Allatoona Eye Institute, PC
Meet the Doctors
Jeffrey R. Brant, MD, FAAO
A native of South Florida, Dr. Brant graduated from Southwest Miami High School in 1973. He received a B.A. (magna cum laude) in microbiology from the University of South Florida (Tampa) in 1977. He attended the University of Miami School of Medicine and received his MD (doctor of medicine) in 1981. He immediately began an internal medicine internship at the University of Alabama at Birmingham's Montgomery Internal Medicine Residency Program which he completed in 1982. This was followed by a residency in ophthalmology (surgery and diseases of the eye) at the University of Alabama in Birmingham and the Eye Foundation Hospital, which he completed in 1985. He served as chief resident at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Birmingham in 1984-85.
Dr. Brant moved to Cartersville in July 1985, as he saw an underserved need for quality full time local eye care in this wonderful, growing community. He opened the Allatoona Eye Institute, PC, on July 15th, 1985.
Dr. Brant received his certification from the American Board of Ophthalmology, which assures patients that he received proper training and has the knowledge to make the best possible decisions for his patients and provide them with skilled surgical and medical treatments. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, a member of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons, the American Medical Association, the Medical Association of Georgia, the Georgia Society of Ophthalmology, and the Bartow County Medical Society.
In his spare time, Dr. Brant enjoys playing the piano and organ, working outdoors on his "farm" near Kingston, shooting pool, photography, digital video editing and production, and working with computers. He enjoys traveling and, above all, spending time with his family.
He has been happily married to the former Nancy Johnston, RN, of South Carolina since 1983. Nancy is the 2002 president-elect of the Medical Association of Georgia Alliance. Nancy and Jeff have four daughters, Amanda, Marlowe, Heather and Melodee.
Dr. Brant is a full staff member in the Department of Surgery at the Cartersville Medical Center, where he served as Chief of Surgery in 2000. Other duties at this hospital include laser safety officer and he is member of the radiation and laser safety committee. He is serving a three-year term as a Board of Trustees Member. Dr. Brant has been a Section Editor of the well-known bi-weekly professional publication, "Ocular Surgery News" since 1996. He is serving as president of the Bartow County Medical Society in 2002. Dr. Brant is affiliated with the Emory Vision Correction Center.
Feng Zhao, MD, PhD
Born in Shanghai, China, Dr. Zhao received her MD (Doctor of Medicine) from the Fujian Medical University in 1982. She then completed an ophthalmology residency at Fujian Medical University Affiliated Hospitals in 1985. She received glaucoma specialty training at the Shanghai Medical University 1985-1988.
Dr. Zhao moved to the United States in 1992 and received her PhD in glaucoma research at Texas A & M University in 1996. In order to practice ophthalmology in the United States, Dr. Zhao re-trained by completing an internal medicine internship at Yale University in 1997-1998 and then an ophthalmology residency at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine in Chattanooga (Erlanger Hospital), where she served as Chief Resident in 2000-2001.
Dr. Zhao is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, International Society of Refractive Surgery, and Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.
Dr. Zhao is married to Dr. Yong Zhao, a cardiovascular surgery researcher at Emory Medical Center in Atlanta. They have one daughter, Kathy.
Dr. Zhao enjoys gardening, swimming and playing tennis. She is a full staff member of the Department of Surgery at Emory Cartersville Medical Center. Dr. Zhao is affiliated with the Emory Vision Correction Center.
David d'Heurle, MD
Dr. d'Heurle is a fellowship-trained retina/vitreous specialist whose main office is in Atlanta across from Piedmont Hospital. He has been associated with the Allatoona Eye Institute for many years.
Dr. d'Heurle was born in Chicago, Illinois. He attended Manhattanville College in Purchase, New York, where he received his B.A. in biology in 1976. He received his MD from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in 1980 and then completed a flexible internship at the Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco, CA, in 1981. This was followed by an ophthalmology residency which he finished in 1984. Dr. d'Heurle became a retina specialist after completing a fellowship training at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta.
Professional associations include the American Medical Association, the Georgia Society of Ophthalmology, and the Vitreous Society.
Dr. d'Heurle is married to Jan Lorraine d'Heurle. They have a son, Albert and a daughter, Phoebe.