Meet Our Team
Dr. Bernard Chang
Dr. Bernard Chang is a board-certified ophthalmologist specializing in cornea and external disease and refractive surgery. He has extensive experience in corneal transplantation, anterior segment and cataract surgery and refractive surgical procedures.
Dr. Chang graduated from Wake Forest University. He received his medical degree from Vanderbilt University. He also completed his internship and ophthalmology residency at Vanderbilt University. He was selected by the faculty to serve as Chief Resident during his final year of residency.
As part of his extensive training, he completed a fellowship in cornea, external disease and refractive surgery at the University of California, San Diego. His fellowship with Drs. Stuart Brown and David Schanzlin afforded him advanced training and experience in performing corneal transplants, anterior segment surgery, and refractive surgical procedures including PRK, Lasik, and Intacs.
Dr. Chang is board certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology. His academic memberships include the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, the American Medical Association, the Tennessee Academy of Ophthalmology, and the Nashville Academy of Ophthalmology. Throughout his career, Dr. Chang has participated in various charitable organizations, and he has been an active participant in the EyeCare America public service program.
Dr. Chang enjoys spending time with his wife and daughter. He keeps active running, weight-training, and working outdoors. He enjoys traveling when time permits.
Dr. Mark Ewald
Dr. Mark Ewald joined Cornea & Cataract Consultants in January 2016. Previously an Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at Vanderbilt University, he brought added experience to the practice in medical and surgical corneal disease, cataract surgery including laser-assisted cataract removal and laser vision correction (Lasik and PRK).
A native of Mariemont just outside of Cincinnati, Ohio, Dr. Ewald attended Vanderbilt University where he received his undergraduate degree, cum laude, in mathematics. During his sophomore year he attended Murdoch University in Perth, Australia as part of a study abroad program. He attended medical school at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, followed by an internal medicine internship at The Christ Hospital in Cincinnati.
Dr. Ewald received his ophthalmology residency training at New York University and the Manhattan Eye, Ear, and Throat Hospital. He served as Chief Resident in his final year of training. He was chosen for a coveted position as a Cornea and External Disease fellow at the Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia, where he trained with renowned cornea specialists Peter Laibson, Christopher Rapuano, and Elizabeth Cohen.
Dr. Ewald is a board-certified ophthalmologist (American Board of Ophthalmology, 2009). He is a member in good standing of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS), the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) and the Cornea Society. He is a past president of the Nashville Academy of Ophthalmology and a member in good standing of the Tennessee Academy of Ophthalmology. While at Vanderbilt, he served as director of medical student education for the department of ophthalmology, trained residents clinically and surgically, and served as the ophthalmologist for the Vanderbilt athletic teams.
Dr. Ewald is happily married with two children. He loves to travel with his family, both within the U.S. and internationally. He enjoys being outside hiking, water and snow skiing and going to the beach.
Dr. Erich B. Groos, Jr.
A native Nashvillian who returned home to practice ophthalmology, Dr. Groos assumed the practice of L. Rowe Driver and later partnered with Ira A. Shivitz in 1999 to form Cornea Consultants of Nashville. He has extensive experience in corneal transplantation, laser refractive surgery, complicated lens implant exchange and cataract surgery.
Dr. Groos graduated valedictorian of Montgomery Bell Academy before leaving to earn a degree in English literature from Princeton University. He earned his medical degree from Vanderbilt University, after which he completed a residency in Ophthalmology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he was selected chief resident by his peers. A fellowship in cornea and external disease at the University of California, Davis then followed; where he learned the art of advanced diagnosis and surgical/medical treatment of complicated corneal problems. His mentors, Mark Mannis and Ivan Schwab, are among the most respected cornea specialists in the world.
Dr. Groos had additional training dedicated to develop excellent results in LASIK and PRK under the tutelage of Richard Lindstrom and David Hardten at the Phillips Eye Institute in Minneapolis. In 2005, Dr. Groos became the first surgeon in Middle Tennessee to perform DSAEK after training with pioneers in the procedure Frank Price and Gerrit Melles and trained with Dr. Melles again in 2009 for DMEK.
Dr. Groos is an ophthalmologist, certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology (1992, 2002, 2012 and 2022). He is a member of both the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) and the American Medical Association. He has served for 30 years on the board of the Tennessee Academy of Ophthalmology (TnAO), serving as President for two years. Dr. Groos is a previous President of the Nashville Academy of Ophthalmology. He is currently Medical Director of the DCI Eye Bank of Middle Tennessee and of the Eye Surgery Center of Nashville.
Dr. Groos enjoys time with friends and family: hiking, traveling, attending and watching sporting events, and attending local theater productions.
Dr. Jordan Hill
Dr. Hill is a cornea fellowship-trained ophthalmologist, who joined Cornea & Cataract Consultants in 2020. He has provided his patients with expertise in cornea transplantation, anterior segment and cataract surgery and refractive surgical procedures.
He graduated cum laude from the University of Notre Dame, where he received his Bachelor of Science degree. He attended medical school at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, in his hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio. After medical school, he completed an internship at Newton-Wellesley Hospital in Massachusetts.
He trained as a resident in Ophthalmology at Cook County Health in Chicago and was selected to serve as Chief Resident in his final year.
He then completed a fellowship in cornea and external disease at the prestigious Devers Eye Institute in Portland, Oregon. At Devers Eye, Dr. Hill trained with pioneers in the field of partial thickness corneal transplants, including DMEK surgery. As part of his fellowship, he received additional training in refractive surgery (LASIK and PRK) at the Lackland Airforce Base in San Antonio, Texas. At Lackland, Dr. Hill had the opportunity to train at the Joint Warfighter Refractive Surgery Center in a high-volume surgical setting with leaders in the field.
Dr. Hill is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and board certified with the American Board of Ophthalmology.
In his free time, Dr. Hill enjoying traveling, trying new restaurants and watching sporting events. He is happily married to his wife, Maura, who works as a freelance writer and as an ice-skating instructor and coach with the Nashville Figure Skating Club.
Dr. David Rooney
A native of Birmingham, Alabama, Dr. David Rooney graduated from Wake Forest University with a degree in History. After graduating medical school at the University of Alabama School of Medicine, Dr. Rooney completed his internship and Ophthalmology Residency at William Beaumont Hospital in Detroit, Michigan. He subsequently completed a fellowship in Glaucoma at the University of Pittsburgh and a fellowship in Global Ophthalmology through Stanford University.
Dr. Rooney has presented medical research at several national and international medical conferences, and his work has been published in numerous academic journals, including the Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery and the Journal of Glaucoma.
Dr. Rooney is certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. He is an active member of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons and the American Glaucoma Society. Dr. Rooney is available to see patients seeking care for cataracts, glaucoma, and other diseases of the eye.
Dr. Rooney is actively involved in improving eye care in Africa as a volunteer with HCP Cureblindness. Dr. Rooney enjoys live music, documentaries, and backpacking.
Dr. Ira Shivitz
Dr. Ira Shivitz is an ophthalmologist specializing in cornea and external disease and practicing in private practice here in Nashville since 1984. His experience runs the gamut from sight-threatening corneal infections to sight-restoring surgical procedures of the cornea and anterior segment. With fellowship training in cornea and external disease at the Baylor College of Medicine, he has successfully treated thousands of patients with severe damage to their cornea as well as prevented severe vision loss in countless others.
Educated in New York and receiving an undergraduate degree magna cum laude in Biology, Dr. Shivitz then earned his medical degree at Vanderbilt University. Following a year of general medical training, he trained in the Department of Ophthalmology at Baylor College of Medicine as a resident and then cornea fellow under the tutelage of David Paton and Dan Jones. At Baylor he was honored with a fellowship in corneal disease from the Eye Bank Association of America. Dr. Shivitz is a board-certified ophthalmologist by the American Board of Ophthalmology. He is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Medical Association. Dr. Shivitz was a Clinical Instructor in the department of Ophthalmology at Vanderbilt University for many years and worked as a volunteer at Metro General Hospital for over 10 years, teaching the Vanderbilt Ophthalmology residents surgical skills, and clinical care in the area of corneal and infectious diseases. He has also served as Chief of the Department of Ophthalmology, as well as serving on the medical executive committee at Centennial Medical Center.
Dr. Shivitz is an avid swimmer and a gourmet cook. He loves to travel and is married with two golden doodle children.
Jerry Knoch
Jerry Knoch is a licensed dispensing optician since 1980 who specializes in contact lens and welcomes hard-to-fit patients. He has been involved in the fitting of the latest contact lenses, which incorporates cutting-edge technology and equipment that can measure the cornea more precisely to achieve the best possible fit for the patient. He has worked in a corneal practice for 30+ years and has extensive knowledge and expertise in fitting contacts for patients with severe dry eyes, keratoconus, pellucid marginal degeneration, irregular astigmatism, surgically altered corneas and other complicated problems where custom design lenses are necessary.
He is highly proficient in scleral, hybrid, and all rigid gas permeable designs, soft keratoconus, and all custom-made soft lenses. Additionally, he is skilled in the latest bifocal, multifocal, and progressive design lenses as well as one-day soft lenses and prosthetic tinted lenses. Jerry is dedicated to providing the highest quality patient care with the most advanced products and technology.
Jerry likes being in the outdoors and hiking during his down time. He is also very active in GiGi’s Playhouse which provides programs that are educational and therapeutic in nature to individuals with Down Syndrome.