Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) announced that the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) selected Julius Oatts, MD, MHS, an attending physician and associate professor in the Department of Ophthalmology at CHOP, for its 2026 class of the NAM Scholars in Diagnostic Excellence program.
The one-year, part-time program – offered in collaboration with the Council of Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS) – supports outstanding health professionals as they advance diagnostic skills, contribute to national efforts to improve diagnosis, and accelerate leadership development in diagnostic excellence.
Dr. Oatts has expertise in diagnosing and treating childhood glaucoma and retinopathy of prematurity and cares for children with these conditions as well as other eye and vision conditions including strabismus, amblyopia, and cataracts. He is also an active clinical researcher focused on developing programs to detect and treat preventable vision loss in low-resource settings. In addition, he teaches and mentors students, residents, and fellows at CHOP and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
As part of the NAM Scholars in Diagnostic Excellence program, Dr. Oatts will develop and advance his proposal, “Improving Retinopathy of Prematurity Diagnostic Verification and Predictive Modeling Using a Novel Image Grading Score.”
Over the course of the program year, Dr. Oatts and fellow scholars will engage with NAM leadership and peers, contribute to national convenings and publications, and collaborate on efforts designed to improve diagnostic quality and patient outcomes.
NAM, established in 1970 as the Institute of Medicine, is an independent organization of eminent professionals from diverse fields. It serves alongside the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering as an adviser to the nation and the international community, addressing critical challenges in health, medicine, and related policy.
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Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) announced that the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) selected Julius Oatts, MD, MHS, an attending physician and associate professor in the Department of Ophthalmology at CHOP, for its 2026 class of the NAM Scholars in Diagnostic Excellence program.
The one-year, part-time program – offered in collaboration with the Council of Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS) – supports outstanding health professionals as they advance diagnostic skills, contribute to national efforts to improve diagnosis, and accelerate leadership development in diagnostic excellence.
Dr. Oatts has expertise in diagnosing and treating childhood glaucoma and retinopathy of prematurity and cares for children with these conditions as well as other eye and vision conditions including strabismus, amblyopia, and cataracts. He is also an active clinical researcher focused on developing programs to detect and treat preventable vision loss in low-resource settings. In addition, he teaches and mentors students, residents, and fellows at CHOP and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
As part of the NAM Scholars in Diagnostic Excellence program, Dr. Oatts will develop and advance his proposal, “Improving Retinopathy of Prematurity Diagnostic Verification and Predictive Modeling Using a Novel Image Grading Score.”
Over the course of the program year, Dr. Oatts and fellow scholars will engage with NAM leadership and peers, contribute to national convenings and publications, and collaborate on efforts designed to improve diagnostic quality and patient outcomes.
NAM, established in 1970 as the Institute of Medicine, is an independent organization of eminent professionals from diverse fields. It serves alongside the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering as an adviser to the nation and the international community, addressing critical challenges in health, medicine, and related policy.
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Kaila M. Revello
Division of Ophthalmology