Residency Program Director
After receiving a Bachelor in Microbiology and Cell Science from the University of Florida, Dr. Villegas attended the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine with a full academic scholarship. During medical school he won Best National Research in General Ophthalmology at the World Ophthalmology Congress in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He graduated among the top of his medical school class and was awarded the Academic Research Program Award. Dr. Villegas then pursued an Ophthalmology Residency at the University of Puerto Rico Department of Ophthalmology. He was appointed Chief Resident and graduated with multiple peer-reviewed clinical publications as first author.
Dr. Villegas then moved to Miami to continue fellowship training in Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami. He then completed a two-year Ocular Oncology and Vitreoretinal Surgery fellowship under the direction of Dr. Timothy G. Murray, Professor Emeritus in Ophthalmology and Radiation Oncology.
After completion of training, Dr. Villegas was appointed Assistant Professor in Clinical Ophthalmology at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami and Joint Faculty at the University of Puerto Rico. Currently, Dr. Villegas is an Associate Professor and Residency Program Director at the University of Puerto Rico Department of Ophthalmology. He also holds academic affiliations with Ponce Health Sciences University School of Medicine Department of Surgery and Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. Over the years, he has helped educate multiple national and international ophthalmologists.
Dr. Villegas is a diplomate of the American Board of Ophthalmology and has over 10 years of experience in research and clinical care. He has published over 40 peer-reviewed journal articles, 4 book chapters, more than 35 national and international abstracts, and serves as a reviewer for the American Journal of Ophthalmology, Ocular Oncology and Pathology Journal, American Society of Retina Specialists, Journal of VitreoRetinal Diseases, JAMA Ophthalmology, RETINA, PLOS One, OMICS Publishing Group, International Journal of Ophthalmic Research, Journal of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, Seminars In Ophthalmology, Case Reports in Ophthalmological Medicine, Puerto Rico Health Sciences Journal, Ophthalmology Research: An International Journal, and the Journal of Hospital and Clinical Pharmacy.
To search for publications by Dr. Villegas, visit the National Library of Medicine website.