Natalia Villate, M.D., F.A.S.R.S.

Natalia Villate, M.D., F.A.S.R.S. is a retina specialist in South Florida. She specializes in the diagnosis, treatment, and care of patients with medical and surgical diseases of the retina

Dr. Villate is board-certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology and a Fellow of the American Society of Retina Specialists and the American Academy of Ophthalmology. She is a skilled surgeon that has performed more than 1,000 complex vitreo-retinal surgeries since she established herself in private practice in the United States in 2008.

Dr. Villate performs surgery weekly at two state-of-the-art facilities in Broward County, including retinal detachment repair, macular holes, epi-retinal membrane peeling, diabetic retinopathy, and intraocular lens exchanges after complex cataract surgery. Outside of the operating room, she has a special interest in macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, uveitis, and the ocular manifestations of systemic diseases. At Fort Lauderdale Eye Institute, Dr. Villate’s patients have access to the most advanced imaging diagnostic techniques, the latest intra-vitreal injections of FDA-approved medications to treat common macular conditions, and the unique opportunity to participate in clinical trials. She also performs in-office laser surgery for retinal tears, detachments, and diabetic retinopathy.

Born in Columbus, Ohio and raised in Bogota, Colombia, Dr. Villate received her Doctor of Medicine degree from Universidad Del Rosario where she graduated in the top 10% of her class. She then travelled to Paris, France to complete a 2-year Internal Medicine Internship at The Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital followed by a postgraduate Immunology Course at the Pasteur Institute. She then pursued a pre–residency research fellowship in uveitis at the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research. In 1992, while still working at the INSERM, she received the award for best research paper presented at the Pan–American Association of Ophthalmology Meeting in Seville, Spain.

Soon after, Dr. Villate returned to Bogota where she did a 3-year Ophthalmology Residency at Fundación Oftalmológica Nacional followed by a year Vitreoretinal Surgery fellowship at the same institution. After completing several successful years as a vitreoretinal surgeon in the country of Colombia, she decided to relocate to the United States. With the goal of becoming a board-certified ophthalmologist in the US, Dr. Villate completed an Internship at the University Of Kansas School Of Medicine and a 3–year Residency in Ophthalmology at the Ophthalmology Department where she served as Chief Resident. She also completed a Medical Retina Fellowship at the prestigious Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

During her Fellowship at Bascom Palmer, Dr. Villate was involved in innovative research on macular degeneration, macular imaging techniques and image analysis. She actively participated in the clinical trials with photodynamic therapy and in the 2 large phase II/III studies that were conducted to the approval of Ranibizumab, the first successful drug to treat wet macular degeneration. She acquired extensive experience in ophthalmic ultrasound and served as a certified angiography reader for clinical trials at the Digital Angiography Reading Center in New York for seven years.

Dr. Villate’s work has been published in several peer-reviewed journals, and she has been a presenter at numerous national and international ophthalmic meetings. She co–authored several book chapters of the Optical Coherence Tomography of Ocular Diseases and has been an investigator in several FDA-approved clinical trials. Dr. Villate teaches students and residents as a Clinical Instructor for the NOVA Southeastern University School of Optometry and is a Clinical Assistant Professor for the NOVA Southeastern University College of Medicine.

Dr. Villate is a compassionate physician who enjoys patient care. She strives to communicate effectively and treat every patient in a comprehensive and individualized fashion. She lives in Boca Raton with her husband and son and when she is not working, she enjoys walking at the beach, reading and writing short stories. She is fluent in English, Spanish and French.

EDUCATION

YALE School of Management

  • Executive Education – Health Care Management – Online (Oct to December 2020)

Kansas University Medical Center

  • Ophthalmology Resident – Kansas City, Kansas (2005-2008)
    • Chief Resident (2007 -2008)

Kansas University Medical Center

  • Preliminary Internship – Internal Medicine – Kansas City, Kansas (2004-2005)

Bascom Palmer Eye Institute

  • Clinical Fellow in Medical Retina – Miami, Florida (2002-2003)

Fundación Oftalmológica Nacional

  • Vitreoretinal Surgery Fellow – Bogotá, Colombia (1994-1995)

Universidad Del Rosario, Fundonal

  • Ophthalmology Residency – Bogotá, Colombia (1991-1994)

Institut Pasteur

  • Immunopathology Postgraduate Course – Paris, France (1990)

Universite Pierre Et Marie Curie (Paris VI)

  • Preliminary Internship – Paris, France (1987-1988)

Universidad Del Rosario

  • Medical School – Bogotá, Colombia (1982 – 1987)
    • Top 10% of graduating class

LICENSE & CERTIFICATIONS

  • Florida State License, 2008
  • American Board of Ophthalmology, 2012

PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

  • American Academy of Ophthalmology
  • American Society of Retina Specialists
  • North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society

AWARDS

Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology – Seville, Spain (1992). Best Research Paper

  • Villate, N. MD: Yvonne de Kozak, MD; Jean Pierre Faure, MD; Brigitte Thillaye: Therapeutic trial of Trimetazidine on retinal dystrophies induced by UV light on Lewis rats.

FACULTY MEMBERSHIP

2020 – present: NSU Florida; Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine (Fort Lauderdale, Florida)

  • Clinical Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology

2002 – 2003: University of Miami School of Medicine (Miami, Florida)

  • Instructor “Department of Ophthalmology

1997 – 2000: Universidad Javeriana, Clinical Instructor (Bogotá, Colombia)

Residency Program Instituto Colombia de Cirugía – Ocular Retinal clinic and surgery supervision for 3rd year ophthalmology residents.

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

FORT LAUDERDALE EYE INSTITUTE “2014 – present”
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Clinical Investigator. Phase III clinical trials. Participating on the DRCR network

BASCOM PALMER EYE INSTITUTE “2000 – 2003“
Miami, Florida 
Phase II/III clinical trials on photodynamic therapy and anti-angiogenic agents. Optical Coherence Tomography imaging and image analysis for clinical trials.

Digital Angiography Reading Center (DARC) “2001 – 2007”
New York, New York
Certified Fluorescein Angiography Reader for Macular Degeneration Phase III Clinical trials

INSTITUT NATIONAL DE LA SANTE (INSERM Unit 86) “1990”
Paris France
Experimental autoimmune uveitis. Immuno-histochemistry and computer image analysis. Funded by Servier-Biopharma.

PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE

09/2014-Present
Fort Lauderdale Eye and Retina Institute, Partner (Fort Lauderdale, Florida)

09/2014-2019
South Florida Vision, Retina Consultant (Fort Lauderdale, Florida)

09/2010-07/2014
South Florida Eye Associates, Retina Specialist (Miami, Florida)

09/2008-08/2010
Visual Health and Surgery Center, Retina Specialist (Lake Worth, Florida)

2001 – 2002
Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, Ultrasound Department. Ocular Tumor Clinic (Miami, Florida)

1998 – 2000
FUNDACION SANTA FE, Department of Ophthalmology (Bogotá, Colombia)

1999 – 2000
GRUPO DE RETINA S.A., Co-founder and director (Bogotá, Colombia)

1995 – 1998
CLINICA DE MARLY, Department of Ophthalmology (Bogotá, Colombia)

1989 – 1990
FUNDACION CORONA,  Servicio Social Obligatorio (Barú, Colombia)

PRESENTATIONS

Villate, N. COPE Course Annual Fall Conference NSU. Saturday October 5th, 2019. The Latest on AMD: Non exudative macular Degeneration

Villate, N. Update on Diabetic Retinopathy and DME Management. Kansas EyeCon 2016. Leawood, KS April 8 and 9 2016

Villate, N. Update on Intravitreal Injections First Annual Optometric Convention 2016. American Health Innovations. Fort Lauderdale, FL 2016

Villate, N. Age Related Macular Degeneration: Clinical Trials and Clinical Practice. First Annual University of Kansas Department of Ophthalmology, Lemoine Alumni Society and Kansas Society of Eye Physicians and Surgeons (KSEPS) Joint Conference. June 12-13, 2009. Kansas City, Kansas, June 13th, 2009

POSTERS

Villate, N; Sabah, JR; Gupta, A; Johnson, P; Whittaker, T. MRI/MRV findings in patients with Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension. Poster at ARVO Meeting Ft Lauderdale, Fl, April 22nd- May 1st, 2008

Villate N, Whittaker, T. Dural sinus thrombosis and coagulopathies in patients with presumed idiopathic intracranial hypertension. Poster at ARVO Meeting Ft Lauderdale, Fl, May 5-11,2007

Villate, J.E. Lee, V. Cruz-Villegas, W.J. Feuer. C.A. Puliafito P.J. Rosenfeld, Verteporfin Therapy of Predominantly Hemorrhagic Lesions in Patients with Neovascular AMD.Poster at ARVO Meeting Ft Lauderdale, Fl, May 4-9,2003

P.J. Rosenfeld, N. Villate, W.J. Feuer. C.A. Puliafito, E.R. McCluskey. RhuFab V2 (Anti VEGF Antibody Fragment) in Neovascular AMD: Safety, Tolerability, and Efficacy of Multiple, Escalating Dose Intravitreal Injections. Poster at ARVO Meeting Ft Lauderdale, FL, May 4-9,2003

E.M Escalona-Benz, T.G. Murray, M.S. Benz, N. Villate, B.C. Hayden Correlation between Optos Ultra Field Digital Imaging, Standardized Fundus Photography, and B-scan Echography in the detection of posterior segment tumors. Poster at ARVO Meeting Ft Lauderdale, FL, May 4-9,2003

V. Cruz-Villegas, N. Villate, C. Puliafito, P. Rosenfeld. Early Retreatment of Choroidal Neovascularization (CNV) in Age-Related macular Degeneration with Photodynamic Therapy (PDT). One-year follow-up of an Uncontrolled, Retrospective Case Series.Poster at the ARVO Annual Meeting. Fort Lauderdale, FL May 5-10, 2002.

Villate N, V. Cruz-Villegas, H.W. Flynn, P.J. Rosenfeld. Severe Vision Decrease within One Week following Photodynamic Therapy. Poster at the ARVO Annual Meeting. Fort Lauderdale, FL May 5-10, 2002.

PUBLICATIONS

Hasenin Al-Khersan, MD1;Natalia Villate, MD2; Janet L. Davis, MD1 . Intermittent Temporal Visual Field Loss in a Middle-aged Man. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2019;137(9):1072-1073

Villate N, Lee JE, Venkatraman A, Smiddy WE. Photoreceptor layer features in eyes with closed macular holes: Optical coherence tomography findings and correlation with visual outcomes. Am J Ophthalmol. 2005 Feb;139(2):280-9

Schechter BA, Rand, WJ, Nagler RS, Estrin I, Villate N, Velazquez GE. Corneal melt after amniotic membrane transplant. Cornea. 2005 Jan; 24(1):106-7

Cruz-Villegas V, Villate N, Knighton RW, Rubsamen P, Davis JL Optical Coherence Tomographic Findings in Acute Exudative Polymorphous Vitelliform Maculopathy. Am. J Ophthalmol. 2003 Oct; 136(4):760-3

Villate N MD, Davis JL, MD. Older man has sudden onset of pain and photophobia. Ophthalmology Times Grand Rounds, p. 82-83, October 15, 2002

Villate N MD, Puliafito C, MD, MBA. Advances in Retinal Imaging. The Vitreous Society Times, Retinal Research Report, p.10-20, September 2002

Villate N, MD, Sánchez-Thorin JC, MD. The Age-Related Macular Degeneration: An Evidence-Based Overview. Online Clinical Communications for Ophthalmologists. July 2000 www.occojournal.com

Sanchez-Thorin JC, Cortes MC, Montenegro M, Villate N. The Quality Reporting of Randomized Clinical Trials published in Ophthalmology.  Ophthamology, 2001;108:2:415

Villate, N., Sandoval, H. Trauma Ocular. Chapter of the book “Trauma Temas Basicos Volumen I” edited by Federación Médica Colombiana Second Edition, 2001

Villate, N., Rodríguez, A. Betancourt, F. Hemangioma Cavernoso de la Retina. Revista de la Sociedad Colombiana de Oftalmología 1996 Sept; 20(4)