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NAAHP Blog

Dr. Daniel Laroche

1.15.2013

Leadership Spotlight

Article By: NAAHP

Dr. Daniel Laroche is a glaucoma specialist in New York , Director of Glaucoma Services and President of Advanced Eyecare of New York. He is Director of Glaucoma Services at St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital Ophthalmology Division of New York Eye and Ear Infirmary and Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at the New York Medical College. Dr. Laroche has taken care of thousands of patients from New York , and specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma. Dr. Laroche has performed thousand of glaucoma surgeries using the latest techniques and helped broaden many young surgeons understanding of the latest in the medical, laser and surgical treatments of glaucoma. He has been voted one of the top doctors in New York several years in a row and one of top Doctors in America.

Dr. Laroche received his bachelor’s degree from New York University and medical doctorate with honors in research from Cornell University Medical College. He underwent a medical internship at Montefiore Hospital and completed his Ophthalmology residency at Howard University Hospital in Washington DC where he was the chief resident in his 3rd year. Dr. Laroche subsequently completed his glaucoma fellowship at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary with Glaucoma Associates of New York with Robert Ritch MD and Jeffrey Liebmann MD and David Greenfield MD.

Dr. Laroche is board certified and a Diplomat of the American Board of Ophthalmology, a Fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and a member of the American Glaucoma Society and New York Glaucoma Society. Dr. Laroche is the past, Director of the Glaucoma section of the National Medical Association Ophthalmology Section and currently the Chair of the Ophthalmology Section. Dr Laroche has also written many articles and lectured on glaucoma, teaching other physicians and participated in symposiums throughout the United States , and the world including the Caribbean, Europe, and Africa. Dr. Laroche is also the President Emeritus of the Empire State Medical Association, the New York State affiliate of the National Medical Association and has been an advocate for health care excellence, equality, justice, and diversification of the healthcare workforce. He has also received the Secretariat Award from the American Academy Of Ophthalmology, awards from the City Council of New York for Outstanding contributions to New York City , Aesclepius Medical Society Outstanding Leadership, Network Journal, among many others. Dr. Laroche is a supporter of the Glaucoma Foundation, New York and a Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine, New York. Dr. Laroche has also volunteered on several medical missions to Haiti and Jamaica , West Indies.

What led you to pursue your career?

My father is a physician and mother was a nurse. At an early age I was exposed to medicine and I excelled in science.  Once in medical school I did an Ophthalmology rotation. During this experience I was fascinated by the ability to see patients in the office and perform surgery in the operating room to restore vision. It was great to actually see the pathology such as cataracts, glaucoma, diabetes that were affecting patient’s vision and being able to do something about it.

How were you able to get started?

Hard work, reading every day, pursuing higher education, learning from those who paved the way ahead of me including my mom and dad and being inspired by those ancestror’sthat sacrificed for me such as Touissant L’Overture, Jean Jacques Dessaline, Fredrick Douglas, Martin Luther King and many others. As you go along the most important thing to stay focused. There were many distractions that could have derailed me from my studies both in high school. College and medical school and even today as I practice medicine. Not getting distracted by people and activities that were unrelated to my career aspirations was very important to my keeping focus and continuing to do so today.

When did you realize that you were making real progress with your career?

When I graduated from medical school I accomplished my goal of being a physician; however every day even now I continue to learn and improve. Being a physician is a lifelong career of learning and delivering the best possible care.

What have been some of your professional highlights?

Developing my own practice and helping thousands of patients improve and preserve their vision. Assisting with Eyecare in Haiti by working with the AMHE, AAO and ongoing educational mission trips to Haiti and helping to sponsor student education in Haiti.

What have been some of the challenges you’ve had to face?

There were always people that say you cannot do this or that.  Not listening to the nay sayers and always using those statement’s to further propel me to achieve my dreams and goals was the biggest challenge. This is the biggest obstacle I have had to overcome. At each step in my career I have run into nay sayers. I have seen this stop many people from achieving their goals.

Do you personally know other Haitians in your field?

Yes are several Haitians in medicine. Only a handful specifically in Ophthalmology. Some of them in the United States are Mildred Olivier MD, Frantz Lerebours MD, Richard Najac MD, Fritz Allen MD are some.

Do you feel as though you’ve helped break barriers? 

I feel that I have helped educate thousands of patients and physicians  about glaucoma. Glaucoma is  disease that silently leads the blindness caused by damage to the optic nerve and loss of peripheral vision usually caused by elevation of eye pressure. This is the leading cause of preventable blindness in Blacks in the US and from the Caribbean including Haiti.

What do you feel is next for your career?

To continue to be up on the latest treatments both medically and surgically for glaucoma and other eye diseases. Continue to develop my practice to be at the forefront of glaucoma care and eye care.

What would be your advice to young people who want their careers and lives to have an impact?

Find what you like to do then go full speed ahead into that arena. When working when you love what you do you will not feel like you’re working. Be the best that you can be in what you do. This will guarantee you success. Always read and learn about how you can be better to excel. We live in a capitalistic society where the best are rewarded and the worst go out of business. Keep this in mind as you pursue you career goals.

What do you think can be done for Haiti to develop financial assistance without having to be reliant upon others in times of crisis?

Haiti is unfortunately in a state of ongoing crisis due to the political and structural violence on Haiti by the international community. Unfortunately many non-governmental organizations strip Haiti of millions of dollars of good willed donations. The international community has subverted the democratic elected leadership of Haiti and supported corrupt political leaders that maintain economic poverty in Haiti to support wealth in developed nations. Solutions to poverty in Haiti must include increasing property taxes on land owners, decreasing consumption and wage taxes on the poor, stopping the privatization of industry, and  the redistribution of the land. The Cuba model appears to be a good one for Haiti. Cuba has a highly educated population and excellent healthcare system and much less poverty.

Do you believe a campaign highlighting the positives of Haiti would be worth exploring to take away the stigma of it being impoverished?

Unfortunately Haiti will continued to be impoverished until significant economic and political structural change takes place as described above.

Would you recommend NAHP to Haitian students and professionals? Why?

Yes. This offers an opportunity to meet and learn from other Haitian professionals you may be in a position to guide students  and professionals to advance to  the next level career wise.

NAAHP
NAAHP

National Alliance for the Advancement of Haitian Professionals

NAAHP is focused on connecting a global community of peers with career advancement resources as well as fostering transformative relationships to strengthen Haiti through philanthropy and social entrepreneurship.

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