when she established her solo practice after her partner, Jim Wise, MD, retired. She practices ophthalmology full-time, and serves as a consultant to the Burn Center at Integris Baptist Hospital. Dr. Miranda has been an Academy member for 30 years and received the Achievement Honor Award in 2014.
Dr. Miranda and her husband Paul Silverstein are deeply involved with the art community in Oklahoma City. Currently she serves on the Board of Trustees of the OKC Museum of Art, where she chairs the Acquisition and Exhibition Committee. She has also served on the Oklahoma Philharmonic Orchestra’s board. The King of Spain appointed Dr. Miranda to serve as Honorary Consul General of Spain to the State of Oklahoma. She also serves on the Oklahoma governor’s international team.
Dr. Miranda has been a dedicated Academy volunteer with her endless energy and quiet effectiveness. She is the ultimate optimist and a very fun “Okie from Seville.”
The American Academy of Ophthalmology is honored to recognize Dr. Miranda as a guest of honor at AAO 2017.