Professional Summary
Personal Statement
As the child of an architect and a Canadian immigrant, Justin Riffel grew up in both Wichita, Kansas and the Ottawa Valley. He attended John Brown University where he ran competitive cross country and graduated at the top of his class with a degree in Biochemistry. He then spent a year living in the Front Range of Colorado where his wife is from before returning home for medical school at the University of Kansas. During medical school, he was engaged in multiple research projects, and presented his study on implications of refractive surgery on glaucoma at the American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting. He acted as the Head of Research for CAMP, a program designed to help medical students attain more surgical experience. He also spent his time volunteering at the local clinic for underserved patients. He and his wife love playing with their rescue greyhound, and in his free time Justin enjoys painting, playing video games, and mountain biking.
Why I Chose Cincinnati
As a Kansas boy, I just wasn’t ready to let the Midwest go. But in all seriousness, Cincinnati is well-regarded as one of the best ophthalmology training programs in the nation, and I was especially struck with its friendly atmosphere during the interview. Cincinnati’s truly engaged faculty, great resources, and impressive training curriculum paired with an authentic desire to shape physicians into great doctors and kind people made this program the perfect fit.
Education
MD: University of Kansas School of Medicine