Sadiqa Khawaja Stelzner, M.D., M.A., F.A.C.S.

Dr. Stelzner joined the Santa Monica Eye Medical Group in 2004. After the retirement of Dr. Dickerson in January of 2008, she became the successor of the practice.  Initially trained as a Cellular Biologist, Dr. Stelzner has published many scientific, peer-reviewed articles in respected scientific journals.  Upon completion of her undergraduate and graduate studies at UCLA, Dr. Stelzner was invited to Milan, Italy, to perform scientific research on a grant from the Italian Council of Science.  She subsequently received her medical school education at Boston University.  Dr. Stelzner was granted a research fellowship by The National Institutes of Health (NIH) for the Harvard Medical School/Brigham and Women’s Hospital.  After completion of her research fellowship, Dr. Stelzner accepted a residency training position in Ophthalmology at the University of Washington in Seattle. She has completed Executive Management training with the Yale School of Management.  

Dr. Stelzner worked as an Ophthalmologist with Dr. David McIntyre at an internationally known practice in Seattle, Washington.  While there, Dr. Stelzner performed cataract, LASIK and cosmetic eyelid surgeries.  In addition to her work at the practice, she traveled with humanitarian organizations to perform surgeries, giving the gift of sight to patients and teaching her safe and innovative surgical techniques to local eye physicians in Mexico and El Salvador. 

In 2003, Dr. Stelzner and her family moved back to Los Angeles.  Dr. Stelzner is currently the Director of Eye Care at the Greater Los Angeles Veteran’s Hospital, Chief of Ophthalmology at Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center and Orthopedic Hospital, and is an Assistant Clinical Professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine/Jules Stein Eye Institute where she teaches the UCLA residents. 

Dr. Stelzner has been recognized in Who’s Who and in Consumer Reports as one of Americas Best Ophthalmologists.  Her area of interest is in comprehensive eye care including cataract, laser and eyelid surgeries.  Dr. Stelzner is a Fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology; a member of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, American Medical Association, the California Medical Association and the American Society of Anti-Aging.  She is a staff surgeon at St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica, Santa Monica Surgery Center, and Laser Eye Associates in Beverly Hills.

Dr. Stelzner is a Board-Certified Ophthalmologist.  She lives on the Westside with her husband and two children.  Dr. Stelzner was the recent recipient of the Best Teaching Award from the Jules Stein Eye Institute/UCLA.

Peter J. Kappel, M.D.

Dr. Kappel graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of California at Santa Barbara with a degree in Microbiology.  He earned his medical degree from the University of California at Irvine-College of Medicine where he graduated at the top of his class. After finishing an internship in internal medicine at the University of California at Irvine Department of Medicine, Dr. Kappel completed his Ophthalmology residency at the Jules Stein Eye Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, where he also completed a fellowship in Ocular Inflammatory Eye Diseases.

Throughout his education and training, Dr. Kappel earned numerous honors, awards, and recognition for his scholarship and clinical excellence. Dr. Kappel is board certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology (ABO).  His professional memberships include the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) and the prestigious Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) medical honor society. He has numerous publications in respected peer-reviewed Ophthalmology journals such as Ophthalmology, The American Journal of Ophthalmology (AJO), and Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science (IOVS).  Dr. Kappel has presented his research at professional society meetings across the country.

Dr. Kappel lives on the Westside with his wife Stefani Triff Kappel, MD; she is also a physician and in the process of completing her residency in Dermatology at UCLA.

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