Wei (Laurel) Zhu, O.D., M.D.(Equivalent)
Diplomate, American Board of Optometry
Member of American Optometric Association
Member of Connecticut Optometric Association
Dr. Zhu is a Board-Certified optometrist by the American Board of Optometry. Board certification is a credential that goes above and beyond licensing requirements for practicing optometry. It is confirmation of an optometrist’s personal commitment to providing the highest quality patient care and engaging in lifelong learning and self-assessment.
Dr. Zhu earned her first degree (five years) in Clinical Medicine from Hubei Medical University. After graduating from medical school, she got trained as Resident Doctor for five years and then became Attending Doctor for two years in the Department of Ophthalmology in a teaching hospital affiliated to Wuhan University Medical School. As an eye surgeon in China, Dr. Zhu specialized on Eye trauma and cornea diseases.
Her life in the US started with joining the family in Bethesda, MD in 2003, where she worked as research specialist on murine model of inflammatory eye diseases, in National Eye Institution (NEI), National Institute of Health (NIH). During the years with NEI, she coauthored a few prestigious articles and present at ARVO meeting.
To continue her career as an eye clinician, she went to Boston and obtained the degree of Doctor of Optometry from New England College of Optometry with honors. She started to practice in CT after graduation in 2010. She is committed to provide patients with the most advanced knowledge and well-trained clinical skills to ensure the top-tier quality service in the eyecare field both ethically and professionally.
Dr. Zhu lived in Cheshire with her husband Jun and two children, Catherine, a freshman of UCONN Dental School and Daniel in elementary school. She likes cooking, travel and reading after work.
Jun (Johnny) Tang, Ph.D.
Member of American Association of Immunologist
Consultant on Ocular Infection, Inflammation and Immunology
Jun (Johnny) Tang is the initiator and co-director of Laurel Specialty Eyecare.
Jun got a degree of Bachelor in Medicine and a Master of Science in Microbiology and Immunology from Hubei Medical University. After four years being a teaching faculty member in medical school, he earned a Ph.D. from Shanghai Institution of Immunology. Johnny’s relationship with eye health lies in his post-doctoral research fellowship on immune-origin eye diseases in National Eye Institution, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD. During the years in the National Eye Institution, with the great contribution from Dr. Laurel Zhu and the team led by Dr. Caspi, he established a novel autoimmune uveitis model. He also identified the beneficiary roles of Vitamin D3 in anti-inflammation for uveitis. His work or the work that he contributed significantly in understanding ocular inflammatory and immunological diseases has been cited over 1200 times by the peer scientists.
In Laurel Specialty Eyecare, Johnny is managing the day-to-day practice. He also functions as a highly valuable consultant to Dr. Laurel Zhu and the practice on the infection, inflammation and immunology of the eye diseases.